Midsummer Nights
by Trish
Summary: The third instalment to the Midsummer Series. Chapter Thirty Nine now up.
1. Prologue - Going To The Chapel

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Midsummer Nights

By Trish.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I own Callie, Flory, Poppy and the storyline. All the authors own themselves. And there is a certain character who is co-owned between Mia and myself.

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A/N: Okay - I'm back! This is the third instalment in my "Midsummer Series" - "Midsummer Madness," "Midsummer Dreams" and "Midsummer Nights." And it isn't about a disco. :P _Please read the other two first as this will not make sense. This is another offering of inspired insanity, humour, romance, drama, Pokéspeare and author cameos by yours truly. Not to be taken too seriously. I will be calling Mia by her proper name in her because I always call her that.._

The Prologue takes place one year after the events of "Midsummer Dreams". The first chapter one year after the Prologue. Therefore two years after the second series. Ash -28, Misty -28, Mia (Arrow) - 17.

a 

Prologue: _Going To The Chapel Of Love_

The Spring sunshine filtered through the leafy green foliage of the trees around Pallet's St. Andrew's Cathedral. A feeling of excitement pervaded the air as various media photographers and curious spectators milled around behind barriers as police and security guards kept watch. 

The Pokémon Grand Master was getting married today to his childhood sweetheart in what the magazines were terming the "Wedding of the Year". The public and the magazines were there to get a peek at their favourite celebrity, who they were dating, what they were wearing. Most importantly, they were there to see what SHE would be wearing….

They had seen the bridegroom and the groomsmen arrive in their black tuxedos, and Ash had greeted the cheering crowd with a warm smile and a wave.

It had now been fifteen minutes since the ceremony was supposed to start - and the bride still wasn't here.

Their patience was rewarded when two sleek white limousines bedecked in white ribbon pulled up outside the cathedral. The chauffeur of the first car got out and opened the passenger doors. Out stepped four bridesmaids in simple emerald green gowns with spaghetti straps - Daisy, Violet, Lily and Duplica.

The expectant crowd fell silent as Professor Oak emerged from the second car and went with the chauffeur around to the other passenger door where the wedding photographer was waiting to one side. The door opened and Misty stepped out, looking every inch the beautiful and radiant bride, to rapturous applause.

She wore an off-the-shoulder fitted gown of white silk with delicate embroidery on the bodice and the full-length skirt flowed into a long train at the back. Her long red hair was softly curled and swept up in the back. White roses held the full-length veil in place. A pearl necklace, which many guessed to be a wedding present from the groom, adorned her neck. The whole look was sexy, elegant and sophisticated, and the female proportion of the crowd cooed.

After the obligatory pre-ceremony photos had been taken, the bridal party moved towards the entrance to the cathedral. As Misty walked up the steps on Professor Oak's arm, someone from the crowd yelled out to her. "Go get him, Misty!" 

Misty turned and smiled through her veil. "Don't worry, I will!" she called back. "You don't know how many years I've waited for this moment."

Meanwhile in the cathedral, Ash was talking quietly to his parents in the front pew. Delia occasionally dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief, emotional at the thought that her little 'baby' was getting married and starting a family of his own. Gary was standing there with them and from time to time felt in his tuxedo pocket for the rings. Brock, Tracey and Richie, the other groomsmen stood to one side and talked amongst themselves. Richie caught the eye of his girlfriend Dana in the congregation and winked at her.

She sighed dreamily and settled back in her pew with a smile, oblivious to Mia rolling her eyes and Trish's grin.

Suddenly the organist began to play the processional piece _The Trumpet Voluntary_ and the congregation stood as the bridegroom and groomsmen took their places. Cameras flashed as the bridesmaids came down the aisle one by one, the females in the congregation craning to see the dresses, while the males tended to focus on what was _in_ the dresses….

Then the bride appeared, and began to make her way slowly down the aisle on the arm of a beaming Professor. Coos came from the congregation and all the single guys eyed their girlfriends with but one thought. **_Please_** don't start getting any ideas…..

Finally Misty was at Ash's side, the Professor stepped back and the priest began the service. "We have come together in the sight of God for the joining in marriage of this man Ash Ketchum and this woman Misty Waterflower….."

It was a beautiful ceremony and it went off without a hitch. At last came the words that everyone who had known the couple had been waiting to hear. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Ash turned to Misty and gently lifted the veil from her face and they kissed to many cheers from the congregation. James was bawling along with Meowth and Pikachu and Jessie just had a huge smile on her face.

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Finally…was the thought in everybody's minds. Ash and Misty had finally done it.

After the sermon and signing of the marriage certificate, the priest declared. "I present you with Mr. and Mrs. Ash Ketchum."

Ash offered his arm to his new wife and they made their way down the aisle to the time-honoured tune of Mendelssohn's _Bridal March_. Once outside they were greeted with cheers and the blinding flash of hundreds of cameras. The newlyweds smiled and shared a tender kiss.

The rest of the congregation poured out of the cathedral after the bridal party and milled around the grounds as the photos were taken before the bridal party were whisked away to the reception place.

a 

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Meanwhile….

In the world of Elysium, the streets were deserted. Not a soul stirred among the dwellings, all were up at the castle at the court of the Faerie King and Queen.

The vast throne room was filled with Faes, sprites, nymphs, pixies and elves. Sunlight streamed through the tall narrow windows and glistened on delicate wings and fabrics. King Oberon and Queen Titania were seated on the ornate thrones, solemn expressions on their regal faces. Flanking them on either side were Puck and Calliope, looking equally serious.

No one spoke as the sound of footsteps came down the corridor. The double doors opened to admit two Fae sentries with a prisoner between them. The walk up to the thrones was long, every step echoing in the cavernous room, finally coming to a halt in front of the monarchs.

Oberon rose and cleared his throat and glared at the russet-haired Fae in front of him. "Before I give you your punishment - is there anything you have to say for yourself?"

The prisoner raised his head and his green eyes flashed. "I retract nothing…" he stated defiantly.

"For the crime of attempted overthrow of your king, you are hereby sentenced to eternal banishment from the world of Elysium….Take him away!"

As the guards started to haul him away the prisoner shot a look of pure venom towards Puck. The dark-haired Fae returned the look. _That guy is trouble_….

He fished a small framed photo out of his pocket. A pretty young brunette's face stared at him. _Mia, I wonder how you are doing…I miss you so much…._

a 

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Back in the mortal world…

Mia was enjoying herself at the wedding. True, she was the only one of her group of friends who was there 'stag' but she never felt left out…Trish was there with Drake, Jenn and Gary, Dana and Richie, Erina and Flory, Karlie and Tracey.

They were standing on the wide balcony of the reception centre, enjoying the night air. Mia felt a little pang as Flory wrapped his arms around Erina who turned and kissed her fiancé. The young couple had announced their engagement a month ago and were planning to be wed the next year. The fact that Flory was a certain Fae's cousin and had decided to give up everything for the girl he loved, still hurt Mia more than she cared to admit. _That could have been me…_

Trish who was standing next to her, saw the hurt in Mia's eyes and gave the younger girl a gentle squeeze of the shoulders. Mia smiled gratefully, she really was like a elder sister to her.

Just then a strange feeling of foreboding crept over her and Mia shuddered, to her amazement she saw Trish, Jenn, Dana and Flory do the same….

"What's the matter?" Erina asked her partner.

"Nothing…it was nothing…" Flory said a bit too quickly.

His troubled dark brown eyes met Mia's and she shivered again. Something was brewing….

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a 

In a cave outside of Pallet, a cloaked figure summoned up a crystal ball out of thin air. In the depths of the crystal images came to light….that of a chestnut-haired Fae.

The figure spat on the ground and threw back the hood to reveal wild red hair, handsome face and piercing green eyes. "I will destroy you for this….," he vowed in a low menacing tone.

"Puck…I will destroy you. You will rue the day you crossed paths with Lucius…"

a 

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To be continued….

_Author's Note:_ _This is a belated pressie from me to my readers - because it was my 27th birthday on the 3rd… ^^_

So you get this! Now the name for the Fae Realm was taken from "Twelfth Night" by Shakespeare. 

Any authors out there who told me they'd like to be in this fic - please remind me. I may have forgotten…the list is around here somewhere…

One last thing, please read my friend dana-chan's stories. They are very well-written and funny! I chat to her nearly every day and she deserves more reviews than that…

Trish.


	2. Chapter One: Calling Out Around The Worl...

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Midsummer Nights

By Trish

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. I do own Callie, Poppy, Flory and the storyline. Lucius is the joint property of Mia and myself. The beginning is a parody of a fairly well-known Australian poem "_The Man From Snowy River_" by A. B "Banjo" Paterson. Chapter Title - a line from _Dancing In the Streets_.

Dedication: This is a belated pressie for Mia's 1 year anniversary at FF.Net. Many more years to come!

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Chapter One: Calling Out Around The World

There was movement at the airports - for the word had passed around. That a major celebration in the Orange Islands was about to get underway….

And so they came from all over the world.

In Sydney, four young women made their way through the busy international terminal at Kingsford Smith Airport. The youngest, a brunette was busy daydreaming, letting the babble of antipodean accents wash over her. Not looking where she was going, she stumbled and tripped over her own two feet, falling to the floor with a squeak of dismay.

The three older girls Trish, Jenn and Dana stopped and turned, varying degrees of amusement on their faces. "That's our Mia for you. Seventeen and still as klutzy as ever," Dana giggled, earning a scowl from Mia.

"She's not as bad as she used to be," Trish smiled as she helped the younger girl to her feet. The Australian girl glanced at her watch. "Come on, it's time for us to board…"

In London's Heathrow Airport, the clerk at the British Airways counter glanced up at the approach of four people. A petite, fluffy-haired young woman arm in arm with her dark-haired fiancé, followed closely by a bespectacled young woman who was dragging another man behind her.

In Glasgow, Scotland, Chris browsed through the magazines in the airport newsagency as he waited for the boarding call. The black-haired young man looked forward to seeing his friends again and to ogling all the pretty girls he was sure to find on the tropical sands of Pummelo…

"Passengers for Flight BAT1673 departing for Pummelo Island, from Gate 27 please head for the Customs Area now" came the metallic voice over the PA system.

Chris grinned and swung his backpack onto his shoulders and headed for the departure area.

From across the United States they came - in St. Louis Missouri, a raven-haired young woman sat on her bulging suitcase in attempt to shut it. "JOOOOOOANNNE!" A voice hollered from the front door. "You've got five minutes or you'll miss your flight!"

"Coming!" Joanne called out as the suitcase finally clicked shut. She dragged her bag out the door. This vacation promised to be good. She might even get to meet the Pokémon Grand Master…

From California, Pennsylvania and Florida….people were boarding flights…

Hundreds of people gathered on one tropical island. The stage was set for fun, for romance and for mischief-making…

a 

Mia leaned back in the plane seat, as she waited for the Boeing 747 to start taxiing down the runway. Beside her, Trish, Dana and Jenn were comparing in low voices, the physical merits of the male stewards in their Business Class section.

Mia rolled her eyes and chuckled at her friends' antics. Trust them to never pass up an opportunity to check out any cute guys - despite all three being in steady relationships. _And they say that **teenagers** are hormonal…_, she thought to herself.

Dana flashed a dazzling smile at the nearest steward then settled back with a sigh. "I can't _wait _to see Richie…" she said dreamily. "Richie, Richie, Richie" she chanted in a soft voice. "And he's all MINE."

"We _know_," chorused her three companions.

"He's the most fantastic guy I ever met," Trish continued.

"He's absolutely gorgeous," Jenn added.

"And I just can't wait to glomp him," finished Mia.

Dana stared at her friends' trotting out her standard phrases. "Dana doesn't like you teasing her," she pouted.

Trish gave her a quick hug. "We're only joking. Oh and Drake said that Richie told him that he would have something for you when we arrive." The twenty-eight-year-old cringed and covered her ears as Dana let loose a high pitched squeal. "No wonder Lyptus thinks you're her mummy," she commented with a grin. "You squeal at the same pitch as she does."

Dana squealed. "Lyptus…my little Aussie drop bear…"

"See what I mean?" 

Mia settled back as the plane began to move, not really a part of the conversation. She'd never admit it, but all this talk about boyfriends and stuff left a pang of loneliness inside her. All her friends would be meeting up with their respective boyfriends and she would be the odd one out.

She fiddled with an exquisite silver ring with a fleur-de-lis design, remembering the one who gave it to her two years before. _Why did you leave me?_

a 

There had been a small ceremony at the Orange League Headquarters welcoming the Pokémon Grand Master and his entourage to the celebrations of the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Orange League. 

The official duties over, the guests were mingling and making small talk.

Ash Ketchum stepped out onto the balcony of the boardroom and breathed in the fresh sea air.

"Nothing like breath of fresh air, is there?" A voice said behind him. He turned to see Drake, Danny and Cissie standing there - the Gym Leaders of Pummelo, Navel and Mikan Islands respectively.

"No there isn't," Ash agreed.

"Where's Misty?" Cissie enquired.

"She's resting at the hotel. Pikachu's keeping her company."

A tiny, pudgy Pikachu leapt up onto the Grand Master's shoulders. "_Pikapi"_ she chirped happily before nuzzling his cheek.

"Then who's this?" Cissie asked, confused.

"This is Poppy, Pikachu's daughter," Ash introduced, scratching the mouse under the chin. 

It was then they noticed the small pink bow on one ear. The Pokémon chirped in greeting, then scrambled down his front and tried to get into his blazer pocket. There was a squeak of dismay as she became stuck, her bottom and tail sticking straight in the air.

Ash sighed and extracted the wriggling bundle of fur from her undignified position. "Unfortunately she still thinks she can fit into my pockets…"

He placed the Pokémon back on his shoulder and petted her ruffled fur until she was quite happy again. "Poppy's a chip off the old block. Almost as great a battler as her mother is. She's taking over while Pikachu is expecting."

"She's not the only one…," Gary said with a smirk as he joined the group.

"Oh?" 

"Misty's expecting our first child early next year," Ash said with a smile.

Cissie squealed and the guys shook his hand and gave him congratulatory back slaps.

"I think this calls for a few drinks," Gary suggested with a wink.

"I agree," Drake piped up.

"Count me in," Danny added.

"Daddy Ketchum," Gary smirked.

"Oh, shut up," Ash elbowed his former rival.

"But it's the truth!"

a 

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The next day…

The door of the villa swung open with a bang, and the two young women standing there attempted to enter at the same time - with suitcases.

"Oooph."

Trish and Jenn looked at each other sheepishly then backed off before entering one at a time. Dana and Mia soon struggled in after with their luggage.

"Home Sweet Home for the next few months," Trish declared in satisfaction, gazing around the living room of the villa which was co-owned by Jenn and herself.

"Be it ever soooo humble, there's noooo place like hoooooooome," Jenn sang slightly off-key and blushed when her friends stared at her. "There's nothing wrong with singing…"

Trish and Jenn dragged their bags into their respective rooms and started unpacking, leaving Mia and Dana in the living room.

"Sooooo….," Dana broke the silence. "Who gets which room?"

Mia shrugged. "I bags the one next to Trish."

Dana's eyes narrowed behind her spectacles. "Hey _I_ want that room…."

"It's mine!"

"No it's mine!"

"_MINE_!"

"_MINE!"_

The squabbling resulted in both Trish and Jenn poking their heads out of their rooms to see what the ruckus was all about.

"MINE!!"

"MINE!!!!"

The two older girls exchanged a glance, then both walked into the living room. Each grabbed a suitcase and it's corresponding owner, dragged them into a bedroom each and then shut the doors on them.

"They're acting like two year olds," Jenn sighed.

"I resent _that_!" Dana called out from behind the door that Trish was standing against.

"Oops," Jenn muttered. "Now I'm in for it…."

"I'll have you know that I act more like a five year old!"

a 

The _Illyrium Hotel_ was listed in the Orange Islands guidebooks as one of the best hotels in Pummelo, centrally located with easy access to the beach. And that morning it was experiencing one of it's busiest check-in periods ever.

Erina gazed up at the huge chandeliers as she waited in the lobby with Karlie as their partners checked in. "This is a beautiful hotel," she murmured.

"It is," Karlie agreed. "This is where the reception will be, right?"

Erina beamed. "Exactly. The wedding will be held in the hotel gardens in the late afternoon, followed by the reception in the ballroom." 

Flory and Tracey came over to them with the keys. "We were just talking about the wedding," Erina hugged her fiancé tightly around his waist. "There's going to be a large white marquee, decorated with white roses, with the setting sun and it's going to be soooo romantic…" she gushed.

Twenty minutes later Karlie had already unpacked and gone off with Tracey, while Erina was still unpacking. There was a knock at the door and she ran to let Flory in.

He swung her around happily before capturing her lips in a tender kiss.

They broke apart and her grey-green eyes sparkled. "Just one more month…"

"Then we'll be married."

Erina sighed in contentment as she leaned against his chest. "I love you…"

Flory dropped a kiss on her forehead. "I love you too." 

As he held her close, he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen….

a 

The _Verona Café_ was filled with patrons that afternoon. Situated right on the beachfront, the gentle seabreeze ruffled the napkins on each table. Gary leaned back against the railing of the wide verandah as he waited with Ash and Misty, Drake and Richie for the rest to arrive.

The popular café had been designated as the meeting place for their large group of friends, the majority of whom had been at the first International Pokémon League Convention two years before.

Erina and Flory were the first to arrive, along with Karlie, Tracey, Rachel and Chris.

Another group was making its way towards the café, when there was a sudden squeal and a redhead launched herself at lightning speed towards them. Richie had no time to react before Dana flung herself on him, sending both crashing to the floor.

Gary snickered. "I think she's pleased to see you," he remarked dryly.

Richie just blushed and struggled to an upright position, his girlfriend clinging onto him for all she was worth.

Trish grinned. "That's all she talked about on the way here. Richie, Richie Richie…" She gave a small squeak as an arm came around her waist and spun her against a tall figure.  
  
"Aren't you going to say 'hello' to me?" Drake murmured with a smile.

"I was going to…" she protested before being cut off with a deep kiss. Erina cooed at the sight before planting a kiss on Flory's lips.

Ash and Misty shared a smile before doing the same.

Jenn jumped Gary. "Since everyone else seems to be kissing...might as well go with the flow…" she laughed.

"_We're_ not!" Rachel, Chris and Mia protested.

"Why can't I have some Officer Jenny jump me like that? She could use her handcuffs to chain us together…then my hands would creep up…" his eyes glazed over as he drifted off into one of his harem fantasies.

Mia rolled her eyes at the couples. It really hurt to see them and to know she could have been a part of it. Since everyone seemed to be preoccupied she decided to go for a little stroll to compose herself...

"I'm just going for a short walk," she called out, only to have a few languid waves in response. She walked onto the beach and took off her shoes, feeling the warm sand between her toes...

Unbeknownst to the seventeen-year-old, she was being watched closely...

Lu narrowed his gaze. So _this _was the mortal that his enemy had fallen in love with. She was his weakness. She would be the key to his destruction.

He ran his eyes up and down the girl. He could see why....she was beautiful with brunette tresses and emerald green eyes...she had a nice figure too...

A glint came into his eyes. He knew how to hurt Puck...all he had to do was get her to fall in love with another. He straightened up and began to transform. And who better than himself?

The russet-haired Fae watched as Mia walked along the beach, the breeze blowing her shirt and shorts. Yes...there'd be no way she could resist him...

She would be Venus to his Adonis... he finished the transformation and began to make his way towards her....when "Venus" turned and fell flat on her face.

Lu slapped a hand to his forehead. "Oy..." he muttered. "No _wonder_ Puck fell for her..."

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Scratch that for a plan, he thought. Perfection such as himself demanded an equally perfect partner. _Maybe I can find another mortal to do the job....._

He probed her heart and mind and found the answer he was looking for. He had also found the way to control her...

a 

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Elysium…

Calliope brushed back her thick chestnut curls into a ponytail and peered out the window. There sitting in a park across the road was a forlorn dark-haired figure on a bench. She sighed and called out to her parents that she was just going across the road.

She strolled up behind him. "Hey Bro…"

Puck jumped slightly and Callie could see he was clutching a small photo frame. "Hey Cal."

The two Faes sat down side by side. Callie conjured up a pair of sunglasses and slipped them on. "Thinking about Mia again?"

"Yeah…" Puck hesitated before he spoke up again. "Do you think she still remembers me?"

"I'm sure she does."

"You don't think," he cringed. "That she might have found someone else?"

"I honestly don't know…" Callie murmured. "Wish I could say that I know what you're going through, but I don't…"

"Haven't you met the special someone yet?"

"No." His sister shifted. "Not that I haven't tried. But I haven't met one guy who fits my ideal. Maybe my standards are too high."

"Or you just haven't met him."

"Maybe," Callie smiled. "Maybe I'll meet him soon…"

a 

An hour later, Gary sighed as he and the other guys waited for the girls to come back from the bathroom. He never understood why girls had to go to the bathroom in _groups_. Or why they took so long in there. It must be one of those "girl things" as Ash said.

Suddenly Chris whistled and leaned on the railing. "Just look at those beach beauties…." 

The guys looked up to see a gaggle of girls pass in tiny bikinis along the beach. "They _are_ gorgeous," Gary agreed and wolf-whistled loudly.

"They're okay," Ash said, only mildly interested.

The other guys turned to stare at him. "What do you mean, they're only _okay_?" Chris demanded.

"They're nothing special…"

Gary smirked at his best friend. "Ash, you are sooooo whipped, man." He turned to Chris. "You forget he's been _married_ for a year…"

"And he's going to be a father," Drake added.

"That's why," Gary continued. "Never get married my friends. Marriage and fatherhood has made Ashy boy here a very dull playmate…"

Ash only smiled as Gary ruffled his hair. "Just you wait…just you wait. It's going to be one of _you_ next," he retorted.

Brock glanced at the beach again. "Heyyyyyy….look at that babeeeee!"

A buxom blonde went striding past in a itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikini.

"Nice melons," Gary admired.

"Yeah…." Drake, Brock, Chris and Richie all echoed dreamily.

"_Ahem…"_

They turned around to see the girls standing there, three of them especially, with hands on hips.

Ash grinned and started to whistle the "_Funeral March_" softly.

Drake, Gary and Richie gulped.

Trish and Dana exchanged a glance. Then Trish flung herself on Danny, and before Drake could say anything, Dana was on top of him.

Richie's eyes bugged out as his girlfriend glomped the Gym Leader. It was then that Jenn's gaze so casually swept towards him, passing over Gary. She smirked, and strode towards the blonde.

Richie looked up and stepped back at the approach of impending doom.

"Uhh," he groaned, and Jenn threw her arms around him, holding on tight. Gary's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and Jenn's arms slithered around Richie's form. "Uhh..." he repeated.

"You know something," Jenn whispered, leaning close to his ear and practically purring.

"Wh-what...?" he answered weakly. _Dana is going to kill me... no, Gary is going to kill me first and then Dana is going to kill me too._

"I... _want_... you... too..." She said quietly trailing a finger down his cheek, and Richie flushed a deep crimson.

He muttered something incoherent, and Jenn unlatched herself from him, stepping back and breaking into helpless giggles. Dana was next to follow, and then Trish.

"That's what you get for ogling," Jenn gasped.

Richie and Drake scowled for a bit then burst into laughter.

Mia just sighed and shook her head, serious for a moment. "And you're supposed to be adults."

Gary was still scowling. "How come none of you jumped _me_?" he complained, before he yelped and doubled over in pain as Mia kicked him in the shins.

"Because YOU made the melons crack, you moron!"

a 

Dana rose from the couch. The whole group were gathered in the villa that the eldest girls owned on Pummelo. "Okay...who's up for a game of 'Twister'? 

"Twister?" Erina raised an eyebrow at this. 

But Trish and Jenn bounced up. "Sure...it'd be fun!" As they got ready nobody seemed to notice that one person was missing from the merry gathering...

Flory happened to glance out the sliding doors at the back and spotted a lonely figure sitting on the garden bench....

Flory excused himself, not that anyone took notice, for the game had started and Dana and Richie found themselves assuming a rather _interesting_ position which had Trish and Jenn in fits of laughter. 

He softly slid the doors back and quietly approached the brooding figure. Mia was looking up at the twinkling night sky and listening to some song on her portable CD Player. "Hey Mia," Flory said rather hesitantly uncertain of how she would react to his presence.

The girl turned around and gave a sad smile when she saw the chestnut haired young man standing there. Why does he have to look so much like _him_ she thought with a pang in her heart.

"Hey Flory" she replied then turned her gaze back at the stars.

He sat down next to her and they sat in silence for a moment. "Thinking about him again?" 

She nodded and then blurted out. "Do you think Puck still thinks about me?" 

Flory was a bit startled but answered. "I'm sure he does, Mia just as much as you think about him. Maybe even more. He really loves you, you know." 

"Yeah but does he really?" she muttered. "If he did shouldn't he have stayed with me? _You _stayed for Rina...." 

Flory didn't quite know what to say that. He never realised how hard it must have been for Mia to see him and Erina together, knowing that Puck could have made the same decision...

All he could do was to give her a reassuring pat on the arm. "He _does _love you, and if he said he'd come back, he will...." He rose from the bench and gave her a sympathetic smile. "You going to be all right?" 

Mia nodded and he went back inside. She was finally alone again and a single tear ran down her cheek as she listened to the song on the CD - _There You'll Be_ by Faith Hill.

As the words washed over her in the darkness, she failed to notice the ring change from silver to gold…

a 

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To be continued….

Author's Note: Spot the author….the newbies! (grins). 

A drop bear…is an North American Urban Myth about Australia. That bears will drop onto your head from gumtrees. Aka the koala. 

In my 27 years here - I have yet to have a drop bear fall on me…

Sorry for the delay but Christmas and New Year were hectic out here - with the bad bushfires that were in Sydney. There looked like a chance that I would have to evacuate. Luckily it didn't eventuate…

Please read Pikajenn's and dana-chan's stories…or else I sic my drop bear Euca on you. :P

Read and review. Flamers fed to Tassie Devils


	3. Chapter Two: Summer Fling Don't Mean A T...

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Midsummer Nights

By Trish.

Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me, nor does anything that comes from Shakespeare (sniffs). The song title comes from _Summer Loving _from _Grease_.

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A/N: Low flying Innuendo Alert! Oh and Dragoness has given me permission to use her Mew in the story. Pokémon speech is translated into English when necessary..

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Chapter 2: Summer Fling Don't Mean A Thing

"Mia."

The voice penetrated Mia's unconsciousness and slowly moved into the innermost recesses of her brain. The brunette mumbled and rolled over still fast asleep.

"Miaaaaaaaaa." The voice tried again. "Time to get up."

There was a gentle shake. Mia decided to ignore it.

"Okay," the voice sighed. "You asked for it…"

The footsteps died away and Mia decided that it would be safe to roll onto her back.

There was a patter of feet then….

"Ooomph."

Something solid landed on her stomach.

Mia found herself looking into two big brown puppy dog eyes.

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Slurp…

Ophelia yipped and licked her face.

"_Ophie_!" Mia whined and fended off another licking attack by the excited Pokémon.

There was a chuckle from the door and Mia turned her head to see Trish standing there with a big smile. The fire puppy leapt off the bed and sat down at her mistress's feet. "It's 11 o'clock, Mia. Time to rise and shine!" Trish said cheerily as she crossed over to the windows and flung open the curtains.

"I'll rise but I won't shine," Mia grumbled as she staggered out of bed. She stared blearily at her older friend. "How come you're so perky? You're _not_ a morning person."

"I'm not," Trish replied as she walked to the door, Ophie at her heels. "I blame a combination of strong coffee and chocolate." She paused. "Besides the sun is shining, we're on holidays on a tropical island, you're with friends…it's going to be a great day today!"

****

__

It was indeed a great day, Ash thought lazily as he lazed on the pool deck of the hotel. Beside him Misty lay dozing, one hand resting on her small bump. Chikorita and Bulbasaur were also dozing, soaking in the sun's rays.

This was the life, the Master thought as he gently tickled a small fat fur ball on his lap. Pikachu purred in her sleep and shifted so that her pregnant tummy was facing up. Poppy was curled up in a small ball by his side.

He scratched Poppy behind her long ears and the tiny mouse stirred and looked at her trainer with an inquisitive "_Pi_?"

"Hey Poptart," Ash said affectionately and the Pokémon nuzzled his hand.

Misty stirred beside him, "Did you say something about a poptart, honey?" she asked, with one blue eye open at her husband.

"Yes I did..but.."

"Could you get me some please?"

"But…"

"I am eating for _two_ you realise…"

"Yes, dear."

****

Joanne dumped her suitcase gratefully on the bed. Her room in the _Illyrium_ Hotel overlooked the harbour, affording a picturesque view of the yachts sailing on the water.

"We're finally here!" she exclaimed with an air of satisfaction.

In response the single Pokéball on her belt opened in a flash of light to reveal a small cat-like creature with a long tail.

"_Mew"_ it giggled, then turned a somersault in the air.

Joanne considered herself to be very lucky to be the trainer of a Mew. And not just any Mew either. Hers was a little _different…._

For one thing it was blue.

A blue Mew with the ability to change to the normal colour of pink.

The dark-haired girl had impressed upon her Pokémon the importance of keeping its true colour a secret. For if people knew…there would be many attempts made to steal it and Joanne would be constantly hounded by the media. Which was the one thing in the world that she did not want, for she was a bit of a shyster.

As a result her Mew was a little schizophrenic from changing back and forth so much. One time she ended up with a blue Mew with pink spots….

Twenty minutes later, everything had been unpacked and squared away.

Joanne grabbed a shoulder bag and recalled her Pokémon. "Come on, let's go and do some training!"

****

"I hope that's enough Poptarts," Ash muttered to Pikachu as he walked back from the supermarket in an effort to satisfy Misty's cravings.

"_Yep"_ the mouse agreed as she rode in a little pouch on his back. Ash never risked Pikachu riding on his shoulder when she was pregnant. The health and welfare of her unborn babies were his utmost concern - which is why he never let her battle either.

They were crossing through a local park when they heard someone shout "ASH!"

He stopped, shrugged then continued on.

The call came again. "ASH!"

"Who's calling me?" Ash wondered out loud.

"_Over there",_ Pikachu pointed a tiny paw towards the east.

****

Joanne grumbled as she parted some of the bushes. She had found a nice little park to exercise her Pokémon in - but the little rascal had decided to play a game of 'Hide and Seek' and would not come when she called.

The eighteen-year-old was about to try again when a voice interrupted her.

"Excuse me miss, but were you calling me?"

"Oh I wasn't calling you…" Joanne started to say as she turned to face her questioner - her voice trailed off when she saw who it was…

For standing there in front of her was none other than the Pokémon Grand Master himself.

"You weren't?" Ash asked with a smile.

Joanne felt herself melting on the inside. The man looked a hundred times better in the flesh than he did on TV. "Er…no. I was calling for my Pokémon…" 

"What do you have?"

Her Pokémon floated over and announced its presence with a giggle.

Ash's eyes widened. "_You _have a Mew?"

"That's right. And I named it Ashura after _you_" she gushed, well aware of the fact that she was acting like a total ditz in front of her hero.

"But that's not really my…"

"I know, but don't you think Ashura sounds so much better than Ashton?"

"Yeah…well…"

"One more thing," the dark-haired girl dug around in her bag for the pen and pad that she was sure was in there _somewhere_. "I think you're just the greatest and I really wanna have your baby…" she babbled.

Ash went a bit pale and Joanne realised what she had just blurted out. "Uh…I mean I really wanna have your autograph!"

Ash just nodded and hastily scrawled a message on the pad that she held out to him. "Well, it was nice meeting you Joanne. See you." With a casual wave of the hand he went off.

She read the inscription and sighed. "To Joanne, thank you for being one of my biggest fans. Love Ash Ketchum."

"_He's taken…"_

"Yeah I know he's already married, but…."

"_But what?"_

"But I would treat him so much better!"

The Mew sighed. _Humans…._

****

__

Humans….

The thought was also passing through a certain red-haired Fae's mind. Humans were such simple, pathetic creatures…such fools.

Lu sighed as he settled himself upon the shop fittings, invisible to all. Today he would bring the first phase of his brilliant plan into action. And it all hinged on a gold ring worn on a certain young woman's finger….

****

"_Alas poor Mia of the emerald green eyes. I know what you love and I know what you despise. It's time for a change and I'm sure you'll agree. For soon little one, your body and soul shall belong to me."_

Dana tried to stifle a giggle at the sight before her. Jenn was holding up a bikini top of coconut shells against her t-shirt and was singing "_I've got a loverly bunch of coconuts_…" Beside her Trish was having no more luck than she was at keeping a straight face at their friend's antics.

"Where's Mia?" Dana asked. "She should see _this_.."

"She's probably pretending to look in some corner. You know how much she _loves_ shopping," Jenn chirped as she put down the coconut shells.

A loud squeal make the group of girls turn around. There was Mia holding up a bikini set.

It was an itsy bitsy teeny weeny _pink_ bikini.

Trish blinked and pinched herself. Surely she was hallucinating. _Mia_ was enthusiastically holding onto a bikini which had less material in it than a handkerchief. Mia who _loathed _shopping….and it was _pink. _Mia _hated_ pink. "Uh…Mia you can't wear that in _public_.."

Mia looked at her with confused green eyes. "But it's _SO_ cute!" 

"Yeah, well it's so tiny, it's _indecent_…"

"But I love it!"

"It's _pink_, Mia dear," Erina chimed in.

"So?"

Dana walked over and put a hand on Mia's head. "Are you all right?" 

Mia shook her off. "Give me a break." She grinned. "I _want_ this one." 

Everyone looked rather taken aback at this. This wasn't like Mia at all…maybe she had a reaction to some strange island food.

Lu arched an eyebrow from where he was perched on the wall. "Maybe I overdid it a bit with changing her personality..." he muttered. "I hate spells..." he grumbled and tried to tweak it.

Suddenly a horrible scream was heard.

"WHY WAS I TOUCHING _THAT_!?!?"

Sweatdrops ran rampant among the group as Mia flung the article of clothing far away from her and fled the shop.

Rachel sighed. "I thought it was kinda cute..."

****

__

Later that afternoon…

Lucius ignored the admiring glances sent his way by many a passing beach babe, who took in his nicely toned physique.

A few tried to accentuate their wiggle as they walked past, but the brooding man on the beach had no eyes for them. 

He was waiting for a special group of people to walk by, the group of people who, if all went according to plan- would aid in the destruction of his enemy....

Soon seven people came strolling down the beach with a small crowd of Pokémon with them. Lu sat up with interest. These were the people he was looking for.

"_Arf Arf_!"

"Steady onnn" Trish muttered as she attempted to keep pace with her two Growlithe Hamlet and Ophelia. Beside her Jenn was having equal trouble with Mac and Beth, and Dana with her three Eevee evolutions - Meenie, Minie and Mo.

The three girls were 'attempting' to have a walk along the beach with their boyfriends and their Pokémon - but were being dragged by the excited creatures along the stretch of white sand.

Gary just snickered as he walked beside Ash whom he had invited at the last minute to join them. "Having fun, dear?" he called out to Jenn who was struggling with the leashes of her fire puppies.

Jenn looked daggers at her boyfriend, her blond hair blowing in the wind. "No I'm NOT! A little help here would be nice!"

"We agree!" Trish and Dana chorused and looked back at their respective halves..

Richie hurried forth and grabbed the leashes off his red-haired girlfriend. "There you go, Dana..." 

Dana squealed and hugged the trainer. "Richie you are the sweetest!"

Drake had also taken the leashes of the boisterous Pokémon off Trish who smiled gratefully and hugged him. Which left Jenn shooting death glares at hers.

"Hellllllllllo there!" Jenn hollered back to the Viridian Gym Leader. "What about a little chivalry here???"

Ash nudged his best friend. "Shouldn't you help her?"

Gary shrugged. "Why? They are _her_ Pokémon. She should be able to handle them..."

Ash shook his head. "That's not the point.." 

With that he jogged forward and wrested the leashes off Jenn before she would have fallen flat on her face. Jenn flashed him a brilliant smile. "Thank you, Ash."

"That's Ash for you..." Gary sighed. "Always helping out...."

Jenn looked back from where she was walking beside the Pokémon Master. "Yah, well at LEAST HE HELPED ME!!! And maybe that's why _he's _so POPULAR!"

"Oooh," Trish whispered to Dana. "Touché!"

"Oh YEAH?" Gary yelled back rather piqued at his girlfriend's remark.

"YEAH!" was the curt response and she then proceeded to ignore him and walk beside her "saviour".

Trish laughed, she just knew Jenn would be eyeing the unsuspecting Mr Ketchum beside her. Because that was such a Jenn thing to do.

Meanwhile Lu was busy observing. All these people knew and were close to Mia...And through Mia he'd destroy Puck...

__

Choose your victims and play….

Seduction…. He could easily seduce any of these girls. He was Adonis...what woman in their right mind would refuse such a _perfect _specimen as himself?

His eye fell on the redhead....

Fiery red tresses were gathered into a loose ponytail. Blue-grey eyes sparkled behind a pair of fashion spectacles. She was very attractive and her figure was very nice.

However she seemed too attached to the blond man next to her. Would she even give him a second glance? He watched as the girl in question squealed and glomped her boyfriend. He knew then that this must be the one known as Dana. 

His gaze then drifted to the girl who was helping the two up off the sand after the enthusiastic glomp. 

This young woman had long hair the colour of midnight and her merry laugh drifted across as she helped brush the sand off Dana's shirt. "Get a room you two!" Lu heard and noted that this was a different accent from Mia's - more broad and with a weird sort of twang to it.

Ah yes...there was an Aussie in the group of friends. Trish was her name if he remembered correctly, from scanning Mia's mind. The eldest of Mia's group and she had more or less assumed the role of "Big Sister."

__

You look up to people who are your big sisters or brothers. And if that person is taken away…. Lu smiled. _She'd play a very important part in my plan. Victim chosen…_

He looked her over...she was, like Dana, very pretty. He needed someone to be his Faerie Queen. He could imagine her in a dark wine red medieval gown with a gold crown inlaid with rubies. But as he watched, a tall muscular man slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply. Lu grimaced. Like Dana, Trish seemed too attached to her boyfriend...

Which left one more.....who's name was Jenn. This girl was a tall leggy blond and Lu eyed her appreciatively...

And _this _one - unlike her companions, didn't seem too cosy or harmonious with her boyfriend. Lu rubbed his hands in glee. Why did he have to miss out? He could have lots of fun with her....

__

This one's mine…

****

Jenn glanced across back up the beach, then walked over and gathered her two friends on either side. "See that guy on the beach there?" 

"Which guy?" Trish asked.

"The one right there." Jenn pointed a finger at a red-haired young man in a loose Hawaiian shirt and board shorts.

All three stopped and appraised him with well-practiced eyes.

"He's cute," Trish agreed heartily.

"He is," Dana concurred. "But............"

Jenn and Trish exchanged a glance. They knew what was going to come next.

"He's nowhere as _hot _as Richie is!" Dana squealed.

Jenn shook her head then rejoined Ash as he was still holding the leashes of her two Growlithe. 

****

There was an indignant yelp as a bored Mac took a lazy nip at Beth's back leg. Beth scooted around the back of the nearest human's legs.

Mac barked in excitement and rushed off in pursuit. 

Beth yelped and tore back around the front.

Mac duly followed.

"_Oh no_!"

In their excitement the two puppies' leashes had become wrapped around both Ash's and Jenn's legs, sending the two startled humans tumbling into the surf.

Trish, Drake, Dana and Richie stopped at the shouts, turned around, and tried to stifle their giggles. Whereas a sulking Gary just looked and stomped on.

For Jenn had landed on top of Ash and both were soaking wet...with the two puppies barking excitedly from the shore...

Jenn brushed away a strand of wet hair and found herself gazing into twinkling dark brown eyes. "Sorry Ash, " she apologised. "I didn't mean to fall on you...."

"No need to apologise," Ash laughed it off. "Now if we can just get ourselves untangled...."

__

Must we? Jenn thought with a pang. Then scolded herself for thinking so - she was in love with _Gary_ not Ash. Besides Ash was a _married_ man and a father to be…

"I'm going to have to feel around you," Ash muttered an apology.

Jenn blushed as she felt Ash's warm hands move around her back in an attempt to find the collars which had come off with the leashes. A thrill moved down her spine as his hands moved down her thigh. 

"Got it!" Ash announced in triumph and so in a few minutes of wriggling around they were free. Ash staggered up to his feet first then offered a hand to Jenn.

She looked up and nearly had a ditzy moment. God he was gorgeous when wet. His black shirt clung to him like a second skin, defining his athletic and toned build. He ran a hand through his wet hair, making Jenn nearly faint.

He hauled her up and she came to a stop against him.

"Thanks for helping me once again," she said softly.

Ash smiled. "No problem. It's always a pleasure."

They walked up to their friends. Trish made Drake give up his vest to wrap around her soggy best friend before they went on.

They walked on in silence for a bit and Jenn, Trish and Dana trailed a bit behind the men.

"Sooooo," Dana broke the silence. "What was it like?"

"What was what like?" Jenn asked confused.

Trish's eyes twinkled. "You know…your rolling around in the surf with the Pokémon Grand Master…"

"Well I _nevah_!" Jenn tried to look offended at the very thought.

Her friends just burst into laughter. "C'mon Jenn, don't deny it," Dana gasped.

"We know you've fantasised about that very moment with Ash," Trish added with a smile.

"Okay..I wanted to stay entangled…" Jenn admitted with a blush.

Dana and Trish both slung an arm around her. "Don't worry Jenn. Your secret's safe with us."

****

The next day Lu made his way to the _Wobbuffet Buffet_ on the main esplanade of Pummelo Island. In the corner he spied the very person he was looking for. He walked over to the table where the dark-haired young man was sitting and introduced himself. "Hi, my name is Lucius and I believe we have a mutual acquaintance…" He pulled a small photograph from his pocket and handed it to his companion. The young man's eyes widened and Lu knew that he had the right person.

"I have a proposition for you…"

****

__

The group made their way onto the beach and set out their towels. Jenn sat down on the towel and turned to her friend. "Triiiiiiiiish, can you pass me the sun screen?" The sun screen was handed over and Jenn went to squeeze some out. 

It was then that some of the males in the group decided to strip out of their tops...

Jenn's jaw dropped and her hands tightened round the bottle not noticing where she was squeezing it.

Trish looked up and laughed. "Uh...Jenn I suggest you stopping looking at all the male flesh - because you have excess lotion all over your front..."

Jenn glanced down and saw that it was true. "Oh well," she grinned. "Any guys can help themselves.." 

Everyone laughed except for Gary who looked a bit annoyed.

An impish grin crossed Jenn's face, she knew the perfect way to get revenge on her boyfriend for spending nearly _all _day in the company of a former cheerleader.

She whispered in Trish's ear and a mischievous grin passed between them. Trish went around passing drinks to everyone and whispering something in the others' ears.

Jenn then stood up and stretched, when Drake walked over and scooped her up with a grin. "I wouldn't mind some off you." 

"Neither would I" chorused Ash, Danny and Brock.

To Gary's horror, Jenn was soon surrounded by all the males in the group plus by other male Gym Leaders from the other Orange Islands - and appearing to love every minute of it..

Gary looked around and was amazed to see the other girls were unperturbed by their boyfriends fawning over the blond twenty-seven-year-old.

He strode over to Trish. "Why aren't you doing anything?"

Trish tipped down her sun glasses and looked at him with dark brown eyes. "Whatever for?"

Gary nearly choked. He knew that Trish was a very laid back person but this was ridiculous. "Because...because it's your boyfriend pressing flesh with your best friend?"

"Aww....c'mon Gary," she drawled in her Aussie accent. "Why can't Jenn have a male cheer squad? You have your cheerleaders...."

"Aaaand..." The dark-haired girl leaned over and poked him in the chest. "_You_ spent nearly all yesterday with a former bimbette of yours and not with Jenn!"

Trish then grabbed one of his arms and Dana grabbed the other. Taken by surprise, Gary was dragged to the water and dumped unceremoniously in the surf.

Gary surfaced and spluttered. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!!!"

Trish and Dana stood there with their hands on their hips. "BECAUSE YOU'RE A JERK GARY OAK!!!" they chorused.

As Gary struggled out from the surf, the group around Jenn broke up and Jenn wandered over to his two assailants. She stood in between Trish and Dana and they linked arms. "Besides Gawwy-kins," Trish spoke up. "I did tell you before that if you ever hurt Jenn, that I would come after you...." 

"And _nobody_ messes with our soul-sistah," Dana added.

The three girls exchanged a silent message. "In other words, don't mess with the Evil Trio!" they chorused before all walking off.

****

The stars twinkled brightly in the night sky as laughter and music drifted up from the Orange League Headquarters Function Centre on Pummelo Island.

A semi-formal function was being held to mark the beginning of the 3 month long celebration of the Orange League's 350th birthday. The guest list included a who's who of the Orange League, Pokémon League, Indigo and Johto League and family and friends.

Richie wended his way through the merry crowds to the table where his group was situated as Smash Mouth's _Now I'm A Believer _blared out over the sound system. There was Ash, Misty, Chris, Gary, Trish, Drake, Mia, Jenn, Erina and Flory. But there was a certain redhead missing…

"Where's Dana?" he questioned.

"Oh, she's just gone for an orgasm," Trish said nonchalantly as she flicked a toothpick and grinned as it went down Gary's shirt.

Richie's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He sat down on the seat next to the Aussie. "You didn't say what I just thought you said....."

Trish smiled. "I sure did. Dana's having an orgasm."

Richie's head was whirling. His Dana was having an.....he could barely think of the word. How _could_ she? 

"I had one the other night with Chris and Dana, Trish continued as she scored another toothpick hit down Gary's front. "And Jenn's going to have one later this evening."

Richie was getting even more uncomfortable. Was this some secret women's business?

The other guys hadn't noticed. Gary was too busy bragging to Drake to notice the growing collection of toothpicks in his shirt and Jenn wasn't about to dob in her best friend.

"Actually, " Jenn spoke up. "This is her second orgasm for this evening...."

Richie nearly died. _Second_!!!

"Trish already had one Fluffy Duck."

Richie's mind boggled. What on earth did one do with a duck? Visions of fluffy ducks floated across his conscience.

Richie grasped Trish's hand. "With whom is Dana...y'know..." he stuttered.

The dark-haired girl stifled a laugh. "No one, Richie. An Orgasm is the name of a cocktail...."

Richie nearly wilted with relief. "Phew....."

"She's just getting me another Fluffy Duck."

"Fluffy....Duck?"

"Cocktail, Richie, Cocktail..."

Just then Dana came back, laden with two large glasses. She handed one to her friend and sat down next to her.

"Sooo," Trish grinned at her. "How was your Orgasm?"

Dana winked. "Most satisfying!"

Trish, Jenn and Dana linked arms and chorused. "She came, she saw, she orgasmed!" 

Richie nearly fainted.... These were wild women indeed.

****

Mia sighed as she fiddled with her dress. She really hated wearing a dress and heels. Especially heels….stupid platforms on sticks. She still couldn't walk in them that well but at least she was better than she was two years ago.

Plus she was feeling like a real wallflower at the moment. Erina and Flory were dancing as were Karlie, Tracey, Dana and Richie. Trish and Jenn were busy teasing Chris while Ash, Drake and Gary circulated playing the role of dutiful hosts.

She was nearly bored to tears when there was a slight tap on her shoulder. She twisted in her chair to see a handsome young man around her age, with brown hair and dark brown eyes. He looked really familiar but she couldn't place where she had seen him before…

"May I have this dance?"

"Certainly," Mia agreed. Anything was better than just sitting here. "And your name is…?"

  
"My name is Mikey."

__

To be continued…..

****

__

Author's Note: Lesson for today: Never assume things dear peeps. Especially with stories. What you read is not necessarily what is going on or going to happen. I love doing scenes like that, twists are so much fun to do.

Yes, those cocktails do exist…

(chuckles) I'm not sure if Dragoness is going to kill me for this chapter…hee…

Read and review! Flamers fed to Tassie Devils as usual…


	4. Chapter Three: Don't You Forget About Me

__

Midsummer Nights

By Trish.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, any remotely Shakespearish nor the songs. Chapter Title comes from _(Don't You) Forget About Me _by Simple Minds. Oh and many apologies go to Walt Disney and the _Lion King_. I borrowed a scene from the movie and twisted it for my own purposes. (grins) Jenn owns Pichu Bell

__

A/N: Sorry about the delay, folks! Especially to the dear reviewer who said they'd hold their breath until the next part. Real Life took over a good part - flying between cities for interviews - and finally landing my dream job in politics! Yay me! BTW Mia is going to be soooo OOC in this - but there is a reason for that.

This chapter is dedicated to Mia, Jenn, Dana & Jaime - my partners in crime.

Warning: This chapter may be hazardous to one's health (especially to a certain friend of mine). Readers proceed at your own risk.

a 

__

Chapter Three: Don't You Forget About Me

Mia stared at the dark-haired boy standing in front of her. Why did he look so familiar? Why was he so cute? And where were her manners? "Oh, I'm sorry…my name's Mia."

"I know." 

"How?"

"We met at the International Pokémon League Convention dance two years ago." Mikey winked at her. "You fell on top of me remember?"

Mia reddened, "Oh yeah." _What an embarrassing way to be remembered…_

"So what brings you here?"

"I'm on holidays with my friends. And you?" _He's cute_…

"I'm here with my brothers, Rainer, Pyro and Sparky." He held out his hand. "Care to dance?"

Mia hesitated. She wasn't much of a dancer…but still. "I'd love to."

He drew her among the crowd and she shivered as his hand rested gently on her waist.

"I was hoping I'd see you again someday."

"R..really?"

"And can I say that you're even more beautiful than I remember you?"

Mia blushed under the intense gaze of Mikey's dark brown eyes and a girlish giggle escaped her which would have turned the heads of any of her friends had they been near.

She fluttered her lashes briefly. "Don't mind if you do…"

a 

Drake watched the high-spirited crowds with a host's satisfaction. Never let it be said that the Orange League didn't know how to throw a party.

A peal of laughter to his left drew his attention, and he smiled when he saw that it was from Mia, dancing with a young man her age. It was good to see the girl was enjoying herself, for the past two years had been very hard for her.

__

Trish will be pleased, he thought. _And Dana…_

Speaking of Trish, she was currently on the dance floor with his father, having promised him earlier. The two looked like they were having a good time, dancing to the golden oldie, Lloyd Price's _Personality_. A few minutes later, his father led Trish back over to where his son was standing. "That was lovely dancing with you, my dear. Thank you." 

"Thank you, too," Trish smiled as Drake entwined his fingers with hers.

Mr. Thayer winked at the pair before walking off. "I'll leave you two alone."

A slow song began and the Pummelo Gym Leader led his girlfriend back among the dancers, wrapping his strong arms around her waist as she rested her head against his chest. "When was the last time we danced together like this?"

"I think the last time was at Ash and Misty's wedding. Over a year ago." Trish's dark eyes clouded over for a second. "We haven't seen each other since then…"

Drake sighed. "I know. You've had your work commitments in Sydney and I've had mine."

"It's not easy is it.."

"No it isn't." He kissed her gently and held her close. "But we're together now, and that's all matters."

a 

Rudy scowled at the couple from across the dance floor. Life was not fair…that should be _him_ dancing there with Trish, not Drake.

The dark-haired young woman looked very pretty in an elegant full-length chiffon gown in a deep periwinkle blue. To the Trovita Island Gym Leader, she was a vision. A vision that should have been his. After all he saw her first…besides what did Drake have that he didn't?

He was so busy scowling that he almost failed to notice the slight tap upon his shoulder. Rudy turned to see a tall, well-dressed man with wild red hair and piercing green eyes standing behind him. "Can I help you?"

Lucius smiled. "I think it is the other way around. I can help _you_…."

a 

__

Elysium…

Puck walked down the corridors of the palace towards the King's private chambers. Oberon had sent a message saying that he had an important matter to discuss with his friend.

The peer was waiting by the window when he entered. "Ah…there you are, Puck."

"You wanted to see me?"

Oberon nodded and clasped his hands behind his back. "Titania and I have been talking about your situation and we would like to help you."

Puck looked a bit embarrassed. "Oh you needn't do that… "

"Nonsense!" The monarch dismissed the protest with a wave of his hand. "We want to." He turned to the young man and smiled. "How would you like a chance to become human?"

Puck was startled. Become…_human_? That would mean…

"But," Oberon added.

Puck sighed. There was always a 'but'…and it usually never meant any good.

"But it all depends on your lady love. She must prove that she loves you beyond all reasonable doubt. If she does you can stay. If she does not - you can never return." Oberon paused then looked at Puck sternly. "One word of warning. You cannot tell her about this test. Otherwise it would compromise her decision."

Puck took a deep breath. "I'll take the chance. Mia will come through. I know she will."

a 

Mia stretched and yawned before stumbling out of bed. She grabbed the hairbrush and started to comb her dark tresses, not noticing the ring glowing softly on her left hand. The teenager padded over to the wardrobe and gazed at her collection of clothes. "What should I wear?"

She had arranged to meet Mikey for lunch and she wanted to look her best. Skirt? Pants? Dress?

Half an hour later she was dressed - a red crop top, short black skirt and black heels. "How do I look?" she asked the other two occupants of the room Ophelia and Beth.

The two Growlithe cocked their heads, puzzled. They had never seen Mia act this way before…

Mia pirouetted in front of the full-length mirror singing _I Feel Pretty_ from _West Side Story_ as she experimented with hair styles. Hair up or down?

Her joyous singing reached the ears of her three housemates in the kitchen.

"Mia feels pretty," Trish commented as she sipped her coffee.

"Oh so pretty," Dana offered.

"She feels pretty and witty…" Jenn trailed off as Mia waltzed past them with a cheery farewell. "And she's wearing _HEELS_?!?!?!"

"She's _what_???" The two other girls nearly fell off their chairs.

"She was wearing _heels_…" Jenn repeated. "Not only that she was baring her midriff, wearing a short black skirt and makeup."

"She didn't trip?" Dana asked sceptically.

"No! You two saw her!"

"We did," Trish agreed. "But I thought I might be hallucinating or something. That is so unlike Mia…"

"It could be hormones…" Jenn stated.

"Or maybe she's finally getting in touch with her inner woman…" Trish surmised.

"Mia?!?!" Dana snorted. "Since when does Mia have an inner woman?" She patted the older girl on the back. "Trish, methinks you've been having too much coffee again."

a 

The gentle sea breeze ruffled the petals in the posy of flowers that lay beside Mia's plate at their table in the _Verona Café_. Mikey had presented her with it when she met him outside, a lovely combination of red roses and delicate little white flowers known as 'baby's breath.'

Mia was enjoying herself, Mikey was a nice guy and it was fun catching up with what he had been doing for the past two years. And he was even more handsome than she remembered, quickly losing herself in his smouldering dark brown eyes.

When the meal was over they walked along the harbour foreshore, and Mikey grasped her hand gently. "I'd really love to see you again…Are you going out with anyone?"

"No." Mia felt a sudden chill as soon as she uttered the words but dismissed it, believing it to be the effects of Mikey's captivating eyes.

Mikey smiled and drew the girl to him and kissed her firmly on the lips, Mia wrapping her arms around his neck to draw him closer.

A tall redheaded figure watched from the nearby trees. "Yes," whispered Lucius. "Things are coming along perfectly."

a 

"Jenn's late," Dana huffed.

"For a very important date," Trish glanced at her watch. The three girls were due to meet Kaz in ten minutes for their introduction to the latest batch of ITEO wannabes as their division commanders. 

"No time to say hello."

"Goodbye."

"She's late, she's late, she's late!" The two friends chorused in unison to some strange looks from the passing crowds.

Dana giggled. "People must think we're mad."

"Or insane," Trish said with a wry grin. "Tell you what, if I have to lay off the coffee, you have to lay off the Koolaide."

"I don't wanna," Dana whined.

"Well then I don't have to cut down on the coffee."

"Oy." 

The two girls decided to split up. Dana headed off to the left while Trish stayed put just in case Jenn came along. The Australian girl shaded her eyes as she scanned the passing crowds for her friend. No lanky Yank about. So, there was nothing for it, but to do the following.

"JENN!!!" she hollered.

"You called?"

Trish turned to see a young girl dressed in a Pichu t-shirt and jeans standing beside her. The afternoon sun making her long copper red curls gleam. "No I wasn't calling you. I was after my friend."

"Oh sorry about that. My mistake." The girl walked off and Trish thought no more of it.

"JEEENNNNY!"

To her surprise, the same stranger wandered up to her again. "Um, again, I wasn't calling you.."

The stranger apologised before walking off . "My mistake - again." 

The twenty-eight year old waited for 5 minutes before the third attempt. "JEEENNNNIFFFER!" And to her utter disbelief, who should appear but the Pichu girl. "_No_!!! Not _You_!!! I'm looking for Jenn. J E N N!" she cried totally exasperated.

The girl looked crestfallen and Trish felt immediately contrite. "I'm sorry," she sighed and held out her hand. "I haven't had enough coffee today and that makes me grouchy." She paused then smiled. "My name's Trish."

  
The girl shook her hand eagerly. "I'm Jaime."

"How do you get Jaime mixed up with Jenn?!?!"

Jaime laughed sheepishly. "Um I dunno. Call me a daydreamer."

"You don't say," Trish said dryly.

a 

A few minutes later Trish had received two phone calls. One from Kaz saying that the meeting was cancelled, and one from Dana saying that she had found Jenn in _Pichu Bell_. She waved her new acquaintance goodbye and started to walk down the main boulevard.

She had only gone a few metres when she felt she was being followed. The dark-haired girl turned around to see Jaime a short distance behind looking like a forlorn little puppy dog.

Trish fought the urge to whistle, but soon caved in. She whistled and grinned when Jaime came like a shot. "If you wanted to tag along you should have just said so."

Jaime nodded. "So where are we going?"

"To meet my best friends."

"Plural?"

The Australian girl smiled. "You heard right. Jenn and Dana are my best friends. They're also my team mates in the ITEO."

"ITEO?"

"International Togepi Elimination Organisation," Trish explained. "Dedicated to the eradication of the Satanic Egg Thingy."

"Can I join?"

"Sure."

They reached _Pichu Bell_ and walked in to find Jenn and Dana seated at a table with the remains of a taco before Jenn.

"Hi guys," Trish greeted cheerily.

"Hiii." Jenn and Dana looked at the girl standing behind her. "Who's this?"

"This is Jaime. A brand new friend. Jaime, this is Jenn and Dana."

Jaime waved hesitantly.

"The meeting's been cancelled," Trish informed them. "So what do we do now?"

"We go shopping!!" Jenn crowed.

"Meh, shopping…." Dana mumbled.

"But you enjoy shopping when part of the Trio!"

The redhead perked up. "True. But that's different considering the _total _insanity that we get up to!"

Jaime looked at the friends and scoffed. "You three don't look like you could get up to much mischief."

Dana, Jenn and Trish exchanged a glance. "You wanna bet?"

Jenn stood up and hauled her two friends to their feet. "And I know just what we can do."

a 

Two days later the large group of friends were lazing on the beach, though three of their number opted to stay completely clothed.

"I'm bored," Gary complained.

"Well so are we," Dana shot back. "But unlike you we are prepared to do something about it."

"Like what?"

"We make our own entertainment!"

The three eldest girls stood up and whipped off their cloaks. Trish and Dana were dressed in crop tops over matching sarongs with their hair long and loose with a single hibiscus behind one ear. Dana was holding a ukulele in one hand.

And Jenn…Jenn was standing in between her two friends, dressed in a coconut shell bikini top and a grass skirt. A lei of fragrant flowers was around her neck and like her two companions, her hair was loose with a single flower pinned behind one ear.

"Oh my," Jaime giggled as a crowd of onlookers (mostly male) surrounded them on the beach.

Dana started playing the ukulele and Jenn began the time honoured swaying of hips and hand movements of the hula. An appreciative murmur rose from the male section of the audience as Jenn moved sensuously and gracefully.

Right on cue, Trish and Dana began to sing.

"_If you're lonely and looking for a good time_"

__

Take our buddy Jenn here because she looks diiivinnne"

Gary nudged Ash sharply when he noticed his friend's eyes linger a bit _too_ long over Jenn's curves.

__

"Come wine and dine with this friend of mine"

"_All you have to do is get in liiiiiiiiiiiine_."

"_Are you aching_?" 

__

"Yup, yup."

This got many nods from the males.

__

"For some dating?"

"_Yup, yup_."

"_Jenn's a nice girl_."

"_Yup, yup._"

"_You can have a nice pinch toooooo! OY_!"

Jenn gave a final and emphatic swish of the hips, and the crowd broke into applause and wolf whistles. The three girls bowed and cheerily accepted the kudos. 

The trio then wandered over to Jaime who was clutching her sides from laughter. "Okay, okay," she gasped. "I give. You three are _nuts_."

__

To be continued…

a 

__

Author's Note: Ooohh…. Mia! What have you done???!!! What will Puck say??? No Puck, don't answer that…

Next chapter - more new authors, more Lu, more dodgy scenes, more Joanne and her Mew, more insanity.

Read and review - flamers fed to Tassie Devils, and hit by drop bears.


	5. Chapter Four: Pleased To Meet You

__

Midsummer Nights

By Trish

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Billy Speare. Callie, Flory and Poppy belong to me. Lucius is co-owned by Mia. The chapter title belongs to a song by an Aussie band Aneiki - _Pleased To Meet You_. One concept comes from Ranma 1/2.

__

A/N: It's been a long while. Work and some personal crises have preoccupied my time for much of this year and the 'creative fire' died. But now it's back…and I'm back (sort of). I feel like I've lived a lifetime already in 2002.

~*~

_If you don't look at me do I disappear?_

And all you say these days are things that I don't wanna hear.

I don't think that you remember (I don't think that you recall)

It was always you and me against the world

Aneiki - Pleased To Meet You

_Chapter Four: Pleased To Meet You_

Erina tried in vain to stifle the laughter following Trish, Dana and Jenn's madcap hula performance. Beside her, Flory was no better. He slid his arms around her and she leant against him until the giggles subsided.

"Oh my, Riny," he gasped, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Your older friends are just…_insane_."

"Well," she smirked. "Two are American, and one's Australian. And as everyone knows, the inhabitants of both countries are certifiably crazy."

"I believe you."

The petite brunette playfully slapped her fiancé's arm. "So you should! And not just because you love me." She gave him a gentle kiss on the lips to which he responded gladly. There was no doubt in Erina's mind as to the veracity of the last statement. After all, Flory had given up everything he had known in order to be with her.

"Come to think of it, that was something like Puck would have done…" Flory's voice trailed off, obviously thinking about his cousin whom he had not seen for two years.

Erina gave him a tight hug. "I know you miss them, Hon," she murmured. "But you'll be seeing them soon when they come for our wedding."

__

Our wedding. Erina shivered in delight at these words. Even though she was a hopeless romantic, never in her wildest dreams would she ever have imagined that she would be getting married at 17.

But here she was, a month away from the big event and a brand new chapter of her life.

~*~ 

Gary Oak leaned against the bar of the _Metropolis Nightclub_. Two empty tumblers sat on the counter before him as he waited for his girlfriend and the rest of the group to arrive. The effects of the whiskey he had consumed and the pulsating Latino beat of the music lulled Gary into a 'devil may care' attitude.

His roving eye settled on a particular girl sitting in a secluded booth near the back; a very buxom brunette dressed in a tight top and skimpy leather skirt. _Nice melons_, he thought, the fact that he already had a girlfriend completely slipping his mind. _I gotta get me some of that…_

The Viridian City Gym Leader straightened up and ran a hand through his chestnut locks. _Time to see if you still have that Oak charm…_

He walked up to her and flashed his best smile. "Can I buy you a drink?"

The woman looked up at him and smiled. "Sure."

He sat down next to her, waved a roving waiter over and placed their orders. "I'm…"

"You're Gary Oak," she finished for him, eyeing him up and down appreciatively.

"You got that right."

"So what's a hot guy like you doing here? I thought you had a girlfriend, that blonde chick…"

"Oh, Jenn? She's not my girlfriend…" Gary said calmly.

~*~ 

Jenn smiled happily as she walked with her friends, Trish, Drake, Dana, Richie, Ash and Chris towards the _Metropolis_, where they were to meet Gary. Hopefully tonight would see all the recent differences between them resolved. Gary had promised her that he would make it up to her for time he spent with a former cheerleader.

The group entered the establishment and began to look around for the Gym Leader.

Chris began to scan the crowds for a spiky-haired Oak, but to no avail. He decided to fan out from the group and went off to the right. He was so intent on his search that he walked straight into a tall red-haired man, knocking the man's drink all down his impeccable white shirt front.

Piercing green eyes glared at him and Chris hurriedly apologised. But the man just mumbled a strange rhyme and walked away. The young man breathed a sigh of relief and resumed his search.

"Just where _is_ he?" Jenn fretted to Trish and Ash.

"He's got to be here somewhere," Ash said soothingly as he continued to gaze around the crowds. "In fact, I think that could be…." The Grand Master began to walk towards a booth that was near the back and rather secluded. The rest of the group followed. "Oh no…"

Jenn's smile faded instantly.

There was her boyfriend in the middle of a very passionate clinch with another woman. The position they were in left no doubt as to what they were up to; his pants being undone and her skirt being bunched up around her hips.

"GARY???!!!" Jenn gasped horrified. How could he do this to her? How could he…

Gary reluctantly broke from the woman and looked at the group. "Oh hi Jenn," he said slurring his words slightly as he stood and did up his pants, before walking over to a trembling Jenn.

__

WHACK!!!

There was a resounding smack as Jenn walloped him on the face hard then ran off as the tears threatened to fall.

A deafening silence fell as the rest of the group looked at Gary with a mixture of disgust and anger.

"What did I do?" Gary shrugged. "It's not as if Jenn would ever give me some…Maybe she's frigid or…"

He broke off as Trish suddenly yanked him by the collar so that they were face to face. Dark eyes blazed at him and her voice was full of quiet wrath. "How _dare_ you say that about Jenn!" She let him go then jabbed him in the stomach. "I'll deal with YOU later…" And with that, she turned on her heel and ran after her best friend.

Dana glared at Gary and slapped him hard on the other cheek. "As will Dana." Then she too, left.

That left the four men. Ash shook his head in disgust. "How could you, Gary? I thought you were a better man than that…

The two girls caught up with their friend back at their shared villa. They sat with her in her room in a group hug, listening as she cried her heart out. Once they were sure their distraught friend was fast asleep, they crept out of the room. After a quick phone call, they then left the house.

~*~

Jenn sleepily rubbed her eyes as she stumbled out of her bedroom, believing that the new day would be almost as bad as the night before. 

She padded into the kitchen to find Trish and Dana already there, Trish equipped with her usual cup of coffee and a big cheesy grin. 

Jenn didn't take much notice of it, as she pulled up her chair and her eyes landed on the edition of _the Pummelo Morning Herald_ before her. There on the front page in glorious full colour was a photograph of Gary Oak, dressed in fluorescent pink silk boxers emblazoned with large purple flowers, a see-through pink chemise with feather trim and huge fluffy bunny ears on top of his head, securely tied to a pole in the main shopping boulevard. 

Around his neck was a sign which bore the legend. "GARY OAK IS A FIRST CLASS WANKER!!". 

And the normally serious paper's headline screamed "VIRIDIAN GYM LEADER DECLARED A WANKER!!"

Jenn burst out laughing at the sight then looked at her two friends who were grinning like a pair of Cheshire cats. "This work of art yours?"

"Yep!" Dana chirped. "I wrote the sign, Trish took care of the rest."

"You two are the best!" Jenn impetuously hugged them both. 

"No worries," Trish smiled. "I did say to Gary when he first asked you out that I would happily do him great harm if he hurt you..."

"But...won't he say anything?" Jenn began to have doubts.

"He wouldn't dare," Dana said confidently.

"You sure?"

"Perfectly sure." Trish answered this time. "And do you know whyyyy?"

"No?"

"Because a certain Mr Ketchum came along just as we had subdued him, and he told him he'd stop his pay checks immediately and tell his dear Gramps about his alcohol problem..."

The rest of the day Jenn spent in company with her friends, both male and female who ensured that Gary Oak never crossed her mind for an instant. It was so nice to have such caring friends, and Ash had been a total sweetie, letting her bawl on his shoulder for an hour. She went to sleep that night with the tiniest of smiles on her face.

~*~ 

A few minutes later, a glimmer of light appeared in her room, and a tall red-haired man appeared and gazed down at the slumbering Jenn.

"My pooooor Jennifer..." he drawled softly. "Suffering from a broken heart....." Lucius scoffed. "Pathetic mortal...but so pretty..."

"They are foolish to feel such emotions...." he smiled. "Just wait until I've finished playing with you, then you shall know a _true_ broken heart...."

But Jenn was not that important to him yet…

The Fae appeared in another room and knelt beside the bed of his slumbering victim. He gently stroked her cheek before intoning the spell. "The first phase of your troubles has now begun, for at the end I intend for you to have no-one. A sickness which cannot be easily cured upon you shall descend, and to all it will seem that the stork with a new life will send."

~*~

The next day, Jenn padded out to the kitchen to find Dana...but...

"Where's Trish?"

"She's in the bathroom being sick," Dana looked worried. "She couldn't seem to even _look_ at breakfast..."

Soon a pale looking Trish came out and waved away Jenn's fussing over her. "It's just a small stomach bug," she insisted. "It's nothing."

~*~

__

Meanwhile…

Chris decided to freshen up before he ventured out to spend another productive day ogling the beach babes. He went into the bathroom, stripped off and stepped into the shower, closing his eyes and relishing the feel of the cool water running down his back. 

Opening them to reach for the soap, he chanced to look down…and screamed. "AAAAAAAARRRRGGGH!!!"

There were two _things _on his chest that shouldn't be there…He had _breasts _and _very _ample ones they were too.

He pinched himself in desperation, hoping that this was all some sort of alcohol-induced nightmare. But when he opened his eyes again...he was still standing in the shower…with breasts. He took an anxious peek down _there_ and was even more horrified to discover that some vital 'equipment' was missing.

Shaking with fear, he raised his hands to see that they were more slender and feminine. _Oh no…_Quickly turning off the water, he stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around himself and looked into the mirror. Chris shrieked again.

For that was not his face staring back at him with the exact same look of absolute horror. The face in the mirror had a softer outline around the jaw, the lashes above the hazel eyes were longer and the lips were more full. Long raven hair softly framed the girl's face.

Or was it his face? He raised his hand to his cheek and the image did the same. Oh God, it _was_ him!

"Oh no," he whispered and cringed. That was _not _his voice either! It was now softer and feminine, but still with the Scottish lilt.

He stumbled into the bedroom and sat down on the bed in shock. How had this happened? With a start he remembered the strange words uttered by the red-haired man he had run into last night. "_When water and you collide. Your feminine side you will find."_

Oh God…

What to do? What to do? He needed help and to tell someone…but who? Kaz, Riny and Mia were out of the question. They would never ever believe him, nor would they ever let him live it down.

He snapped his fingers. He knew who to tell…his 'adopted' big sister, Trish. He knew that he could talk to her about almost anything and she'd listen. But would even Trish believe this?

The young 'man' dressed quickly and left the hotel in search of his friend. He knew that if he looked for Jenn and Dana as well, Trish would most likely be somewhere nearby. As the friends liked to say, they came in a 3 for 1 package - take it or leave it. But then again, she could be with Drake, and Chris would rather not have any of his male friends see him like _this_.

As he walked down the main boulevard he became uncomfortably aware that many males were staring at him. And unfortunately, he also knew what they must be thinking. _What a hot babe!!!_

He passed a _Starmiebucks_ outlet and on impulse ducked into the establishment. It paid off, for he spied the very lady he was looking for, enjoying a quiet cup of coffee in a corner booth. Chris glanced around quickly and was relieved to see that there were no paparazzi lurking about. As Trish had discovered, one of the unfortunate consequences of being the girlfriend of the Orange Crew Leader was the unwanted media attention from tabloids and women's magazines. 

Chris threaded his way through the tables until he came to her booth. "Trish?"

The dark-haired Australian looked up. "Yes?"

"Can we talk?"

"Sure…" There was a note of confusion in her voice, but she still indicated that he take a seat.

Chris wondered why she didn't recognise him, but then gave himself a mental slap. _Duh Chris. Of course Trish wouldn't know you since you're now a **girl**._ He sat down and stared at his hands as he struggled over how he was going to tell his friend.

Trish was the first to break the silence. "Do I know you?"

"You do." There was a pause. "Promise me you won't laugh?"

"Sure."

The dark-haired young man/woman took a deep breath. "I'm Chris."

Trish raised an eyebrow. "_Chris_?" There was an uncomfortable moment as she stared hard at him. Finally she spoke up again. "If you _are _Chris, then tell me what your fantasy scenario is."

"A harem of half-naked Officer Jennys all handcuffed."

Her dark-brown eyes widened and she quickly stifled a giggle behind one hand.

Chris pouted. "You promised me you wouldn't laugh!"

Trish grinned. "Well, you know me. But what on earth _happened _to you?"

So Chris filled her in on the events and glared at his older friend when she burst out laughing over the shower scene.

"So what do I do?" Chris whined as they walked out into the balmy sunshine.

Trish was thinking. "You know this reminds me of an anime…." She snapped her fingers. "_Ranma 1/2_!! Ranma always turns into a girl whenever he comes into contact with cold water!"

"So if I throw hot water over me, I'll turn back into a guy?" Chris asked hopefully.

The Aussie just looked at him. "If I threw hot water out of the kettle over you Chris, you'd be like a cooked lobster and burned…but still a girl. You are not a anime character with a myriad of lives."

"Hey Trish!!!"

The two turned to see Jenn and Dana come walking up to them.

"How was the coffee?" Dana asked as she glomped the older girl. She stepped back and noticed Chris. "Who's the new girl?"

Trish raised a dark eyebrow. "This is _Chris_," she stated dryly.

Both girls' jaws dropped. "CHRIS?" they spluttered in unison.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Jenn gasped.

Trish held up her hand. "I do solemnly swear that I am not kidding."

"No?"

Chris sighed. "It's all true."

Dana was the first to recover. "So what happens now?"

"Until you change back, we're going to have to call you Christine," Trish stated. "And we need a cover story to keep your real identity a secret."

"Like what?" Chris wondered.

"You can pose as my cousin," Trish grinned. "And it just so happens that I _do_ have a younger cousin by that name."

"Okay." He could see the logic behind it. After all, they both had black hair and brown eyes.

"First things first, we get you to our villa." 

Chris breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached the girls' villa, despite Trish stopping off at the local supermarket for something.

She then ushered him into the bathroom with an order to take a hot shower (just in case that Ranma theory did work) with a clean fluffy towel…and a small can of shaving foam and a disposable razor. 

"What's this for?" Chris was puzzled.

Trish grinned. "To shave your arms and legs. We can't take you out clothes shopping with hairy legs, Christine…"

"Whaaa?"

Jenn poked her head over Trish's shoulder. "It's not enough to look like a woman. You're going to have to _live_ like a woman, Chris. And we are going to teach you how!"

__

After an amusing half hour tussle over shaving and hair removal creams, a now silky smooth Chris sat down in the lounge room with the three older girls. "So what happens now?"

"We take you shopping!" came the unified chorus.

Chris groaned. As if his day hadn't been bad enough…

~*~

A few minutes later, he found himself gazing up at _Victoria's Secret_, a shop which Chris had always wanted to see the inside of – but not like this!!!

"I don't wanna!" he whined as he tried to dig in his heels as Jenn pulled him inside the door. But Dana just pushed him from behind and the reluctant 'girl' stumbled inside the shop. His eyes widened at the display of all the lacy lingerie on display.

The middle-aged shop assistant walked up to Trish with a smile. "Can I help you dearie?"

"We need to buy a bra and other things for my cousin here," Trish indicated Chris who was standing next to her. 

The shop assistant ran an expert eye over Chris's figure. "Hmm…I'd say she needs about a 16D."

~*~

A few minutes later, Trish was tapping her foot impatiently outside the change cubicle. "Chris, open up now and show yourself," she ordered. "Otherwise Jenn and I shall have to come in and drag you out!"

"Must I wear this?" came a horrified whisper from the cubicle. 

"Yes you must," Dana said with a smirk. "You can't go around with an ample bust and let it all hang loose."

There was a sigh, then the cubicle door opened and 'Christine' came out.

"Niiiiiice figure, Chris," Jenn drawled. For Christine was blessed (or was that cursed) with the figure of supermodel.

"Er…thanks…I think," Chris stammered. She glanced down. "This feels so weird..and these are just _huge_!"

Trish chuckled. "Somehow I don't think you'll be needing a Wonderbra." She looked over Chris again. "Guess we're going to have to be like a group of momma bears until Chris is himself again."

Jenn nodded. "Yeah, because you know how guys can get."

Chris gulped. For he knew only too well how guys acted around a pretty girl...

~*~

__

Later that night at the girls'villa…

"I think you're ready to be looked at," Jenn decided. The blonde took Chris by the shoulders and turned 'her' around to face the full-length mirror.

Chris was pleasantly surprised at his appearance. Admittedly, he made a _very_ nice looking female and he had make-up on and the classic little black dress and low heels. He'd turn male heads for sure. _I'd even date myself…Wait a minute…that just sounded sooo wrong._

"Let's have a look at you," Dana called out.

Chris turned around to face the three girls who were sitting on the couch. Three pairs of eyes gazed at him critically and Chris inwardly quailed. He felt like he was being judged.

"Not bad, not bad at all," Trish murmured. "Now let's see you walk."

Chris took a deep breath and managed to wobble his way across the room and back without falling flat on his face. How did women manage to walk in these things?

"You're walking like a man."

"Wha?"

"Take smaller steps," Trish instructed. "And thrust your chest out a bit Chris."

"But..but I'm very busty!" Chris gasped.

"If you've got it, flaunt it."

Chris tried again, taking smaller steps and pushing his chest forward a bit. 

"Now that's more like it," Trish was satisfied.

He sat down with a sigh, only to see Jenn frown at him. "What now?"

"You're sitting like a man," she noted.

"But I _am _a man!" Chris wailed.

"Not at this present moment in time," Jenn smirked. The blonde nodded as Christine then crossed her leg over the other. But then when she tried to uncross them..."Er Chris, we don't want a re-enactment of the scene from _Basic Instinct_. Sharon Stone you're not."

Chris sighed and then settled for just sitting with his legs together. "So what else is there to know?"

"Rule number one," Trish spoke up. "You must never _ever _wear the same outfit two days in a row."

"Number two," Jenn added. "Accessorising is sooo important. Shoes, hand bag and jewellery are to complement your outfit."

"Three," Dana said. "You must say that you have absolutely _nothing_ to wear, despite having a wardrobe full of perfectly nice clothes."

It all became just a bit too much for Chris. He had a long traumatic day, he was a woman and he had never been so embarrassed in his life and it wasn't going to end any better. Plus being a woman sounded _so_ complicated! He burst into tears.

"Y'know, I think he's got it," Dana cheered. "Tears are a very useful female weapon!"

~*~

"Must you tell?" Chris shifted from one foot to another. She was now dressed in a red shirt and black dress pants and waiting with the three girls for Drake and Richie to turn up before attending a large informal dinner with all of their friends.  
  
"Yes, we do," Dana said firmly. "We can play momma bear but sometimes a protective older male is better."  
  
"Drake and Richie can scare away any would-be male admirers," Trish soothed.  
  
Dana burst into giggles. "Drake would do a good job, but I'm not so sure about Richie. You know he can be rather effeminate. The guys might end up hitting on _him_!"  
  
Soon the two men in question walked up and greeted their respective girlfriends with a soft kiss. They then noticed Chris.  
  
"Who's the..." Drake began and then Trish leant up and whispered in his ear.  
  
Dana did the same to Richie and both men's eyes widened and they stared at Chris.  
  
"Hi guys," Chris said sheepishly.  
  
"Er, Hi Chris," Drake was the first to recover.  
  
"Yeah," Richie murmured, then blinked and looked Chris over. "You know that shade of red really suits you? Then again a nice powder blue would suit your skin tone as well."  
  
Chris blinked. Sometimes Richie was just a tad strange...  
  
When they reached the restaurant, not all of the group had arrived yet. Questioning glances were directed at the new arrivals when it was noticed there was a stranger in their midst. Trish smoothly introduced her cousin 'Christine' who's been living in Scotland and had decided to drop in for an unexpected visit.

When it came for Chris to be introduced to Brock, the predictable happened. His eyes glazed over and he went into full blown goof mode. "Hi my name is Brock and I think you're absolutely beautiful and will you go out with me and we can make beautiful music together!" he gushed.  
  
He was brought back down to earth by an anime mallet to the head courtesy of....Trish.  
  
The breeder looked up at her with shock. "Hey, you don't usually do that!" he protested.  
  
"I know," the raven-haired young woman said cheerily. "But that's my cousin you're drooling over!"  
  
'Close call,' Dana whispered to Chris.

~*~

Two days later, Flory was reading in his hotel room when there was an almighty crash outside as if something heavy had fallen. The chestnut-haired young man rushed onto the balcony to see a most unexpected but welcome sight.

There was Puck, upside down in one of the hotel's large flower pots and swearing away in a language that Flory had not heard for two years.

He helped his cousin out of the flower pot with a grin. "Still as klutzy as ever, Cuz."

Puck grinned sheepishly as he brushed some dirt out of his hair. "I should really work on my landings, huh?"

Flory just shook his head and then engulfed the Fae into a hug. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here for another month!"

Puck returned the hug. "I know but I thought I'd surprise all of you by coming early for an extended visit." He grinned. "So how's your bride-to-be?"

Flory smiled. "Riny's just fine. She's out with her parents and Kaz, finalising the arrangements."

"Good to hear," his cousin smiled. "How's Mia?"

"I actually don't know," Flory admitted. "Neither Riny nor myself have seen much of Mia lately. None of the group has, really. She's been going out on her own and not talking much to anyone.."

"Oh? Is she depressed?"

"I wouldn't know," Flory said as he grabbed his hotel key. "Tell you what, why don't we go and look for her? Maybe your appearance will cheer her up."

"Sure."

Flory wrinkled his nose. "After you take a shower."

~*~

Refreshed after a shower, Puck walked with his cousin along the main esplanade of Pummelo Beach. The breeze was balmy and the chestnut-haired Fae felt his heartbeat quicken as he thought about the reunion he would be having with the vivacious brunette he had fallen in love with.

Mia. He had promised that he'd return to her one day, and he had.

A familiar and merry laugh rang from the beach. Puck started. He _knew _that laugh, he'd know it anywhere…He started to walk towards the sound and then stopped dead in his tracks.

Flory walked into him. "Hey what the…" But then he too stopped.

A few feet away, a bikini clad Mia was in a passionate kiss with another dark-haired guy. The couple was not aware of their audience and after they broke apart, Mia sighed. "Mikey, you are the best kisser!"

"What about that guy you used to date before? That Fairy Boy?" Mikey asked as he ran a hand down her back.

"Him?" Mia snorted. "He was no good. I don't see how any girl would stupid enough to date someone as _pathetic_ as him."

Flory heard his cousin gasp beside him, and he swore he could almost hear his heart breaking. 

He turned toward him and he winced at the pain he saw in his eyes. "Puck…I'm so sorry..I.."

The answer when it came was rather choked. "I just need to be alone for a while." He started to walk away.

"You sure?" A worried Flory came after him.

"Sure, I'm sure. I'll come back to the hotel when I'm ready," Puck reassured his cousin.

"If you say so…"

~*~

Two hours later Puck was sitting at the local bar with 3 empty tumblers in front of him. "_Nobody knows the troubles I've seen. Nobody knows my soooorrow_," he sang into the tumbler of whiskey in his hand before gulping the rest of it down.

He couldn't believe it. Mia had betrayed him. And now due to the promise he had made with Lord Oberon….he would have to return to the Fae World and stay there forever.

"Oh well," he slurred to no-one in particular. "If this is gonna be me last time in this place. I may as well have some magical fun with some poor sod…"

Unbeknownst to Puck, a red-haired man was watching him from a dark corner of the bar. Lu smiled evilly. "And so…" he intoned. "It begins…"

__

To be continued….

~*~

Author's Note: It may be hard to believe from this chapter - but I'm good friends with Chris. Besides, it's all HIS fault. He was the one who gave me the idea of turning him into a girl. I just ran with it :P 

__

It's been a long while between chapters for Midsummer Nights. Hopefully it won't be so long for the next.

What comes next - it all depends. I'm wanting to finish Broken Wings. It's really important to me - but you shall only see it if I can write the perfect chapter. Blame it on my perfectionism - but I believe the story and the subject deserves no less from me. I owe it to the sufferers to tell their story well and to the best of my ability.

Otherwise Chapter 5 of Midsummer Nights.

I have my 10 year high school reunion next month. Scary stuff.


	6. Chapter Five: Oops I Did It Again

__

Midsummer Nights

By Trish.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, nor the title of the song that the chapter titles come from. Lucius is co-owned by Mia. Callie, Flory and Poppy are mine. Poptart belongs to my 'twin' Jenn. 

**__**

Dedicated in loving memory of all those who died in the bomb explosions in Bali.

~*~ 

__

Chapter Five: Oops!…I did it again

The morning dawned brightly to find a chestnut-haired figure sprawled behind some bushes in the local park. Puck had crashed there after leaving the bar, not caring where he ended up.

For as far as he was concerned, the world had ended that afternoon. Mia had forsaken him, despite her promise to him two years before. Humans were such fickle creatures, he was a fool to have ever trusted one with his heart.

Just then a voice whispered in his head. "_Heeeeeeey Dude_."  
  
Puck sat up with a start and winced as his world seemed to spin. He was so dizzy!! "Who? What? Where?" he spluttered.  
  
"_Heavy night on the tiles, duude_." a small cat-like Pokémon floated before his startled eyes. Only thing was, this one was blue. Blue with pink flowers all over, plus a headband and a peace sign pendant around its neck.  
  
"Dude?"

"_Peace Man_," the Mew gave a peace sign. "_I'm a Flower Mew.._."  
  
Puck just blinked. He was positive that the bartender had only given him just straight whiskey... "You are Weird."  
  
The Mew sighed. "_Now **why** does everyone say that?"_  
  
Puck just shook his head. "Now if you'll just excuse me, I have some mischief to do to some humans."

"_OOOOOH!_" the Pokémon squealed making Puck wince. "_I just looooooooove mischief!!! Can I join in? Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh?"_

"Only if you stop squealing," Puck grumbled. "Some of us have a splitting headache."

"_I'll be good!_"

"That's better." Puck frowned. "Now what to do..."  
  
"_Turn someone into a Pokémon_?"  
  
"Ah why not," Puck agreed. "But what?"  
  
The Mew tumbled in mid-air. "_Something cute and adorable like meeeee?_"

Puck snapped his fingers. "Got it!" He grinned and began the incantation_. "Select a random two. Turn them into Pikachus_."

~*~

At two different places things happened. On a nearby footpath, a small female Pikachu blinked to find a pair of oversized spectacles on its face.

While in a hotel room, two female Pikachus were staring at the male Pikachu who had suddenly taken the place of their master.

~*~ 

"_Oh dear_".  
  
"Now what?" Puck asked.  
  
"_Er....you just turned the Grand Master and Chosen One into a Pikachu_," the Mew babbled. "_His disappearance would spark a massive search! Turn him back! Turn him back!_"   
  
"I can't!" Puck wailed. "I never was any good at learning spells that _undo_ things!"  
  
"_Well then make a double and quickly!_"  
  
"_Roses are red, Violets are blue. Please ensure that Ash Ketchum has a double too!"_

~*~

Back in the hotel room, three Pikachus blinked to see another 'Pikapi' suddenly appear.  
  
The male Pikachu toppled over in a faint.

~*~

"_Is he exactly like him?_"  
  
"Exactly," Puck grinned. "Down to every thought, word and deed."  
  
"_How are you going to tell them apart?_"  
  
"The copy has lighter brown eyes." Puck stated. "Now what else can we do?"

~*~ 

The female Pikachu had managed to scamper up to the doorway of a well-kept villa. But there was no way she could reach the doorknob. She jabbered away angrily, kicking up such a fuss that finally the door was opened to see what all the fuss was about.

Jenn looked out the door to see what all the racket was about. She saw....no one.  
  
_'PIKA!_"  
  
Except a small fuzzy electric ball of fluff on the doormat.

~*~

The blonde stared at the Pokémon who stared back at her. What was a Pikachu doing on their front doorstep? Certainly they were known to be sociable little creatures, but they usually didn't pay home visits.   
  
And the only Pikachu that Jenn knew, or that any of the girls knew for that matter was the Grand Master's Pikachu. And why would Ash's Pikachu come here?   
  
"Are you Ash's Pikachu?" she questioned the Pokémon.   
  
"_Pi_" the tiny mouse shook its head.   
  
"Um...kay." Jenn was at a loss as to what to do next. However it is rude to leave a visitor standing on your doorstep so.... "Um, would you like to come in?"   
  
The Pokémon scampered into the house and Jenn closed the door behind it. She saw Trish come out of the bathroom, where she had rushed to before being physically sick. Jenn was becoming quite worried about her. It had been two weeks now and her friend still had not shaken that 'stomach bug.' Maybe Jenn should drag her to the doctor...   
  
Jenn was interrupted in her thoughts by the Pokémon launching itself with a squeal of delight at her dark-haired friend. And so a startled Trish found her arms full of Pikachu.   
  
Jenn stared. "Um...Trish, since when did you get a Pikachu?"   
  
"This Pikachu isn't mine!" Trish spluttered. "I mean I've never seen this Pikachu before in my life!"   
  
The Pikachu pouted and its ears drooped. "_Piiiii_"   
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Trish said hurriedly and gave the little mouse a gentle hug. "But I don't know who you are."   
  
In answer the Pokémon started chattering rapidly. "_Pikachu Pika cha Pika!_"   
  
The two girls looked at each other and shrugged. "Did you understand that?" Trish asked her friend.   
  
The blonde shook her head. "I never learned Pikachuese..."   
  
The pint sized mouse sighed, then suddenly leapt down from Trish's arms and scampered into Dana's room before either girl could say a word. A few minutes later it was back, carrying a small photo of Richie and a felt tip marker. The Pikachu leapt up onto the dining room table and then turned to Trish with the pen and chirped.   
  
"You want me to take the lid of the marker off?" the dark-haired girl asked.   
  
"_Pi."_   
  
Trish did so and handed the pen back to the Pokémon. The two girls watched as the tiny creature then bent over the photo for a few minutes.   
  
A few seconds later it turned back and held up the photo. A dress and a curly wig had been drawn over Richie's body.   
  
The friends gasped. There was only one person that they knew who would do something like that....   
  
"D..Dana?" Trish asked in disbelief.   
  
The Pokémon cheered and glomped first Trish and then Jenn.   
  
"Yup," Jenn declared after catching the small creature in mid-air as it tried to do a fair imitation of a coiled spring. "It sure is Dana."   
  
"But what happened to her?"   
  
"I have no idea... and how are we going to tell her apart from any other Pikachu?"   
  
Trish left the room and returned a minute later with a pink ribbon which she tied in a bow around the mouse's neck. "There you go, Dana".   
  
"_Chu_," the Pokémon cooed. 

~*~ 

__

Meanwhile...   
  
"_I'm a little teapot, short and stout.._ "

Puck stared as the Mew changed itself into a flowered teapot. "You. Are. Insane."   
  
"_Aww...",_ the teapot pouted and cried. "_Why does **everyone **say that?"_

~*~ 

Joanne grumbled to herself as she turned her hotel room upside down in a so far futile effort to find her errant Pokémon.   
  
Ashura, her Mew had been missing for an hour, and she had no idea where he had gone. _Though_, she sighed, _its not as if its the first time he's done this_. Sometimes she wondered whether she should put a radio tracking collar around the little imp's neck. 

~*~

"_Ash_"   
  
The Grand Master blinked open his eyes to see Pikachu and her daughter Poppy looking at him with concern. He sat up and nearly keeled over at the revelation that he had little yellow paws and a jagged tail like a lightning bolt. _Oh my God! I'm a Pikachu!! _

"_What happened_?" he asked weakly.   
  
Pikachu shrugged. "_We don't know. All of a sudden, you turned into a Pikachu and then a minute later, your clone appeared."   
_  
Ash stared at his human double, which was rather freaky. _But_...and he sighed inwardly, _it wasn't as if strange things hadn't happened to him before. In fact it seemed to be a regular part of his life. "So what do we do?_" he wanted to know.   
  
Pikachu frowned, then turned to her daughter. "_Poppy dear, could you go and fetch your Uncle Meowth_?"   
  
"_Yes, Mum."_ Poppy obediently scampered out of the room.   
  
A few minutes later she returned with the Scratch Cat Pokémon.   
  
"Hey Pik. What's up?"   
  
Pikachu grinned and indicated Ash. "_Meowth, this is Ash_."   
  
The cat's eyes grew as large as saucers. "Meeeeeeeeowth!!! Is dat really you Twerp?"   
  
Ash sighed. "_Yes it is_."   
  
"Den who's dat?" Meowth's eyes darted between Ash and the other Ash.   
  
"_My double_?"   
  
"What happened?"   
  
"_Your guess is as good as ours."_   
  
"_Meowth, we need to get Pikapi to a safe place,"_ Pikachu spoke up. "_Can you explain to the double that he has to cover for Pikapi?"   
  
_"Sure! Which is basically being all Grand Master Dude and gettin bopped on the head by Mrs Twerp!" 

~*~

__

Fifteen minutes later...   
  
Jenn rose to answer the door with a sigh. The doorbell had rung whilst she and Trish were trying to think of a good alibi for Danachu, their private nickname for their friend-turned-Pokémon.   
  
Her eyes widened as she saw three Pikachu and a Meowth lined up on the doorstep_. Is there some sort of Pokémon Convention being held here_? the blonde wondered.   
  
"Hey, Jenn," the cat greeted.   
  
"Meowth!" Jenn exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" She also noticed that one of the Pikachu was rather big around the stomach area_. She must be pregnant. The only pregnant Pikachu I know of is Ash's._ "And that must be Pikachu."   
  
Pikachu chirped and Meowth smirked. "Dat's right! If ya let us all in, I can explain tha situation."   
  
Jenn stepped forward and scooped up the pregnant Pikachu in her arms. "Can't have you walking too much, Sweetie." She carried her inside and the three other Pokémon followed.   
  
Trish looked up from where she was ensconced on the couch with Danachu beside her. "Who was that, Jenn?" her voice trailed off as she noticed the Pokémon. "Oh.."   
  
"Hi, Trish," Meowth greeted. "How ya doing?"   
  
"I'm fine," the dark-haired girl answered.   
  
"Fibber," Jenn quipped to which Trish stuck out her tongue.   
  
"Say, " Meowth spoke up. "Who's da Pikachu next to you?"   
  
"Oh...," Trish glanced at Dana then at Jenn. "Er...this is my new Pokémon."   
  
Poppy hopped up to Danachu and sniffed her. "_Pika!!!_" she chirped in greeting and Dana chirped back.   
  
Jenn handed Pikachu to Trish, and the small ball of fluff settled comfortably on the girl's lap. Jenn then sat down in the chair opposite. "So what brings you here?"   
  
Pikachu started to chatter away and Meowth translated. "See, Pikachu has a family friend who's come ta visit. But tings are dicey when hot-headed Misty is wid da bun in da oven. So Pik here, wants Jenn ta look after her friend."   
  
Jenn was shocked. "Really?"   
  
"Really."   
  
"But...why me?"   
  
"_Pikachu Pipika._" Pikachu winked at the blonde.   
  
"'Cuz she knows dat you will take good care of her friend."   
  
"I'm honoured," Jenn smiled. And she was.   
  
The blonde leaned over and picked up the Pikachu that was shoved forward by Poppy. She held the tiny mouse up to eye level and studied it. This little one had the most gorgeous mahogany brown eyes she had ever seen..   
  
"You think I should put a pink bow on it?" she asked Trish, but her friend didn't answer as she put Pikachu carefully off her lap before rushing off to the bathroom.   
  
_"**Pi**ka."_ the Pikachu's cheeks sparked in warning.   
  
"It's a _he_," Meowth smirked.   
  
"Oh," Jenn looked at the Pokémon and then gave him a gentle hug. "He's sooooo cute!!!" She failed to see a faint blush steal across the mouse's cheeks. "What's his name?"   
  
"His name is Sato."   
  
"I've caught a Satochu!" Jenn stood up with the Pikachu in one arm and struck an Ash Victory pose.   
  
The rest of the room just sweatdropped.   
  
Trish walked back into the room, and sat down on the couch wearily.   
  
Jenn fixed her 'sister' with a frown. "Sick again?"   
  
The dark-haired girl just nodded.   
  
Meowth looked at the Aussie. "You still sick?"   
  
Trish leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes. "It's been two weeks, and I'm still not over this damn stomach bug."   
  
"That's it, Sis," Jenn said firmly. "You and I are going to pay a visit to the doctors tomorrow!"   
  
The other girl sat up with a start. "The doctors? No!"   
  
"Yes!"   
  
"No!"   
  
"Uh-huh!"   
  
"Nuh-uh!"   
  
"Y'know," Meowth interrupted the two girls. "Ya could be in da family way, like Pik here.."   
  
Trish went pale, but shook her head vehemently. "No way!"   
  
"It could be..."   
  
"Well... I'm not!" But there was a note of uncertainty in her voice.   
  
"Which is even more reason why I'm taking you to see the doctors," Jenn insisted. "That way we can be completely certain as to whether you are, or are not with bun in oven."   
  
"But I don't want to go!"   
  
"And why not?"   
  
"Because..because people will talk and..."   
  
"You're going."   
  
"No! I mean I'll get over it by myself.." she broke off as Dana turned to her, cheeks sparking. "Okay, I'll go," she said quickly.   
  
"Good girl," Jenn smirked. 

~*~

A few minutes later the girls were making their way towards _Starmiebucks _where they were to meet Drake, Christine, Richie and Jaime. Both of them carried the two new Pokémon, Danachu and Satochu...

When they arrived, they were greeted by their friends. "Say, Trish, where's Dana?" Richie questioned, not seeing his girlfriend anywhere.

"Uh, Dana was called away on a top secret ITEO mission," Trish said smoothly. "She had to leave immediately."

Jenn marvelled at the way her friend handled it. See, sometimes working in politics helped - like in the lying department.

"Where did she go? Can you tell me?"

Trish grinned. "Richie, Richie. Of course I can't."

"Why not?" he pouted.

"Because it's a top secret mission and therefore classified. "Need to Know" basis. And you don't need to know."

The two girls sat down next to Drake and they placed the two Pikachu on their laps. 

Jaime's eyes gleamed. "Where did those two Pikachu come from?"

"Uh, she followed me home?"

"And I caught mine!" Jenn grinned.

"You did not," Trish retorted.

"Meanie" the blonde pouted

"What's her name?" Drake asked. Dana just batted her eyes at the Orange Crew Leader and attempted her cutest look. 

"Dana." 

"Uh, why did you name your Pokémon after Dana?" Richie asked. 

"Er...because she's small, cute and cuddly, just like Dana?" Trish said weakly. 

"And she glomps," Jenn added.

"And what's your one's name?" Jaime begged.

"Sato"

"Ooooh can I cuddle him, pwease???"

Jenn reluctantly handed over her new pet, and Jaime immediately hugged him tight. "Oooh what a cute widdle mousey wousey!!

Jaime held out the mouse and looked at him. "You know I could dress you two up in matching baby outfits."

Satochu began to spark, and Jenn hastily rescued him from Jaime's hands.

~*~

Once safely back on Jenn's lap, Ash saw the other Pikachu look at him. "Close call"

"Yeah." Ash peered closer at the female Pikachu. "Dana is that really you?"

"Uh-huh," the female Pikachu replied. "And....Ash???"

"Oooh look!!!" Jaime cooed. "Your Pikachus are chatting!!!" 

"What happened to you?"

"Same thing that happened to me, I guess," Ash shrugged. "All of a sudden, bam I was a Pikachu" 

"Yeah me too..." Dana grinned slyly. "And Jenn is looking after you too..."

"Yeah, Pik insisted. She said that Jenn would treat me right"

"She sure would!!!" Dana chuckled. "If only she knew..."

"Oh Ashy!" Dana suddenly cheered and glomped the unsuspecting Pikachu 

The two tumbled off the girls' laps and under the table. 

"Say," Drake grinned. "Your two Pokémon are getting rather frisky..."

"Jenn, maybe you should get yours neutered," Richie suggested. "I had Sparky fixed…" 

A horrified squeak came from under the table. 

Satochu scrambled up Jenn's legs and burrowed into the crook of her arms. 

Jenn looked down with a smile. "Somehow I don't think he likes that, Richie." 

"But Sparky…." 

"That's _your_ Pokémon, Richie. Besides Sparky's rather effeminate…" 

"Touche, Jenn," Trish grinned as Danachu (who was now back on her lap) started laughing. 

"What's so funny?" Richie scowled at the little electric ball of fluff.

Jenn looked down at her Pokémon who was now sound asleep in her arms. "No neutering for you, Sweetie. You want to stay a real man, don't you?" 

Dana grinned at Jenn. Ah, if only she knew….But I'm not going to tell her… 

~*~ 

  
_Later that night…. _

Jenn was getting ready for bed, and Satochu was sitting there, looking all cute and fluffy. She had given him a bath and had towelled him dry. 

The blonde dressed in her usual night attire and stated to the Pokémon. "Tomorrow, we shall drag Trish to the doctors whether she likes it or not." Jenn had made the appointment despite the protests of her friend… 

She picked the small Pokémon up and placed him on one side of her queen-sized bed. "There you go, Cutie pie." 

She slid in the other side and lay down. "Nice bed…." 

The Pikachu looked at her with his big mahogany eyes. "Pika"

"You know what?" Jenn addressed the Pokémon sleepily. "I'll tell you a secret…and I know you won't tell. Your friend Pikachu's Master is a real hottie!"

She failed to see the Pokémon's eyes widen. "Pi?" he squeaked. 

"Yeah, " Jenn murmured. "Ash is so cute, and kind, and he's got a great body. I fell on top of him in the surf once, and that wet shirt…..very very grrrr…" 

Satochu burrowed his head under the pillow. He was sooo embarrassed! 

"And y'know what else? I only dated that scum Gary Oak because I couldn't have Ash…" 

The lump under the pillow blinked. 

~*~ 

The next morning, Jenn woke up and stretched luxuriously between the sheets. One movement of her arm uncovered Satochu who was sleeping soundly curled up in a small ball on one side of the queen-sized bed.   
  
The blonde felt somewhat better having unburdened herself to the small Pokémon. It had been a huge secret, and it was quite an achievement for her to keep such a secret to herself. Not even her 'twin' Trish knew the real reason why she had dated Gary Oak - because she couldn't have the guy that she really wanted - Ash Ketchum.   
  
Of course Trish knew how she felt about the Pokémon Grand Master, that was no secret. But she didn't know how _badly_ Jenn was in love with him.   
  
Not that Jenn would ever try to break up Ash's marriage to Misty, despite the fact that she felt that Misty never appreciated her husband at his full value. No, married men were _totally_ off-limits in Jenn's books, especially married men whose wives were expecting.   
  
She smiled as the little electric mouse let out a soft "cha" in his sleep. He was sooo cute!!! Jenn wouldn't mind keeping him forever. Maybe if she spoilt him enough…

The blonde tickled the soft fur on the mouse's tummy and the tiny creature giggled. She tickled some more until the Pokémon was awake and laughing.   
  
"Hey Cutie," she cooed. "Time to wake up."   
  
"_Pi_."   
  
"Time also to drag Trishy to the doctors!"   
  
The Pokémon's ears drooped.   
  
"Natch, after we've all had breakfast."   
  
Satochu perked up a bit.   
  
"Don't tell me you think with your stomach too! Trish would say that we're just like Ash." 

~*~

Two hours later, the girls were having lunch at the _Verona Café - _Jenn munching on a soft taco while Trish picked listlessly at a sandwich, giving most of it to Danachu and Satochu.

Her friend had gone most unwillingly to the doctor, and submitted herself to a number of examinations and tests, including a pregnancy one. Though she was _most_ adamant that was _not_ the cause of her problems. "I've got an older sister and a sister-in-law, between them, they have five kids. I do know the signs by now!" Trish had protested.

Trish's cell phone rang in her handbag, and Dana fished it out and handed it over with two paws. 

"Thanks, Dana," Trish smiled and took the call. The conversation lasted a few minutes, with the dark-haired girl just generally acknowledging whatever the caller was saying.

As she ended the call, Jenn spoke up. "Was that the doctor?"

Trish nodded. "It was."

"And?"

"I'm not pregnant," her smile faltered a bit. "But he doesn't know what's wrong with me…It's not just a stomach virus."

__

To be continued….

~*~

__

Author's Note: This is dedicated to all those 109 people killed in the bomb explosions in the Sari Nightclub in Kuta, Bali on October 12, 2002. Though the death toll is far from being confirmed - at least 30 Australians are believed dead with 92 still missing, unaccounted for. 

But in the end, nationality is not what matters. They were all people. This is dedicated to all who perished. They were young and carefree, in their early, late teens and twenties. Though I did not know any of them personally - I still feel for them. "The life and death of each of us, has its influence on others." - St Paul's letter to the Romans.

The light that each of them shone has gone forever. The world is a lesser place for their loss.


	7. Chapter Six: A Little Bit Of This, A Lit...

__

Midsummer Nights

By Trish.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. I don't own Puck or Shakespeare. Nor do I own the song from which the chapter title comes from. I own the story line, the concept of Pokéspeare, Callie, Flory, Poppy, and any other characters who don't seem familiar - belong to me. Poptart belongs to me - but blame Jenn for the name. Lucius is co-owned with Mia. 

__

A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting, peeps. But I have been away in Hawaii for much needed de-stressing. I met up with Jenn and Dana and it was the best fun! Mindless observation - Hawaii would make a great Orange Islands. ^_^

~*~ 

__

Chapter Six: A little bit of this, A little bit of that…

__

Tell me just what you want me to be

One kiss

And boom you're the only one for me

So please tell me why don't you come around no more

'Cause right now I'm crying

Outside the door of your candy store

_It just takes a little bit of this _

A little bit of that 

It started with a kiss

Now we're up to bat

A little bit of laughs

A little bit of pain

I'm telling you, my babe

It's all in the game of love

The Game of Love - Santana featuring Michelle Branch

~*~

Jenn stared at her best friend. "What do you mean they don't know what it is?"  
  
Trish shrugged helplessly as she passed another piece of sandwich to Satochu. "Exactly what I said. They don't know."  
  
The blonde's features became creased with worry as she looked at the dark-haired girl. "So what are they going to do?"  
  
"I have to go and pick up a prescription for some antibiotics they're going to try."  
  
So the two friends retraced their steps to the doctors where they picked up the script and then stopped by the nearest chemist.  
  
Jenn broke the silence as they walked home. "Do you think you should go home?"  
  
Trish gave her a funny look. "Jenn, we _are _going home."  
  
"That's not what I meant," Jenn pouted. "I meant that maybe you should go back home to Sydney if you're that sick."  
  
Trish shook her head. "I don't think so. A long flight is the last thing I need at the moment."  
  
"Are you going to tell Drake?"  
  
"No."  
  
Jenn was surprised as was Danachu who looked up at Trish quizzically from where she was being nursed in her arms. "Why not?"  
  
"Because he's got enough on his plate at the moment with all the Orange League celebrations. I don't want to add to his worries." The Australian shot a look at her friend. "And don't _you_ go telling him either!"  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Good."

~*~

__

Meanwhile...  
  
Puck slung back his head as he sculled down another Barcardi Breezer. He was in the midst of a many day bender as a fellow drunk in the bar had assured him "that there was nothing like alcohol to drown the sorrows of a broken heart."  
  
He had rung Flory to reassure his cousin that he was okay, he was staying with a new friend and that he'd come back when he was good and ready.  
  
Of course, his 'friend' the Mew wasn't always there. He had a rather bad habit of disappearing and then reappearing on Puck. The explanation being that he had to go back to his Trainer from time to time so she wouldn't worry.  
  
Puck leant back against the tree. "Love sucks," he muttered.  
  
"_If music be the food of love, play on._". a cheery voice echoed inside his head and then a small blue cat-like Pokémon appeared.  
  
Except he was dressed in Elizabethan attire and had a moustache and a small goatee beard.  
  
Puck stared. "Who do you think you are?"  
  
The Mew giggled. "_I, dear gentleman, am William Mewspeare...All the world is my stage and all the men and women are merely players... "  
_  
"You are insane."  
  
"_Et tu Puck_?" the Pokémon pouted and sniffled.  
  
The chestnut-haired Fae scowled. "An if you think you're like Shakespeare..I'll show you..."  
  
A puff of smoke exploded in the area.  
  
"Oh my goodness."

~*~

The smoke cleared to reveal a familiar and very bewildered looking playwright in Elizabethan dress. 

"Oh dear, where in the world am I?" William Shakespeare muttered. He had been writing away happily when he had _such _a dizzy spell. He turned around to see Puck standing there and his eyes widened. "By Jove! It's _you _again!"

"Yes, it's me," Puck grinned and indicated the Mew who was floating bug-eyed.. "Wise guy here thought he was you, so I thought I'd show him…"

"So you brought me here."

"That's right."

"And you can't send me back?"

"No," Puck declared cheerfully.

"Oh, woe is me," Shakespeare sighed but then shrugged. "Though I do declare that my last sojourn here did give me some new ideas for plays. I wrote _Hamlet _and _Romeo and Juliet _after I returned home. So this time may be no different."

He squared his shoulders and stood up straight. "Okay, take me to get some more modern clothes of the day and we'll be right. Yo, the Billy Boy is back in town."

~*~

__

Two days later…

Jaime crept around the villa, careful to not make a noise.  
  
That adorable new Pikachu of Trish's was around somewhere and Jaime just wanted to hug it and squeeze it and love it to bits!

Though the girl had no idea why Trish insisted on calling the Pokémon, Dana. She wasn't quite sure that Dana would be too pleased to hear that she had a Pokémon named after her, when she finally returned from the unexpected trip she had to take.  
  
In her hand she clutched a small, frilly pink doll's dress and bonnet that she planned to dress the unsuspecting Pokémon in when she caught her.  
  
The teenager peered around the corner and saw her quarry curled up asleep on a cushion. She crept towards her when she trod on a small leaf.  
  
Dana's ear flicked and she opened one black eye. "_Pi?"_  
  
"You cute widdle mousey wousey, come here!" Jaime gushed and rushed towards the tiny creature.  
  
"_Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"_ the Pikachu squealed in terror and fled over the couch.  
  
Around and around the villa they went, until finally the door opened and Trish stepped inside.  
  
"_Piiiikachu!!"_ Dana squeaked and leapt into the girl's arms.  
  
Trish looked down at the trembling mouse and then at Jaime who had skidded to a stop. "Don't tell me," she sighed. "Jaime wanted to play dress ups."

~*~

__

'She's scary.'

Dana was talking to Ash as the two Pikachus sat outside in the garden that night.

"_I agree. Especially when she gets that gleam in her eyes and you just knooooow she has some cute dolls outfit that she wants to dress you up in_." Ash swatted a fly with his tail. "_But you're not the only one who had a scary encounter."_

"Oh, do tell."

Ash sighed. "_Well, Jenn ran into a girl who happens to be a big fan of mine…Joanne, who owns a Blue Mew."_

"_A **Blue **Mew?"_

"Yeah, and she named it after me…sorta."

"Sorta?"

"Well she thinks my name should be Ashura instead of Ashton. Anyway Jenn let Joanne cuddle me because she thought I was the cutest little thing she'd ever seen."

"_Awww…_" Dana grinned as a faint blush stole over her companion's cheeks.

"_Pik's name got mentioned and then_…" Ash cringed. "_It was sooo embarrassing hearing those two gushing over the Grand Master like love-sick school girls."_

"_You're a regular sex symbol_," Dana teased him.

"_Hey, you try sitting there while two women swoon at the mere mention of a poster in which you're half-dressed that you can't remember ever doing_!"

Dana just giggled.

"_Well I can't_!" the Grand Master insisted. "_And I just wish I knew when we were going to turn back into humans again. I would like to be there for the birth of my first child…"_ His ears drooped.

Dana patted him on the back. "_We can only hope and pray_.." She cleared her throat and recited the Lord's Prayer ending with "_And deliver us from Jaime."_

~*~

__

In Elysium…

The morning sun streamed in through the palace windows casting a soft inviting glow over the library and its plush furnishings. But Lord Oberon took no notice, for he was preoccupied in thought.

The king could not shake the ominous feeling that he had been getting when he thought of Puck's welfare in the mortal realm. 

Something evil was brewing…something evil that Puck may not be able to win against alone.

Oberon sat up straight and summoned a valet. "Tell Calliope to see me in the palace as soon as possible!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

~*~

__

The next day…

"Thanks for offering to mind the Pokémon, Jaime," Trish called out as she rummaged through the cupboard of ITEO equipment. She and Jenn were preparing to go out on a last minute Egg Patrol called by Kaz. 

"No worries," Jaime said cheerfully. "We're all gonna get on just fine!"

The two Pikachus on the sofa gulped.

"Good," Trish sighed as she closed the cupboard and grabbed the bag that Jenn handed her.

With squeaks of desperation the Pikachus jumped off the sofa and ran up to the two girls, scrabbling to be picked up. "_Piiiii!"_

Jenn knelt down and scratched Satochu behind his ears. "You know you can't come along, Sweetie. Jaime will take good care of you and Danachu."

The two Pokémon exchanged a glance. _'Yeah right…_'

"Come on, Sis. We have to go," Trish checked her watch.

"Okay."

The two girls left and closed the front door behind him before the two mice could reach it. The Pokémon sat there mournfully and their ears drooped.

"Awww, c'mon," Jaime's voice came from behind them. "We're going to have lots of fun!"

The two turned and clung to each other as Jaime advanced towards them, a wicked gleam in her eyes…

~*~

__

Half an hour later…

Jaime cleared her throat officiously. "Dearly Beloved. We are gathered here today to witness the joining of these two in holy matchumony.."

The Canadian surveyed the scene before her in satisfaction. The two Pikachu were sitting before her, dressed in bridal finery. Satochu was dressed in a little top hat, bow tie, vest and tails; Danachu was dressed in a bridal gown, complete with veil and bouquet and a little blue garter on her hind leg.

Paco and Audrey, Jaime's two Pichu were dressed as a page boy and flower girl respectively.

And the rest of her friends' Pokémon had not escaped from being included in this tableau. Hamlet, Ophelia, Mac, Beth, Meanie, Miney, Mo, Euca, Lyptus and Seraphina had all been groomed and dressed up as well. 

Jaime had never had so much fun!

"Do you Satochu, chuuuuse Danachu to be your lawfully wedded Pika?"

Satochu frantically shook his head but Jaime took that to be a 'yes.'

"Do you Danachu chuuuuse Satochu to be your lawfully wedded Pika?"

Danachu shook her head as well.

"Good!" Jaime beamed. "And now by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you Pika and Pika. You may now kiss the bride."

She pushed them together so that the two Pokémon were nose to nose. "Aww…Pika Love!"

Just then the front door opened and Jenn and Trish came in. "What the??" 

Trish just shook her head as she took in the wedding scene with two obviously traumatised Pikachu in the centre. Satochu looked about ready to faint…"Oh Jaime, what did you do?"

"I married them!" Jaime said cheerfully.

"You WHAT??!!" was the horrified chorus from both her friends.

"They're married."

"My poor Baby!" Jenn gasped and swept a glassy-eyed Satochu into her arms.

Danachu squeaked in relief and bounded over to Trish, who picked her up and soothed the trembling mouse.

Jenn looked down at her little pet who was quite catatonic. "Sato dear, are you okay?"

But the mouse didn't answer. All that was running through his mind was _'Oh god…I can't be married **twice**_! _I can't be married to two different women…I just can't…'_

"They're positively traumatised," Trish murmured. 

"So are the rest of our Pokémon," Jenn indicated.

The two older girls exchanged a glance, then Trish spoke up. "Jaime, I hate to do this, but from now on you are no longer allowed near our Pokémon. No more dressing them up. Its not good for them."

"Aww…but…" Jaime started to pout.

"No buts."

Jaime stalked from the villa.

~*~

__

Two days later…

Jaime was sulking into her hot chocolate at _Starmiebucks. _Honestly, Trish and Jenn were no fun at all! All she did was dress up their Pokémon and marry them - even if they were most unwilling.

"Why such a glum face?" a smooth voice interrupted her thoughts.

The teenager looked up to see a tall, red-haired man with piercing green eyes standing by her table. "I don't like my friends," she mumbled.

Lu slid into the seat opposite. "Do tell."

"Well they stopped me from going near their Pokémon. And all I want to do is dress them up!"

"I can help you get back at your friends.." Lu offered. "If you will help me.."

"You won't _hurt_ them, will you? Because I still like Trish and Jenn." Jaime was a bit dubious.

"Oh I won't hurt them," Lu reassured her. _Much.. _He smiled at the Canadian teenager. "I can offer you as many Pichus and as many dolls dresses to clothe them in as you want…"

"Oooh…" Jaime's eyes glazed over.

Lu fixed her with a piercing stare. "You. Will. Help.." he intoned softly.

"I… will…help," Jaime's eyes flashed red. "Tell me how."

~*~

__

A week later…

The night air was cool against Danachu's fur as the small mouse scampered through the park on her way home. She pushed her way through some thick bushes when she heard some voices nearby.

Being a curious little soul, Dana quietly made her way closer to the source of the sound. Yes, she knew that it was rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations. But curiosity killed the Meowth, not a Pikachu, she reasoned. Plus she may get some fanfic ideas…though the writing of them was all dependent on if and when she ever regained her humanity.

Poking her tiny nose through a gap in the bush, Danachu was surprised to see their new friend Jaime talking with Rudy, the Trovita Island Gym Leader and a tall, thin, red-haired man she had never seen before.

The soft fur along her back rose on end, and Dana shivered. Whoever that man was, he was _evil_…she could sense it.

"So what is the whole game plan again?" Jaime asked.

"The plan, m'dear, is to destroy my arch enemy Puck," the red-haired man replied smoothly. "And to achieve that, we hurt the one he loves most, Mia."

"How do we do that, Lucius?" Rudy questioned.

"Simple, dear Mortal. We destroy those who are close to her. Like Trish, who is like a big sister figure. We have already begun the process of destroying her both psychologically and physically. Her strength is being sapped by an illness which the doctors cannot pinpoint…"

"And we're going to make Drake believe that Trish is cheating on him with Danny, and that she is pregnant with his child," Jaime added.

"How are you going with the 'evidence'?" Lu queried.

"Fine," Jaime grinned. "I've taken some photos on the sly and I'm just hunting around for more things I can use."

"What about using Jenn against her?" Rudy piped up. "You know how close those two are…"

"True," Jaime agreed. "You could always have Jenn appear to be sleeping with Drake. 'Cuz Jenn's always eyed off Drake though she declares that he is definitely off-limits."

"Hmm," Lu mused. "I'll keep that in mind…"

"Say, could you tell me again why you hate Puck so much?" Jaime said hesitantly. "I know you told me, but..um..I forgot."

"I would have ruled the Fae World, if not for Puck," Lu gritted his teeth. "He found out my plan to overthrow Lord Oberon and Queen Titania, and told them about it. As a result I was banished from the Fae World, away from my kinfolk, away from my kind. The plan was perfect, just like me…and HE ruined it all."

Dana was terrified at what she was overhearing. Lu was not human…he was a Fae and he was also evil. Very evil. He was planning to destroy her friends and she couldn't let that happen. Both Puck and Mia were lovable klutzes and a lot of fun. And Trish was like a big sister to her, offering her support and a shoulder to lean on when necessary. 

Trish was putting on a brave front when it came to her illness, but Dana knew that she often cried herself to sleep at night. 

Dana now knew the truth and she had to get away and tell her friends. She moved backwards slowly…and tripped over an exposed tree root. With a sharp _"PIKA_" she fell flat on her rump. _Oh dear…_

The humans spun around at the sudden noise. 

"What was that?" Rudy gasped.

Lu said nothing, just narrowed his eyes and stalked towards the bush from where the sound came. He parted the branches to expose a small, trembling Pikachu, flat on her back. There was something different about this Pikachu…there was a smell of magic about her…she was a human turned Pikachu. _She could ruin all_…

Kill her? Or…

"What is it? Is it a Pikachu?" Jaime's eyes were shining. 

"Yes, why?"

"Oh don't hurt the cute widdle mousey wousey!" 

Lu sighed. Humans could be such saps when it came to animals or Pokémon. He began to chant. _"From now on, shall you be cursed. If you try to tell what you've just heard, you shall be doomed to sing in musical verse."_

Danachu got up and fled home.

~*~

__

The next day..

Jenn was whistling as she walked with Trish towards _Jigglypuff Jeans_ to get the Aussie's inevitable daily cup of coffee. Okay…make that _trying _to whistle.

The blonde was attempting to whistle a Backstreet Boys tune, but from the look on Trish and Danachu's faces she was not succeeding. Dana had even clamped her long ears against her head with her two paws.

"What _are _you trying to whistle?" Trish queried after a while.

"Um… Backstreet Boys?" Jenn offered hopefully, looking down at Satochu for moral support. Unfortunately the little mouse was in the exact same pose as Dana.

"You're sounding more like Nsync," her friend moaned. The two Pokémon added their agreement.

"You three are mean," Jenn pouted.

"We know."

"Trish! Jenn!" 

The two girls turned to see Danny walking towards them. The tall, lanky Navel Island Gym Leader had a small package in his hand. 

"Hey Dan," Trish greeted with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"Just had a Crew meeting," the chestnut-haired man informed them. "Then I saw you two up ahead and thought I'd catch up with my two favourite females." A cheeky grin.

Trish grinned back and Jenn felt herself blushing. Danny was cute, especially since he seemed to have ditched that preppy sweater…_Ah, Jenn,_ she told herself, _you already have your eye on so many guys that you can't have. He probably only sees you as a sister…_

"Flattery gets you.." Trish began.

"Everywhere?" Danny interrupted with a grin.

"In your case, yes. We're going to _Jigglypuff Jeans_ to get my cup of joe." 

"The first of many," Jenn chirped. "Never ever get between Trish and a cup of coffee."

"I'll keep that in mind," the Navel Island Gym Leader promised.

The three humans and two pokémon made their way to the said coffee establishment and sat down at a corner booth. Trish plonked Dana down on the table and soon set a small cup in front of the tiny mouse. Dana cheered.

Satochu hopped up beside her and chirped at Dana. Dana indicated the cup and the two mice began to lap at it with their tiny pink tongues. Soon a dreamy look came over both their faces.

Danny looked at the cup. "What did you just give them?"

"Uh…milk mixed with vanilla, liquid sugar and cream," the dark-haired girl explained.

Danny wrinkled his nose. "It sounds very sweet."

"I know. And I have a Pika Ball bouncing off the walls for hours afterwards." Trish sighed.

"It can't be too good for her."

"I know - but she's a fussy Pikachu!"

The Pikachu in question looked up with cream smeared all over her nose and pouted. Trish patted her on the head. "Sorry, Danachu."

Jenn watched after the two mice as Trish and Danny went to order their coffee and a hot chocolate for Jenn.

When they returned, Danny inhaled the aroma of his brewed coffee and then fixed the two girls with a grin. "So what have you two been up to?"

"Nothing much," Trish answered.

"Hey," Jenn reproved her friend. "You know that's not true! We've done lots. We've slain Eggs and you've been sick all the time. Plus we went to the doctors the other week because we thought you might be pregnant…"

If looks could kill, Jenn would swear that the look that Trish shot her would have done it. _Ooooh, now I've gone and done it. Put my foot in my mouth again_…she thought shame-faced.

Danny smiled. "You're pregnant? That's fantastic!"  
  
Trish shot Jenn another look before replying. "No, I'm _not_ pregnant."

"Then what is it?"

The dark-haired young woman sighed. "They don't know…"

Danny was silent for a minute. "Does Drake know?"

"No, and he's not going to know either. I don't want to worry him - he's got enough going on anyway."

"My lips are sealed," Danny promised. He held up the small packet he had been carrying earlier. "Know what these are?"

Jenn peered closer. "They look like photos."

"That's right! From the time I spent with you guys in Sydney about a month ago."

"Oh yeah, you were visiting your uncle's family, and you rang us up," Trish remembered.

"There's some good photos of us at that dance.."

From the next booth, Jaime grinned into her mug of hot chocolate. Now all she had to do was get her hands on those photos…

~*~

__

Two days later…

Drake glanced up from his stack of papers as Jenn bounced into his office with Satochu on her shoulder. 

"Hey Drake!" she grinned as she flopped into the chair in front of the desk.

"Hey Jenn," he smiled back. "What can I do for you?"

"Nuthin." 

"You sure?"

The blonde shifted uncomfortably. "Um…come to think of it, there was something I was supposed to tell you…I just can't remember what!"

From her shoulder the Pikachu sighed and clapped his paw over his forehead.

Jenn glared at her pet. "You be good or else I won't give you the Pokétreat like I promised you."

Satochu made a face and stuck out his little pink tongue.

"Oh that's right," Jenn sighed. "You won't eat them. Okay, if you're good, I'll give you a Dove chocolate."

The Pokémon cheered.

"Honestly, Satochu. With your taste in food one would almost think you were human!"

Drake cleared his throat. "As you were saying before…"

Jenn blushed. "Ah yes…" She rummaged around in her pants pocket and brought out a small object. "That's it! Trish asked me to give you your cell phone which you had left at our place."

The Crew Leader took it from her. "Thanks. But why didn't Trish bring it?"

"She was going to, but then she became sick again," Jenn explained. "So she asked me to go instead."

Drake frowned. "She's still sick? Why doesn't she go to see a doctor?" He had been getting increasingly worried over Trish's health, but he would never push her to do something she didn't want to.

"Oh but she did," the blonde replied eagerly. "So they gave her a pregnancy test…" Jenn then slapped her hand over her mouth as she realised she had just blurted out what she had promised her friend she wouldn't. _Oops, I did it again_…

The dark-haired man looked at her sharply. "Did you say…pregnancy test?"

"Um…yah," Jenn said weakly wanting to shrivel up in the chair and die. _Trish is soo going to kill me_.. She risked a small peek at the man opposite hoping to gauge his reaction. _And maybe Drake will too_.

Drake was shocked, but then a small smile played over his features. So Trish might be pregnant. And he may very well be a father…But it was a wonderful piece of news if it were true. 

Even though he had not planned on becoming a parent so soon (he'd figured on a few years after they were married, and he was sure Trish was the same. She was most vocal about not becoming a single mother) he was sure they could work things out…Like move the whole marriage business forward so that her father and brothers wouldn't hurt him _too _much.

"Drake?" Jenn's voice broke into his thoughts.

He smiled and the blonde visibly relaxed. "I think that's absolutely wonderful!" A slight pause. "But why won't Trish tell me?"

"Um…she doesn't want to tell you until she's positively sure?" Jenn said quickly, not wanting to dig herself any further into the hole she was in. "Uh…I gotta split. See how Trish is doing y'know?" And without further ado, she hastily left the room.

Drake leaned back in his leather chair and sighed happily. There was no-one in the world that he'd rather have a family with than with Trish. Of course it looked like happening earlier than either of them anticipated, but he wouldn't change it for the world.

~*~

Outside the office window, a red-haired man perched on a tree limb gritted his teeth. This was not working out the way he had planned! Drake was supposed to loathe the idea of becoming a father, not love it!

"I'll just have to help things along the hard way," Lu said low. Crimson brows knotted together in concentration and his eyes opened suddenly with a triumphant expression. "I've got it!"

__

"Leader of Orange, with eyes so dark  
See far beyond what looks like a lark.  
Though friendship between them it truly be  
See only instead vast intimacy."

Lu grinned, "And if that doesn't set things rolling, then I'll have to resort to something far more drastic."

~*~

Jenn smoothed down the sheets before slipping into bed, and picking up little Satochu and holding him high above her head. "Who's my cute little Satochu?" the blonde cooed before settling him down on her chest. "There you go, Sweetie."

She failed to notice the blush spreading across the tiny mouse's cheeks as he struggled a bit against the hands that were holding him firmly in place. He soon gave up and the rhythmic rise and fall of her breathing lulled the Pokémon into a deep sleep.

~*~

__

The next morning…

Jenn slowly surfaced from a delicious dream she was having about the Grand Master when she became aware that something was on her. She opened her eyes to discover none other than Ash Ketchum lying on top of her, his dark head resting against her shoulder.

Believing this to be a continuation of her dream, Jenn decided to do a little investigation. After all, there are no recriminations for one's actions in dreams…

This had to be one of the most realistic dreams she had ever had though. The blonde was very aware of how snugly her body fit against his. The only barrier being the thin silk of the chemise she wore.

Her slender hands travelled down the contours of his smooth, muscular back, right down onto his firm derriere. A faint blush stole over her cheeks as she realised from her explorations that he was _very_ naked.

__

Oh, this is one dream that I don't wanna wake up from. This feels so real! The smoothness of his skin, the warmth and feel of his body next to mine…I can even feel him breathe…

Before Jenn could take her explorations further, the man in question stirred. Dark brown eyes stared into blue-grey ones.

"J.Jenn?"

"Ash," she breathed before kissing him firmly on the lips. To her pleasant surprise he responded, kissing her back. Jenn ran her hands through his thick dark locks…wait a minute…the hair felt so _real_!

She pinched herself hard. She was going to wake up…no she was already awake because it _HURT_! 

That meant…that meant that Ash was really in her bed. He really was naked and she really was kissing him. This was NO dream. This was reality.

So how did he get in her bed? The last thing she remembered was going to bed with a small Pikachu.

The Pikachu…Oh god, there was no small ball of electric fluff anywhere…

Jenn broke the kiss and shoved Ash off her, promptly making him tumble off the bed, taking the sheet with him. The Grand Master landed with his rear in the air.

The dark-haired man struggled to a sitting position. "What gives???"

Jenn did not answer him because she was too busy upending the pillows and searching her bed. No Satochu..

The blonde scrambled off the bed and unceremoniously yanked Ash to her, not caring for the fact that she ended up practically sitting on his lap. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY PIKACHU?!!?" 

"Jenn.."

She shook him. "What have you done to my baby?!?! Did you squash him?!?!"  
  
"Jenn.." Ash tried again but Jenn was in no mood to listen. All she could think of was of a certain promise she had made to his Pikachu.   
  
_'Pik knows that you'd take great care of her friend.' Meowth translated_.'

"Oh God. Pikachu is gonna KILL me! I promised her that I'd look after her friend and now you've gone and squashed him, or maybe I did!" Jenn wailed.

Ash grabbed Jenn by her shoulders. "JENN!!! Listen to me…"

"What?"

"Satochu is fine. He is not squashed into a Pika Pancake."

"And how do you know this?" she demanded.

The Grand Master regarded her steadily. "Jenn…I AM Satochu."

~*~

__

To be continued…

Author's Note Jenn wrote the incantation that Lu makes against Drake. She's good isn't she?

And poor Jenn!!!

…Not.

She did ask for it. And who am I to refuse my 'twin's' request? :P

Next chapter - uber romance and embarrassment. Christine, Mia and Mikey, the wedding…

Happy New Year everybody! Thanks to all my loyal readers for their support in the past year. May 2003 be all that you wish it to be.


	8. Chapter Seven: One Love, One Lifetime

_

Midsummer Nights

By Trish.

_

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or anything belong to Mr William Shakespeare. Nor do I own the song '_Man! I Feel Like A Woman' _by Shania Twain. I don't own the song _All I Ask Of You_ which comes from my favourite musical _The Phantom of the Opera._ I do own Callie, Flory, Poppy, and Ben. Lu is co-owned with Mini-Mi Mia, and Dragoness owns Ashura the Mew. However the characterisation of her Mew is nothing like her original in 'One Heart' - 'tis all me. But she's okay with it! Blame for _Starmiebucks, Pichu Bell, McDonphans, and Jigglypuff Jeans_ is equally divided between my 'sis' Jenn and myself.

No guest authors were hurt during the writing of this chapter, if anything only to their pride perhaps. The author wishes to absolve herself of any blame for this - they after all asked for it!!!! I only deliver the goods.

~*~

__

Chapter Seven: One Love, One Lifetime

Say you'll share with me 

One love, one lifetime

Say the word and I will follow you.

All I Ask Of You - The Phantom of the Opera

  


~*~

Jenn stared at Ash and then burst out laughing. The very idea of the Grand Master being turned into a small adorable Pikachu was _ludicrous_. "_You _were Satochu??? Yeah right!"

Ash couldn't help but feel a bit insulted. "Hey! I was too!"  
  
"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Prove it." Jenn challenged him.

"Okay, you asked for it," Ash smirked. "For one thing I know that you forced Trish to go to the doctors."

Jenn's grin fell. Okay so not many people knew _that…_

"Plus you then blabbed the fact to Danny and Drake despite promising Trish that you wouldn't…"  
  
The blonde shifted uncomfortably. He was right about that too. And the only one with her both times was Satochu. While Trish knew that she had blabbed to Danny, her best friend didn't know that she had also blabbed to Drake.

"Then I know that you wear silky night shirts embroidered with the word 'Goddess' all over them."

Maybe it was time to change the subject…"Okay I believe you!" Jenn said hastily. "But how could you be Satochu when he was so cute, so adorable and with the most gorgeous mahogany eyes. You are _not_ cute."

Ash smirked. "You're right. The words you used were, and I quote; "he's a real hottie." And the only reason you dated Gary was because you couldn't have me."

Oh God. Jenn wanted to shrivel up and die and the earth to swallow her up. Yes, she had said that, and to HIM of all people! She needed to shut him up before he said anything else embarrassing like…

"What about the time you…" but before Ash could say another word he found his mouth busy doing other things.

Just then the door to her bedroom opened and Trish poked her head in. "Jenn what's all the noise all about? Some of us are trying to…" Her dark eyes widened as she took in the scene. "Oh my…"

Jenn and Ash quickly broke apart, both turning bright red as Trish stepped into the room. "Am I..interrupting something?" Her dark eyes sparkled in amusement.

"Nothing Sis, nothing at all," Jenn said hastily.

"You sure? Because Ash looks to be half-naked and you look to be in a state of undress…"

The blonde looked down and saw to her embarrassment that both straps of her chemise had fallen off her shoulders. She quickly pulled them up again. "I'm sure."

"If you say so.." 

She was interrupted by another person coming into the room. Drake. The Orange Crew Leader took in the sight of an entangled Ash and Jenn on the floor. "Ah…did I come in at a bad time?"

"That's what I asked," Trish grinned as he wrapped his arms around her waist. 

The dark-haired girl then winked at Jenn. "Well, I won't say nuthin'"

"Neither will I," Drake chimed in.

"Honestly, nothing happened last night!" Jenn insisted, feeling her face going even redder because Drake was seeing her in her nightwear.

"Oh?" Trish raised an eyebrow. "Then how come Ash is in your room?"  
  
"How about if I said I was Satochu?" Ash offered weakly.

There was silence for a moment then to Ash's utter relief, both Trish and Drake nodded. 

"That does make sense," Trish said at last. "After all, Dana was turned into a Pikachu, so why not Ash?"

The Orange Crew Leader's eyes grew wide. "Dana was a Pikachu???"

~*~

"She was," Trish confirmed before leaning out the door and hollering, "Dana!!!"

A few minutes later, a rumpled looking Dana (human form) came into the room. "You bellowed?"

Her two 'sisters' grinned. "You're back to normal!"

"Yep! I woke up this morning in my bed and human," Dana chuckled. She then spied Ash. "And I see you're back to normal too."

"Too?" Jenn echoed. "You mean…you _knew _Satochu was Ash the whole time?"

"Er..yes," Dana grinned.

"Why didn't you tell me before I went and put my foot in my mouth big time???" the blonde demanded.

"Ohh?" Trish raised her eyebrow. "Do tell.."

"Well," Jenn blushed tomato red and squirmed. "I, um, told Satochu that I thought Ash was a real hottie…and..um…"

"Yesss…"

"Er..and that the only reason I dated Gary was because I couldn't have Ash," the blonde finished in a rush.

"Oh??" her best friend's eyes were wide. "I didn't know that.."

"Well, now you do," Jenn mumbled.

"Did Dana know?"

The girl in question shook her head. "Nah, I knew she liked Ash, but I didn't know just _how _much."

There was a moment's silence before Trish decided to bring things to an end. She helped Jenn to her feet. "How about we all get dressed, have breakfast and then we can talk some more?"

"Uh, just one thing," Ash spoke up. "I..uh don't have any clothes to get changed into."

"No worries," Drake replied. 'You can borrow some of mine."

"Thanks," the Grand Master said gratefully, then sighed. "Then I'd better go home, though how I am ever going to explain this to Misty..." He trailed off and shook his head. "And if the clone is still there…"

Just as Trish was about to leave the room, Jenn grabbed her arm. "What is it?"

The blonde leaned and whispered in her friend's ear. "Do I _have_ to give him back?"

~*~

After breakfast, Ash went home to face the 'Wrath of Misty' as he put it, asking Drake to please send the police over if he did not hear from him in a few hours.

Trish and Jenn went for a walk, to exercise their Growlithe and also because Jenn wanted to talk.

"Trishy, I just cannot believe that this happened," Jenn moaned. "Of all the people in the world that I had to spill my feelings to, it had to be the Grand Master! The one man who should never ever have known!"

'I know," Trish soothed her friend with a pat on the arm. "But how were you to know that Satochu was Ash?"

"Well, our dear friend Dana could have told us," the blonde grumbled.

"But Jenn, Dana couldn't speak our language when she was a Pikachu and we don't speak Pikachuese. So how was she supposed to tell?" the Australian rebutted.

"There's always Charades."

Trish hugged her friend. "Poor Jenn."

"What am I going to do?" Jenn whined. "I've humiliated myself in front of Ash Ketchum, I've told him my deepest, darkest secrets, and I wake up in bed with him."

Trish's mouth quirked into a half-smile. "I thought that the last would be a wonderful experience in your books?"

"Oh it is!" Jenn nodded quickly. "He's such a great kisser and he's got a yummy butt...but he's married, and not to me!!" she finished with a wail.

"Married men are off-limits."

"Yep," Jenn affirmed. "As is Drake." Her blue-grey eyes widened. "And he saw me in my nightwear..."

"Oh no!" her dark-haired friend gasped and then pointed to the side of the road. "Then I suggest you crawl under that rock and die."

Jenn saw that she was teasing her and pouted. "Cruel Trishy!"

"I know." Trish gave her a quick hug and then shook her head. "What I would like to know is how on _earth_ you managed to keep such a huge secret for so long?"

"I don't know."

"Neither do I," Trish grinned.

"Hey! I can keep a secret!" Jenn protested then quickly shut up as she remembered a certain secret of Trish's that she had blabbed to Drake all too recently.

"I know you can, but you are also such a blabbermouth."

'Too true,' Jenn thought to herself guiltily. 'I just hope that I haven't made things worse.'

~*~

Drake received a phone call the next day from the Grand Master who filled him on what happened when he finally arrived home. 

Much to his relief, the clone had disappeared into thin air. However that only served to make things more complicated. Misty was confused over why he was apologising for the last few weeks when 'he' had only been gone for one night. Which meant that he had to explain the entire embarrassing thing to her, and as a result she was rather ropable about the fact that Jenn had taken him to bed with her. Ash thought his wife's reaction rather silly, "because I was a Pokémon all of the time and she knows I don't do inter-species. "

~*~

__

Elysium..  
  
Calliope made her way down the corridor of the palace towards the king's chambers. The chestnut-haired Fae wondered what Lord Oberon wanted to speak to her about.  
  
The girl pushed open the wooden doors, and stepped inside. "You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?" she enquired.  
  
The monarch turned from the window. "Yes, Callie. Please take a seat."  
  
The two sat down and Oberon began. "Its about your brother..."  
  
Callie felt apprehensive at the mention of her brother. Had anything happened to him in the mortal world?   
  
"I have a feeling that your brother is up against a great evil," Oberon explained. "I don't know exactly what it is, but I feel that should he come to face it, that he will not be able to defeat it alone."  
  
Callie nodded. "So you want me to go and check on him?"  
  
"Exactly."

~*~

Calliope appeared in a swirl of sparkles in a small grove of trees in the park where she had sensed her brother would be.  
  
Assuming a human form, the brunette was dressed for the tropical climate in a halter neck top teamed with denim shorts. Her long chestnut tresses gathered up in a messy bun.  
  
The girl made her way towards the spot that she had pinpointed her brother to be. Her task was made easier by the fact that her brother was singing rather loudly "_When the moon hits your eye like a big piece of pie that's Amore_.."  
  
Callie sighed. It was obvious Puck had been hitting the alcohol again. He only ever sang Dean Martin songs when he was drunk.  
  
She came upon the inebriated chestnut-haired Fae slumped at the foot of a tree, next to another drunk guy with a goatee beard.  
  
"Puck Stratford," Callie spoke sharply.  
  
Puck shot up and his eyes widened at the sight of his older sister standing there, hands on her hips and looking none too pleased.  
  
"Sis!" he gasped in shock. "What..are you doing here?"

Callie sighed. "Two reasons. One being that our cousin is getting married next week, and the second reason is that Oberon felt that you needed my help. So I came early."

Puck struggled to his feet and hugged her. "Glad to see you Cal.."

"You too, Bro." She looked down at the man who was still on the ground. 'Who's your fellow sot?"  


"Why that's Bill Shakespeare…" Puck grinned.

Callie's eyes widened. "Did you say Shakespeare?"

"Well I didn't say Bill Wobblearrow that's for sure," her brother was indignant.

"You've been playing around with spells again, haven't you," Callie rebuked him. "Well I'll just send Bill right back…"

She was interrupted by Puck holding onto her arm. "Oh please don't Sis!!! Bill here doesn't want to go home yet. He's enjoying himself and he gets ideas for his plays." 

"I don't know…" 

"Pleease?" Puck pleaded, making sure he had the Puppy Dog Eye look which he knew his sister was a sucker for.

"Oh okay then." Callie sighed and gave in. As usual. She always was a softie when it came to her younger brother. The girl hugged him again before wrinkling her nose. "Let's get you freshened up."

~*~

__

A week later…

Excitement pervaded the atmosphere as the guests milled around the two large white marquees that were set up in the lush, tropical grounds of the _Illyrium Hotel_.   
  
The first was set up with a small podium and rows of white chairs with a red carpet runner down the centre. Large ornamental vases filled with lilies and white roses stood in each corner.  
  
The second marquee was larger than the first and set up with a dance floor and stage at one end and many white-clothed tables dotted around the place.  
  
"Oh I just love weddings," Dana gushed as the ushers showed them to their places.  
  
The priest led Flory and Puck (who were looking dapper in tuxedos) to the front of the marquee.  
  
Flory was rather nervous. Finally, here was the day that he had been dreaming about for so long...his and Riny's wedding. But what if she changed her mind? What if...  
  
"Puck," he turned to his cousin who was his best man. "You _did_ remember the rings didn't you?"  
  
"Sure!" the chestnut-haired Fae said cheerily as he patted his pocket. His expression then changed a bit. "At least...I think I did..."  
  
"You.._didn't_ did you?"  
  
Puck looked at his cousin's frantic expression and grinned. "Relax Cuz. I was just having you on. Of course I didn't forget!"  
  
"Why you little..." Flory grinned. "Don't you _do _that to me at a time like this!!!"  
  
"I just did."  
  
"You brat."  
  
"I think you mean your sister Bianca."  
  
The two were interrupted by the sudden hush of the congregation and the organist starting to play the _Trumpet Voluntary._ They turned to face the back and Puck steeled himself not to look in the direction of Mia who was in the congregation.  
  
Even though it still hurt like hell to see her, to be in the same area as her, Puck was not going to let that spoil what was the most important day in his cousin's life.  
  
Kaz was first down the aisle, dressed in an bridesmaid's outfit of pale lemon with a bouquet of roses to match.  
  
Then came the petite bride on the arm of her father. Erina was dressed in a simple yet elegant georgette gown with a flowing veil.  
  
Soon she had reached Flory's side and a lump came to Puck's throat at the look that passed between the two.

"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining in holy matrimony of this man Florian William Stratford and this woman Erina Louise Keating Lawless. If any man or woman here present knows any reason why these two should not be wed; speak now or forever hold your peace."  
  
Puck squirmed as he felt his mother's, his aunt's and his sister's eyes bore into his back. He could almost hear them saying '_Don't you **dare** try anything...'  
_  
So he was a bit of a prankster, but he would never ever dream of ruining his beloved cousin's wedding day. Flory was more like a brother to him and if Puck's happiness was to be forever denied...well he would be damned if his cousin was to be denied his.  
  
The priest continued as there were no objections. "The rings please?"  
  
Puck placed the two plain gold bands on the bible that the priest held out.  
  
"Who gives away this woman?"  
  
Erina's dad stepped forward. "I do."  
  
The priest then turned to the groom. "Do you, Florian William Stratford take this woman, Erina Louise Lawless to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward until death do you part?"  
  
"I do," Flory smiled at his bride.  
  
"Do you Erina Louise Lawless, take this man, Florian William Stratford to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward until death do you part?"  
  
"I do." 

A few sniffs could be heard from the congregation.  
  
Flory then took the ring and sliding it onto her ring finger began the vows. "With this ring, I thee wed..."  
  
The wedding seemed to pass by in a blur for Flory, for the next thing he heard was. "And now, by the powers vested in me. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." 

The couple did so to many cheers and applause from the congregation.

~*~

__

Much later...  
  
Flory led Riny onto the dance floor for the Bridal Waltz as the music started to play. Puck felt a lump in his throat as he recognised the tune.

_

No more talk of darkness   
Forget these wide-eyed fears.  
I'm here, nothing can harm you  
My words will warm and calm you.  
  
Let me be your freedom  
Let daylight dry your tears  
I'm here, with you, beside you  
To guard you and to guide you  
  
Say you love me every waking moment  
Turn my head with talk of summertime  
Say you need me with you now and always  
Promise me that all you say is true  
That's all I ask of you

  
_

  
The chestnut-haired Fae risked a look towards a table where a certain slender brunette was sitting, her eyes shining as she watched the bridal couple on the floor. He would have gone over to her, except for the fact that his much despised rival Mikey had her affections. _Oh Mia, that could have been us... _

Just then Mia turned to see him staring at her; smirked and exchanged a passionate kiss with Mikey. Puck gripped the linen napkin in his hand tightly as his heart broke all over again. 

  
_Let me be your shelter  
Let me be your light  
You're safe  
No-one will find you  
Your fears are far behind you  
  
All I want is freedom  
A world with no more night  
And you always beside me   
to hold me and to hide me  
  
Then say you'll share with me   
One love, one lifetime  
Let me lead you from your solitude  
Say you need me with you   
here beside you  
Anywhere you go let me go too  
That's all I ask of you_

  


  
Puck was not the only one who was feeling melancholy over the words. A tall willowy blonde also shared his feelings. Jenn was the only one out of her group who was there as a single. Dana was holding hands under the table with Richie. And Drake had wrapped his arms around Trish as she leant back against him. Everyone was with their guy of their dreams...except her. _Why can't I meet the man of my dreams?_

  
_Say you'll share with me   
One love, one lifetime  
Say the word  
And I will follow you  
  
Share each day with me   
Each night, each morning  
  
Say you love me  
  
You know I do  
  
Love me that's all I ask of you._

  


~*~

__

A week later..

Danny whistled cheerfully as he made his way to the front door of the girls' villa. In his hands he clutched a small teddy bear and a small bouquet of flowers.  
  
Since that afternoon in the café when he had found out that Trish was extremely ill, he had decided to make it a high priority of his to keep an eye on the girl. After all, Drake was like a brother to him, and they had always looked out for each other. Now while Danny had promised Trish that he would not tell, he still owed it to his best friend to make sure that his girlfriend was okay.  
  
The Navel Island Gym Leader pressed on the doorbell, and the door was opened a minute later by Jenn.  
  
"Hey Danny!" she grinned.  
  
"Hi Jenn," the chestnut-haired man smiled.   
  
"What brings you here?" There was a hopeful tinge to her voice as she eyed the flowers and the bear.  
  
"I brought these over for Trish," Danny explained. "Thought these might cheer her up somewhat."  
  
"That's nice," Jenn masked the disappointment she felt. "And it will make her feel better. She's been throwing up all morning."  
  
"That's not good," Danny frowned as he followed the blonde into the living room.  
  
"I'll go get her," Jenn offered and left the room.  
  
The Navel Island Gym Leader walked around the room, looking at the various photos when a soft voice came from behind him.  
  
"Hi, Dan."  
  
He turned to see Trish standing in the doorway, looking very wan and tired.  
  
"I brought these to cheer you up," the tall lanky man proffered the bear and the bouquet.  
  
"Oh, that's very sweet of you," Trish smiled and took a step before she suddenly stopped and sagged against the wall.  
  
Danny's eyes widened. "What's wrong?" he asked with a hint of alarm.  
  
"I just had a bad dizzy spell," she mumbled.  
  
Danny quickly put down the gifts and walked over to her. "Can you walk to the couch?"  
  
The dark-haired girl closed her eyes and shook her head once. "I..don't think so."  
  
"Let me help you then." He put an arm around her waist and she leaned against him as they slowly made their way to the couch and sat down.  
  
"Thanks," Trish managed to get out before she started crying softly.   
  
Danny pulled her close in a comforting hug as she cried into his shoulder. "It must suck to be so sick."  
  
"It does," she hiccupped. "And the thing is..none of these medications seem to be working.."  
  
He frowned. "The doctors still don't know?"  
  
Trish shook her head as a fresh round of tears came. "I'm just so scared," she whispered. "I don't know what's happening to me.."  
  
Danny didn't say a thing, just hugged her closer as she clung to him. The Navel Island Gym Leader wished he could say something to help, he hated to see her like this.  
  
Neither of them were aware that a red-headed girl was standing outside one of the windows, camera clicking away...  
  
Finally Trish stopped crying.  
  
"Feel a bit better now?" he asked softly.  
  
"Just a tad," she started to say before she went rather chalk white and closed her eyes. "Oy...I feel extremely dizzy.."  
  
"You'd better lie down," Danny advised. "Use my lap as a pillow."  
  
"But.."  
  
"No buts.." His tone of voice brokered no argument.   
  
She obeyed and once she was settled comfortably, looked up at him. "You're too good, Danny Boy."  
  
Danny grinned. "Hey, anything for my bro's girlfriend. You're like my sister."  
  
Trish smiled back and closed her eyes. "Thanks. And I couldn't ask for a nicer brother either..." Her voice drifted off towards the end.  
  
After a few minutes silence, Danny saw she had fallen asleep. The poor girl certainly needed it, he couldn't imagine what she must be going through at the moment. So sick, so scared, and so far from home.  
  
_I hope things get better for you soon, Trish_, he thought as he settled back against the lounge. He may as well get comfortable. He was going to be here for quite a while...

~*~

Around midnight a tiny form scrambled into the living room through an open window. It fell to the floor with a small squeak, before righting itself. The Pichu scampered over to the low coffee table where its mistress had instructed it to go. There it found what it was looking for. 

A few minutes later the tiny Pokémon handed a small envelope over to its trainer. 

"Good Paco," Jaime cooed, recalling the Pichu in its sphere. She smiled wickedly. "We've got the photos..":

~*~

__

Two days later...  
  
Drake Thayer frowned slightly as he put the phone back down. He had a lull in the office work and had decided to call his girlfriend. However Jenn had been the one to pick up the phone and she told him that Trish was sleeping after another bad bout of sickness.  
  
Trish didn't seem to be getting any better, and her energy and enthusiasm for things had been getting less and less.  
  
He was interrupted in his musings by a timid knock on the door. "Come in," he called.  
  
The Orange Crew Leader was surprised to see Jaime enter his office. "Hi Jaime," he greeted. "Please take a seat."  
  
The girl sat down in the chair in front of his desk. "Hi Drake," she said shyly.  
  
"What can I do for you?"  
  
"Well, I've noticed something strange lately, and I thought you might want to know..." the redhead began hesitantly.   
  
"Want to know what?" Drake prompted gently.  
  
"Its just that Trish seems to be spending an awful lot of time with Danny lately," Jaime confided. "And these photos accidentally dropped out of her bag and I picked them up."  
  
The Canadian leaned forward and placed two photographs on his large mahogany desk.   
  
Drake picked them up and frowned slightly.   
  
The first photograph seemed to be taken at some black tie function, and showed Trish and Danny sitting side by side, the Navel Gym Leader with an arm around her shoulder. Drake didn't recognise the photograph, or the function it was at. Since when did Trish decide to go to a function with Danny instead of him?  
  
He turned the photo over to see 'Sydney, April,' written in by Danny. What was Danny doing in Sydney then?  
  
The next photo nearly made the Orange Crew Leader fall out of his chair. Trish and Danny again...but in a tight embrace. Far too tight to be considered a 'friendly' hug.  
  
"It might not be anything to worry about," Jaime spoke up again. "But I know how serious you are about Trish so I thought you should know."  
  
"Thanks," Drake said, though he didn't really mean it. What was going on? Was there something more than friendship going on between his girlfriend and his best friend?!!  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Jenn was trying to calm down her best friend. Trish had a bad scare with a dizzy spell that nearly made her fall down the stairs and then she threw up again with specks of what looked scarily to Jenn like blood.   
  
The dark-haired girl was crying and Jenn was hugging her tightly, rocking her back and forth like a little child. "Don't worry, Trishy," the blonde soothed. "Things will get better soon, I promise." _At least I hope so_, she thought. _Things can't possibly get any worse for her..'_

~*~

Shafts of sunlight streamed through the trees, creating a dappled effect on the side-walk as a young eighteen-year-old brunette made her way through the crowds.  
  
Shannon had not long arrived in Pummelo, and was on her way to meet her friends Trish and Jenn at _Jigglypuff Jeans_ as arranged. It was the obvious place to meet, seeing how the Australian was rather addicted to her coffee and regularly haunted either _Starmiebucks_ or _Jigglypuff Jeans_. And wherever Trish was, Jenn was usually not far away.  
  
She entered the coffee establishment and was directed by a wave of a hand over to a corner booth.  
  
"Hey Shannon," Trish greeted warmly. "Glad you could make it to Pummelo."  
  
"Hi," Jenn waved in turn. "Good to see you."  
  
"Thanks guys," Shannon smiled and slipped into the spare seat. "How is everybody?"  
  
"Fine, I.." Trish started to say but she was cut off by Jenn.  
  
"No, you are not fine!" the blonde glared at her friend before turning to Shannon. "She's been quite sick."  
  
"Just tell the world why don't you," Trish grumbled and Shannon noted that she was rather wan looking.  
  
"Have you been to the doctors?" the brunette wanted to know.  
  
"Yes I have," Trish's tone indicated that she wasn't going to answer any more questions on _that_ subject. "I hope you're ready to party, because there is a dance two nights from now."  
  
"Oh," Shannon fidgeted. "But I don't have anyone to go with..."  
  
Her older friend grinned. "No need to worry. I've arranged a date for you."

~*~

Two nights later, Shannon surveyed herself in the mirror with a sigh. If there was one thing that she did not like doing, it was getting all dressed up. For that meant dresses and skirts and she was so not a 'skirts' gal.  
  
But it was a formal occasion and so, she was wearing a red silk evening gown which she had to admit, looked very nice on her. Her long brown locks were secured in a French twist, and she had applied a light layer of make-up.  
  
Grabbing her purse, she glanced one last time at the mirror before leaving for the Function Centre.  
  
When she arrived there, she stood just inside the entrance, taking in the sight of the glittering crowds. Shannon wondered how on earth she'd managed to find either Trish or Jenn in this mass of people before she remembered that they had specified a meeting point where Trish would introduce her younger friend to her date.  
  
The brunette managed to weave her way through the crowds until she was close to the stage where her friends had said they would be. A big burly man pushed roughly by her, sending the girl off balance. She toppled forward, taking another person down with her onto the floor.  
  
"Oooph."  
  
Blushing furiously, Shannon struggled up to a sitting position, to find she was perched on a young man's lap. "Oh, I am sooo sorry for that," she apologised profusely.  
  
The dark-haired man laughed it off, his dark eyes twinkling merrily. "No need to apologise, it was an accident."  
  
"Thanks," Shannon smiled gratefully while she noted how handsome he was, and how much like Drake he looked like_. I hope my date looks as nice as he is_, she thought. Trish had not told her anything about the young man that she had set her up with.  
  
The two got to their feet and were brushing themselves off when a familiar voice came from behind them. "Ah there you are!"  
  
Shannon turned to see Trish and Drake standing there. "Hi, Trish, Drake."  
  
The dark-haired girl smiled. "And I can see you two have already met..."  
  
The brunette was surprised.  
  
"Shannon, I'd like you to meet Ben Thayer, Drake's younger brother. He's your date for the evening," Trish introduced. "Ben, I'd like you to meet my friend Shannon."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Shannon said shyly. Inwardly she was cringing. What a way to start a blind date - by falling on top of your partner.   
  
"Nice to meet you too," Ben shook her hand warmly.   
  
The girl started fretting anew. And why did he have to be so handsome? If he wasn't, then it wouldn't have mattered so much how their date started, but she wanted to make a great first impression on him. 

__

He must think I'm such a klutz Shannon thought. And being the brother of the Orange Crew Leader, Ben was probably completely at ease at these type of functions whereas she wasn't.  
  
Her internal monologue was interrupted by the dark-haired young man offering her his arm. "Shall we go to our table?"

~*~

Jenn was making her way back from the ladies when she saw Shannon walk off with a tall, dark and handsome stranger.  
  
_Mmm, he looks so fine_, the blonde thought with a lick of her lips. She wondered who he was, and decided to question her best friend when she saw her. After all, Trish had been the one to set Shannon up.  
  
She soon found the dark-haired girl talking to Drake and Danny and drew her aside.  
  
"What is it?" Trish asked.  
  
"Who's that guy that you hooked Shannon up with?"  
  
"Oh that's Ben, Drake's younger brother. He's 26."  
  
Jenn's eyes widened. "Drake has a younger brother?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Drake has a younger brother?!" the blonde repeated in disbelief.  
  
Trish rolled her eyes. "Yes, you already said that once."  
  
Jenn grabbed her friend's arm. "TRISHY!!!!! Why didn't you tell me that there was another Thayer male?!!!"  
  
Trish pulled her arm away. "I did!!!" she protested. "I told you about two months after Drake and I started dating. But you were too busy with Gary and ogling Ash's butt, you said that _you_ weren't interested."  
  
The blonde smacked her forehead. "I can't believe I said that!!! I must have been out of my mind!!! What drugs must I have been on??"  
  
"Mental void?" Trish offered.  
  
"Yeah," Jenn muttered. "And one that lasted two years as well. To think that I let such a fine specimen of manhood go..."  
  
"Oy," her friend laughed. "Hands off, dear Sis."  
  
"I know," the blonde sighed. "He's with Shannon.." She turned to Trish. "Next time I don't take any notice of you - hit me with a reality mallet."  
  
"With pleasure."  
  
"Hey!!!"

~*~

__

Two hours later...  
  
Shannon had completely relaxed as the night wore on. Ben Thayer was very pleasant and easy going to be with, and she had never had so much fun.  
  
The pair were currently on the dance floor, and as a slow ballad came on, he drew her closer and she rested her head against his chest.  
  
_This is soo nice_, the brunette thought dreamily. She wouldn't mind if they stayed like this all night.  
  
Across the dance floor, a tall man was observing the couple. Drake Thayer smiled fondly as he watched his brother dance with his date. He was glad to see Ben enjoying himself.  
  
The dark-haired man then noticed Jenn standing off to one side and looking rather at a loss. Trish was currently dancing with Danny, so the Crew Leader strode over to the blonde. "Would you like to dance?"  
  
Jenn looked startled at first but then recovered. "Uh...I'd love to!"  
  
Drake drew her in amongst the dancers and laid one hand gently on the small of her back.

Jenn was enjoying herself. It was really sweet of Drake to offer to dance with her and save her from being a wallflower.  
  
And she knew that she was the envy of many a single female in the room - dancing in the arms of the tall, dark and handsome Orange Crew Leader. The man was just far too sexy for his own good.  
  
_Uh-uh, Jenn_, the blonde mentally berated herself. _You mustn't ever think of Drake in that way. You know he's totally off-limits._

Jenn sighed inwardly. _Honestly things were just so unfair_, she thought as her blue-grey eyes wandered over to a certain dark-haired Grand Master who was chatting on the sidelines with his wife Misty and Blaine. _Damn him for being such a good kisser.._  
  
To get her mind off Ash, Jenn decided to focus on what the elderly couple dancing near them were talking about. Not that it wasn't hard to listen to - on the contrary they were talking very loudly, as elderly people tend to do.'  
  
"Oh look, Morris," the wife was saying. "Look at those two dancing over there. Don't they look like the perfect couple?"  
  
Jenn followed to where the lady was pointing, and saw much to her amusement, that she was pointing to Trish and Danny. The blonde giggled. "Did you hear that, Drake?"  
  
"I did." Jenn failed to notice there was a slight clench to his jaw.  
  
"Those two mustn't be from around here. They're so silly," Jenn chuckled and dismissed the couple's notion.  
  
But Drake couldn't. His gaze was drawn to where his girlfriend was dancing with his best friend. The perfect couple? They were dancing rather close, and as the Crew Leader watched; Danny leaned forward and whispered something in Trish's ear which made her laugh.  
  
Drake felt rather uneasy. Could Jaime possibly be right? Was there something going on between those two. He shook his head and dismissed the thought. There was no way it could be true. Trish love with him, she just thought of Danny as a good friend...or did she?

~*~

Christine tapped her foot in time to the music pulsating through the _Chikorita Nightclub_. The 'girl' had decided against going to the League function in favour of the nightclub, for there would be too many beautiful women dressed up to the nines. And due to the fact that he was a 'she' at the moment, meant that he was barred from ogling them as was his usual habit.  
  
So here she was, in a dark corner of the nightclub, dressed in a skimpy black dress which made the most of her figure, completely and utterly 'smashed.'  
  
Maybe being a woman wasn't so bad, he thought fuzzily. Just then the owner of the nightclub came onstage and announced a karaoke night. Christine's eyes lit up.  
  
A few minutes later, all the men in the room sat up in interest as a tall, curvaceous, raven-haired woman in a wee little black dress came and stood in front of the microphone.   
  
"Hi, guys," she purred. "My name is Christine and I wanna sing a little song for you.."  
  
She gave the thumbs up to the DJ who cued the karaoke machine. The music started and Christine pulled the microphone off the stand and strutted along the stage with it, making sure to show lots of leg. This was greeted with loud wolf-whistles.

_

I'm going out tonight - I'm feelin' alright  
Gonna let it all hang out  
Wanna make some noise - really raise my voice  
Yeah, I wanna scream and shout  
No inhibitions - make no conditions  
Get a little outta line  
I ain't gonna act politically correct  
I only wanna have a good time  
  
The best thing about being a woman  
Is the prerogative to have a little fun and...  
  
Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy - forget I'm a lady  
Men's shirts - short skirts  
Oh, oh, oh, go really wild - yeah doin' it in style  
Oh, oh, oh, get in the action - feel the attraction  
Colour my hair - do what I dare  
Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free - yeah, to feel the way I feel  
Man! I feel like a woman!

  
_

~*~

Christine woke up blearily the next morning, the sunlight hitting her face forcing her to do so. She groaned and put an hand on her forehead. Ouch. She really must have hit the booze last night because her head felt like it was cleft in two. The 'girl' flung out her other arm then froze as it hit something warm and soft.  
  
_Oh oh._  
  
She warily turned on her side...to see a young man sleeping peacefully beside her.  
  
_Oh god no..._  
  
Stifling the urge to scream and be sick, Chris shot up out of bed. He breathed fervent prayers of thanks to find that he was still fully clothed.  
  
The young man stirred awake and the 'girl' froze when his eyes focused on her. "Hi gorgeous," he murmured.  
  
"Uh..hi" Chris managed to squeak.  
  
The stranger swung out of bed and again Chris was thankful that he was also fully clothed.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Chris asked hesitantly.  
  
"Don't you remember?" the man asked with a smile.  
  
The girl shook her head.   
  
"Well you gave a tour de force performance at karaoke, and I just had to introduce myself...My name's Paul, by the way..."  
  
Chris just nodded. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear any more about last night...  
  
"So we had a few drinks and danced and then we kissed some."  
  
Chris's eyes grew wide. He kissed a guy???  
  
"We agreed to start dating because we both felt like it was love at first sight," Paul continued.  
  
Chris was scared out of her wits. Ack what had she got herself into??? This wasn't supposed to happen!!! She started to think desperately of a way out. "Uh, I'm sorry to have to do this, but you really should go now," she stammered.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. I..uh.. have to go and spend the day with my cousin, that's it," Chris said while pushing the man out the door. "I'll call you later, I promise!"  
  
Once he was safely down the corridor and out of sight, Chris bolted.  
  
He needed some advice. And fast.

__

To be continued….

Author's Note: Next chapter - What will happen to poor Chris/Christine? And is Puck really as forsaken as he thinks? Or does Mia get a new man in her life - arise Mr Shakespeare!!! More Jenn, more Dana, more Joanne and her Mew. And just how much meaner can I be to myself???


	9. Chapter Eight: Mamma Mia!

_

Midsummer Nights

By Trish.

_

Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me. Neither does William Shakespeare. Lucius is co-owned with Mia. The song from the Chapter Title is from _'Mamma Mia'_ by ABBA. Oh and see the musical if you can!

A/N: I'm still here! And still writing sporadically between long bouts of work induced stress. Be thankful those of you who are still at school or university/college; you have NO idea of just how lucky you are. Many apologies for the delays, but it couldn't be helped.

~*~

__

Chapter Eight: Mamma Mia! 

Mamma mia, even if I say

Bye Bye, leave me now or never

Mamma mia, it's a game we play

Bye Bye doesn't mean forever

Christine ran swiftly down the streets of Pummelo, her mind in turmoil. God knows what trouble she had got herself into this time! And all because of alcohol. _If I'd have known this would have happened, I never would have touched the stuff!!!_  
  
But, of course there was no way that he could have known. The distressed 'girl' reached the front door of the villa and banged on it with all her might.  
  
A few moments later, a grumbling Jenn opened the door. "All right...who's making all this racket?!" She blinked as she saw an out of breath and rather dishevelled buxom brunette on the doorstep. "Chris?"  
  
"Yeah it's me."  
  
"Aiight, I'll forgive you this time for making so much noise, but my twin was having a rest..."  
  
"Oh," Chris looked crestfallen. "Cuz I really need to talk to both of you urgently..."  
  
The blonde tilted her head slightly and thought for a moment before letting her friend in and leading her to the living room. "You wait here and I'll go wake the sleeping 'tiger'"  
  
Chris paced a bit before sitting down on the lounge. A few minutes later Jenn came back into the room with Trish in tow. He noticed the older girl was not looking at all well. "Hey Chris," she gave a tired smile. "What's the problem?"

The three sat down in the girls' comfortable living room; Trish and Jenn on one side and Chris on the other.  
  
"So," Trish broke the silence. "What was it that you wanted to talk to us about?"  
  
Christine wrung her hands nervously. How on earth was she going to explain _this_? "Well, see...last night I went to one of the nightclubs, and kinda had too much to drink..."  
  
"You didn't go and do a strip tease did you?" Jenn pulled a face and her expression was mirrored on that of her 'twin'  
  
"Er, no," Chris denied hastily but then paused. "At least I don't think so...I can't remember what happened last night."  
  
"So what happened?" Trish prodded gently.  
  
"Well," she hesitated then took the plunge. "I woke up this morning to find that I've got myself a boyfriend."  
  
There was a long minute before either woman said anything, before Trish said quietly, "Did you say _boyfriend_?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Their mouths dropped open and both stared wide-eyed at the uncomfortable 'girl'.  
  
"Please tell me you didn't...y'know...." Jenn choked out.  
  
"No!!! At least I don't think so, we were both fully clothed when we woke up!" Chris said hastily.  
  
His two sisters sighed in relief. "Thank God for that..."  
  
"So what do I do???" Chris pleaded.  
  
"What's his name?" Trish asked  
  
"Paul."  
  
"Is he cute?" this came from Jenn, of course.  
  
"Well...I guess so." Chris turned desperate brown eyes on his friends. "You gotta help me..."  
  
"I really don't know what to tell you. We've never had this happen before," Trish shrugged helplessly.   
  
"Oh..." the 'girl' drooped in her seat.  
  
"At least not until we've met this Paul of yours...''

~*~

Christine walked back to her room, and made sure to plaster a smile on her face as she entered.  
  
Sure enough, Paul was still there. "Hey Christine," he greeted with a big smile and before she could say anything, swept her into a gentle kiss.  
  
Chris forced himself not to struggle. _Mustn't let him think that anything is out of the ordinary...  
_  
When they broke apart, she smiled sweetly at her boyfriend. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."  
  
"Oh? I thought you were here at the Convention by yourself."  
  
"Oh I am, but my older cousin is also here on Pummelo. That's who I went to speak to before."  
  
"That's fine with me," he hugged her.  
  
"We thought a lunch tomorrow would be nice."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"It's going to be my cousin and a few friends of ours."  
  
"Look forward to meeting them," Paul smiled.  
  
Christine smiled back weakly. _Oh I sure hope that they can help me!!!!_

~*~

The next day, Trish and Jenn were getting ready for lunch with Chris and Paul when the doorbell rang.  
  
"I'll get it!" Trish hollered next door to her friend and she walked to the door, opening it to see Drake standing there.  
  
"Drake! I didn't expect to see you here.." she smiled as he took her into a warm embrace and kiss.  
  
"Well, I do happen to have the rest of the day off, so I thought I'd spend it with you, seeing as we've not had much time together."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
"Well its just that Jenn and I were about to go for lunch..." Trish confessed.  
  
The Orange Crew Leader's face fell a bit. "Oh..."  
  
"But I'm sure Chris and Paul wouldn't mind if you came along," the dark-haired girl hugged him tightly.  
  
Drake hugged his girlfriend back. "Who's Paul?"  
  
"Chris's boyfriend."  
  
"Chris's WHAT?!"

"Chris has got himself a boyfriend," Trish explained.  
  
Drake raised a dark eyebrow. "I never knew Chris swung _that _way..."  
  
His girlfriend burst out laughing. "He doesn't! But as Christine, he got plastered last night and he woke up this morning with a boyfriend."  
  
The Orange Crew Leader grimaced. "They didn't do _it _did they?"  
  
"They were both fully clothed when they woke up so its highly unlikely," Trish answered. "But Chris can't remember a thing, and he wants our help to get him out of this situation."  
  
"I see.."  
  
Just then Jenn came down the stairs. "I'm ready now," she announced before trailing off at the sight of Drake. "Hey Drake!""  
  
"Hey, Jenn," he greeted with a smile.  
  
"Drake's coming with us to lunch," Trish informed her best friend. "He has the rest of the afternoon off."  
  
"Yay!" Jenn cheered and sidled up to the Orange Crew Leader.  
  
His eyes widened as he felt a pinch on his derriere, and he also knew that it wasn't Trish.  
  
The blonde grinned widely. "Now the day is complete," she sighed happily.

~*~

Christine and Paul made their way towards the _Verona Café_ where they were to meet the girls. The promenade along the beach was thronging with tourists and locals.   
  
Chris felt rather uncomfortable as a couple of guys passed by with a few wolf-whistles and remarks how lucky Paul was to have such a babe. _If only they knew the truth about this 'babe'_, Christine thought. She hoped desperately that Trish and Jenn could help out. _One thing is for sure...I am NEVER going to touch alcohol again while I'm stuck like this!  
_  
"So who are we meeting again?" Paul broke the silence.  
  
"Trish and Jenn."  
  
"And they are...?"  
  
"Trish is my older cousin from Australia, and Jenn is her best friend who also happens to be my friend as well," Chris explained.  
  
"I see. So they're here for the celebrations?"  
  
"That's right."  
  
As they reached the entrance, Chris could see his two older friends waiting for him, and much to his surprise, Drake was there too.  
  
"Hi Chris," Trish called out. "I hope you don't mind Drake tagging along, he has the rest of the day off for once!"  
  
"No, I don't mind," Chris sighed. _Another person who will know about my predicament...  
_  
Paul's eyes were wide. "Wow!" he breathed. "You sure do have connections, Sweetie..."  
  
Lunch passed by rather pleasantly with Paul answering any questions put to him by either girl. When he left to go to the men's, Christine turned eagerly to her friends. "So...what can I do to dump him?"  
  
"Dump him?" Jenn echoed in a confused tone.  
  
"You can't possibly dump him!" Trish spoke up.   
  
"Yeah, he's just so sweet," the blonde sighed.  
  
"You'll break the poor guy's heart!" her dark-haired friend added.  
  
Chris spluttered. "But I'm a guy too!!!!"

His three friends blinked. "So you are..." Jenn murmured.  
  
Chris broke out into a cold sweat. How could his 'sisters' possibly forget he was a guy??  
  
Trish smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Chris, but its been a few weeks since you turned into a woman and I guess we've just got used to you as one." The dark-haired girl then frowned slightly. "You do realise there is the possibility that you might never turn back into a male?"

Christine's eyes widened. No he hadn't thought of that...  
  
"If that is the case, you may have to give up all your notions of yourself as a male."  
  
Chris didn't want to even contemplate _that_. If Trish was right, he'd have to begin life again as Christine...and he'd have to drop all cherished notions of girl ogling, unless he wanted to be classed as a lesbian which was definitely _out_. And how on earth would he explain what happened to his parents? Hi, I went away and something irreversible happened so you've got a daughter instead of a son?  
  
He hoped to God that his older friend was not right, but he then remembered Jenn's quip that Trish had the uncanny knack of almost always being right.  
  
Just then Paul came back and Chris forced himself to smile sweetly at her 'boyfriend.'  
  
"So, Paul," Jenn quipped brightly. "We were just telling Christine here how lucky she was to have you..."  
  
Chris glowered at the blonde. _You are not helping matters either._

~*~

Puck was sitting on the hotel balcony reading, when a shadow fell across him. He glanced up to see his older sister standing there. "What's up Cal?"  
  
"We are going for a walk now," the Fae said firmly. Puck obediently followed Calliope inside and out the door. For when his sister said 'now' in that tone of voice, she meant _now_.  
  
The warm afternoon sun shone on their backs, as the two Faes walked along the promenade. Callie was determined to get to the bottom of why her normally happy-go-lucky brother was in such a depressed funk.  
  
"Puck, we need to talk," she said, finally breaking the silence.  
  
"About what?" he answered warily.  
  
Callie stopped walking and faced him. "You."

Puck's shoulders slumped. He knew from past experience that he wouldn't be able to get out of an interrogation by his sister.  
  
"What do you want to know?"  
  
"Why you are in such a depressed state? You were so happy and confident when you left. And then we find you constantly depressed and it just isn't like you. Mom and Dad are getting worried about you..."  
  
Her brother said nothing at first as they sat down on a bench. "It's about Mia…you know about the deal with Oberon?"  
  
Callie nodded.  
  
"Well I came here to find Mia in the...in the arms of another guy."  
  
The brunette felt her heart sink. Poor Puck!  
  
"And what's more, she said that she never loved me at all," Puck's voice began to catch, and Callie silently drew her brother into a comforting hug.   
  
"It seems very strange," she said finally. "Especially after how heartbroken she was when you left."   
  
"I know. Funny thing is, she's still wearing the ring I gave her."  
  
"And yet she says she never loved you," Callie frowned.  
  
"But you know what this means Cal? I can never come back here again if she doesn't prove herself. And thing is, I can't tell her that."

~*~

Trish sank gratefully onto the couch and leaned against Drake. Jenn gave her best friend a sympathetic look. "Getting tired, Sis?"  
  
The dark-haired girl nodded. As her illness dragged on, her strength and stamina were steadily being sapped, so that at the end of the day, she was completely exhausted.  
  
Jenn was greatly concerned over her twin's health. She didn't think that her friend could keep on like this for too much longer, there was only so much punishment that the human body can take. The blonde came to a firm decision; if Trish was not better in a month's time, she was going to pack her off home to Sydney and go with her. Then make sure her family enlisted the services of the top medical specialists in Sydney.  
  
Drake hugged Trish gently as Mia came running excitedly in the room. "Hey guys, you gotta come with me to the _Harbourside Restaurant_!!!"  
  
"Why?" Jenn queried with an eye on her twin.  
  
"Cuz Mikey promised to publicly declare his love for me in a serenade!" the seventeen-year-old gushed.  
  
Trish meanwhile was staring at Mia's outfit. The teenager was attired in a hot pink crop top, short skirt and high heels. "Uh, Mia, are you sure you want to wear that?"  
  
"This?" Mia looked down at herself. "Of course!!!! Pink is my _favourite_ colour and I just _adore _heels!"  
  
Three pairs of eyebrows were raised. Mia and pink? Mia in heels?  
  
"Jenn, would you mind stepping outside and see if there is a squadron of Flying Swinubs passing over the house?" Trish murmured.  
  
Mia didn't hear the comment. She ran forward and grabbed Trish's hand. "So will you go with me? Pweaaaaaaaaaase?" and used the Puppy Dog Eyes for added emphasis.  
  
The older girl sighed. "Oh okay..."

~*~

Half an hour later, the quartet were sitting at a table with Mikey in the _Harbourside Restaurant_, Trish starting to regret her capitulation to her young friend.  
  
The karaoke night was in full swing, and some of the 'singers' were absolutely _awful_ and did nothing except to exacerbate her tired disposition.  
  
"Why did I agree to this?" she whispered to Jenn who was sitting next to her.  
  
"Cuz you're a real softie?" the blonde whispered back.   
  
The Australian sighed. "That I am."  
  
"Like a marshmallow."  
  
"Oy."

~*~

Puck dragged his reluctant sister by the hand into the _Harbourside Restaurant_. "Come on Sis, they have a good karaoke night here so I hear."  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"It'll be fun," the Fae pleaded. "And it might be just the thing to lift my spirits."  
  
Callie knew he was right and so followed her brother to a table and sat down.

~*~

After a while, Mikey finally managed to make his way to the microphone. Mia had starry eyes and gushed to her friends, "Isn't he such a sweetie?"  
  
"Er..sure," both girls chorused.

Mikey flashed a smile at the audience. "I'd like to dedicate this song to the love of my life, the beauteous Mia."  
  
Jenn leaned over to whisper in Trish's ear, "Mia's boyfriend or not, if he is as atrocious as all the others, I'm gonna deck him!"  
  
The dark-haired girl smiled tiredly. "Well I won't stop you that's for sure."  
  
Jenn brightened and hugged her best friend. "Really? You're da bestest Sis!"  
  
Meanwhile at another table, Puck was fuming. "Why that no good, filthy, stinking mangy maggot!"  
  
Callie placed a hand on her brother's arm in an attempt to calm him down. "Now Puck, don't you go turning him into maggot," she warned. "Even if we both think its the truth."  
  
"As if I'd do something like that..." He stood up. "Even better, I'm going to confront him!"  
  
Callie's eyes widened. "You wouldn't..."  
  
"Oh yes I would! If that guy thinks that he can publicly flaunt the fact that he's got Mia, he's got another thing coming!!!" And with that he stormed off towards the stage.  
  
Across the room, four pairs of eyes widened as they recognised the young chestnut-haired man who came up on the stage and grabbed a spare microphone.  
  
"Oh," Trish murmured.  
  
"No," Jenn finished for her.  
  
Puck punched a few numbers into the karaoke machine and the opening bars of a catchy little tune flowed through the speakers.   
  
"_Anything you can do I can do better. I can woo Mia much better than you."  
_  
"_No you caaaaaaaan't,_" Mikey retorted with a smirk.  
  
"_Yes I can, yes I can, yes I can!"_  
  
Jenn noticed Trish's eyes suddenly widened. "What's up? Shocked that they can both sing?" the blonde joked.  
  
"No, no," the Aussie shook her head. "It reminds me of this bad dream I had once..."  
  
"Do tell."  
  
"Well, I dreamt that I did a parody of this very song to Pokémon, and published it on the Internet."  
  
Jenn giggled. "As if you'd do something like that."  
  
"Exactly," Trish nodded. "For one thing, my writing absolutely sucks!"  
  
Drake raised an eyebrow, and Jenn snorted. "Suuure it does."  
  
"But it does!" her friend insisted. "Then another time I dreamt I wrote a story combining Pokémon and Shakespeare."  
  
The blonde burst out laughing. "You've got to be kidding me!"  
  
"I know! As if I would be so insane," Trish scoffed as she leant back against Drake.  
  
"Well, there is one way to stop these insane dreams of yours, Sis," Jenn mused.  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"Lay off the coffee."  
  
"Never!"

~*~

Across the room, Calliope had slunk down in her seat, embarrassed by her brother's actions. She just hoped that she could stop him before Puck embarrassed himself too much. "_Guardians all, hear my plea. Right whatever is breaking Puck's heart."_  
  
Mia gasped and jumped to her feet as the gold ring on her left hand suddenly glowed white hot before fading to reveal the original silver. "What the...?"  
  
"What's the matter Mi?" Trish looked up at the younger girl with concern.  
  
"My ring…it changed colour," Mia stammered before she caught sight of her outfit. She promptly freaked. "WHAT THE FRELL AM I DOING IN PIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK???? AND A SKIRT AND FLIPPING HEELS???"  
  
"Now THAT is more like the Mia we know and love," Trish whispered to Jenn.  
  
Mia was completely confused. "Triiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish," she wailed. "What the frell is going on???"  
  
Her older friend could only shrug helplessly. "I honestly don't know Mi. This is the first time I've been able to get out of the house for a while."  
  
"Why not?"   
  
"I've been a bit under the weather lately," Trish explained.  
  
This raised two sets of eyebrows. "A _bit_ under the weather?" Jenn exclaimed in astonishment.  
  
"More like _completely _under the weather," Drake added.  
  
"Last week you could barely get out of bed!" the blonde reproved.  
  
Mia sat down, completely mystified. "How come I didn't know about this?"  
  
"You did know," Jenn replied. "But for some reason you didn't seem to care much."  
  
"What??" the teenager was completely taken aback. "I would never say such a thing!!!" Mia was beginning to feel dizzy. What she was hearing couldn't be true. It sounded like she was a completely different person. And why couldn't she remember a thing?

Mia's inner turmoil was interrupted by a sudden change in the singing 'duel' presently taking place on the stage.  
  
"_How do you solve a problem like Maria.._." Mikey sang loudly.  
  
The brunette's head shot up at that. How _dare_ he!!!! She stood up.  
  
"Uh oh," Trish murmured to her companions. "Batten down the hatches, Puerto Rican eruption on the horizon."  
  
Mikey noticed that Mia was up and so rushed over to her with Puck not far behind. "Hey, Sweetie! What did you think of that..."  
  
WHAM! Mia punched Mikey square in the face. "How DARE you!!!" she seethed. "What gives YOU the right to call me a problem?? And in PUBLIC!!!! How dare you humiliate me!!! We're not even DATING!!!"   
  
Noticing Puck standing to the side, Mia then flung herself into his arms. "Puck!!!" she cried joyously. "When did you get back? Why didn't you tell me?" She trailed off when she realised that the young man was not hugging her back. "What's the matter?"  
  
A variety of emotions played across the Fae's features. "Well...thing is Mia...you ARE dating him."  
  
"What?" Mia gasped. "I'd never ditch you for another guy..."   
  
"But you did," Puck retorted. "You said that you never loved me and that I was nothing but a pathetic Fairy Boy."  
  
"No..."  
  
"I don't know what's up with you Mi," Puck shook his head. "One minute you hate my guts and now you're acting like this never happened? What's going on??"

"I don't know..." Mia whispered, on the verge of tears. "I'm being told I've done all these things which I can't remember doing; saying things that I know I'd never say..." The girl shook her head. "Why would I say I never loved you when I've kept your ring on and waited these past two years?"  
  
Puck's gaze softened. "Mia..." but Mia fled from the room, unable to take anymore.  
  
Trish, Jenn and Drake rose from their seats and followed the distraught girl out.  
  
Puck stared after them, jumping slightly when there was a soft touch to his shoulder. He turned to see Callie standing behind him. "You okay?" she asked with concern.  
  
"Yeah...," he sighed. "I just wish I knew what was going on."  
  
Callie frowned slightly. "It must be magic..."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"I do, especially after seeing Mia's reaction. No human would suddenly switch personalities so dramatically, unless they were schizophrenic or bipolar. Or unless they had a severe head injury causing brain trauma."  
  
Well none of that applies to Mia," Puck said. "But who would do such a thing? And why Mia?"

~*~

Lu sat back in the plush chair in his hotel room, completely bored.  
  
"What to do. What to do," he murmured, twiddling his thumbs for a few minutes before his eyes brightened. He had just the thing. Raise the stakes in his evil plan to destroy his arch-nemesis Puck.  
  
"Hmm..how about we get his little lady love to drive the ultimate 'stake' in his pathetic heart by sleeping with his rival," Lu decided with an evil chuckle.  
  
The lean Fae began to reach out with his magic for the item which he was using to control Mia, only to find out it was no longer accessible. His green eyes snapped open in shock. There must be some mistake surely, for his spells were always infallible. He tried again to no avail.  
  
Lucius frowned. He'd have to think on it later. Besides he had plenty of other victims to play with....

To be continued…

~*~

__

Author's Note: It's been a while, and I apologise to any loyal readers out there. But at my age, 28, work is liable to swamp and overwhelm you. I've been living and working under a constantly high level of stress and pressure the past year and a half, with occasional freak-outs. 

Stress rather kills the creativity. But I do view writing as a release and will try not to wait another seven months before posting. 

Plus I do have at least another 3 ideas, one which will definitely be out in September, seeing as I promised Mia I'd write it for her birthday. Eh…that one is going to be interesting to say the least.

And you'll have to wait until December for any intensive writing from me. I'm taking two weeks off work, then Christmas is here which hopefully will mean another two weeks. If that is the case I shall only have to work for one week in December. (grins)

And I think this chapter goes to show I don't take this story very seriously. I wonder if you can spot them…


	10. Chapter Nine: I Don't Know What's Real

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Pokémon does not belong to me, nor does William Shakespeare or Puck. Nor do I own any of the authors that appear within. Flory, Calliope, Poppy and Poptart and the storyline does belong to me. Lucius is co-owned with Mia, and Ashura the Mew belongs to Joanne (Dragoness). Blame for _Starmiebucks_ and _Jigglypuff Jeans_ lies with my 'twin' Jenn and myself.

Lyrics for the Chapter Title belong to "_Falling_" a debut song from Candice Alley, a 21-year-old Aussie girl!

A/N: I really don't know how many times I have to say this, but Puck does not come from _Gargoyles_! I have never seen the show. The Puck that I base my characterisation on comes from Celtic mythology and William Shakespeare's _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. With the exception of Mia perhaps, you're looking at one of the biggest Shakespeare buffs around. The Bard rules!!! It is in tribute to Shakespeare that this whole insane series came about, hence the word 'Midsummer' in every story. And the references to Shakespeare abound – Growlithes named Hamlet and Ophelia and Mac and Beth. MacBeth, get it? ^^ Plus I have a real problem with all Pokémon having eggs. Especially Pikachu. Mice do not have eggs. So I shall deviate from the show in that Pokémon with the exception of any bird, reptile, or fish ones, will have live births. And anyone who disagrees shall face an extra large Egg Whisk.

~*~

_Chapter Nine: I Don't Know What's Real_

_I see it in your eyes_

_It's not the way I feel inside_

_And I wonder why _

_It has to be this way now_

_I don't know what's real_

_Won't you tell me how you feel?_

_You can live your life_

_Everybody wants to say goodbye._

_Falling _– Candice Alley

Mia sank gratefully into the hot sudsy bath as the CD player she had dragged into the bathroom began to play sad Broadway tunes. After she had reached the villa she shared with the other girls, she had grabbed her pjs and rushed into the bathroom. 

The teenager had always found a hot bath the perfect way to unwind after a tense situation, and it offered her a chance to gather her thoughts and think things through.

And after what had just happened, she _really_ needed to think.

~*~

"Poor Mia," Dana sighed as she sat with the other girls and Drake in the living room; having been filled in on the events that had taken place.

"Yeah, poor Puck too," Trish added as she glanced towards the closed bathroom door, where the music to _Somewhere_ from _West Side Story_ was currently playing. The dark-haired girl bit her lip. "What do you think happened?"

"Oh I know!" Dana said eagerly, and all leant forward in their seats. "There's…_no business like show business, like no business I know!" _the red head sang and threw her arms out wide.

Everyone's jaws dropped as one and they stared at Dana with wide eyes.

"Where on earth did THAT come from?" Trish was the first to recover her speech.

Dana fidgeted and reddened. "Uh…the urge just came over me? she said sheepishly. Which was the truth, since Dana had wanted to tell her friends about the evil Fae she had come across and the plans he had in store for them. _If at first you don't succeed, try again_, she thought to herself before smiling brightly at her friends. "Let's try that again. Now I know who is behind this! It starts with…_start spreading the news. I'm leaving today. I want to be a part of it. New York, New York!_"

_Dear Lord, please kill me now_. Her friends were looking at her as if she had suddenly grown extra heads and sprouted feathers.

"Dana what is _with_ you?" Jenn demanded.

"I don't know," she stammered before remembering the spell that Lu had uttered that night. _You will be doomed to sing in musical verse_. Which meant that until she worked out how to break the spell, she would be unable to warn her friends about the great danger they were in.

Outside the living room window, Lucius let an evil smirk creep across his features as he watched the group. "And for my next evil trick," he murmured. "_Let all things perfect fall apart; let me completely break two of those hearts."_

~*~

_The next day…_

Ash was sitting in Drake's office talking quietly with the Orange Crew Leader when he felt Pikachu, who was sitting in his lap, start to squirm uncomfortably.  
  
The Grand Master looked down in concern at his first Pokémon. The tiny mouse's face was scrunched up into an indescribable expression. "What's wrong Pik?"  
  
"_Piiiiiiika_" she moaned and clutched her swollen stomach with two paws.  
  
Ash paled. "Uh, Drake, could you ring Nurse Joy up right this minute and tell her that I have a Pikachu that's about to pop..."  
  
"Sure thing," Drake punched in the number of the Pokémon Centre, as Ash pulled out his cell phone and called Misty and Katrina, the Trainer of Pikachu's mate Raichu.

~*~

Soon Pikachu had been rushed into the Pokémon Centre and straight into the labour ward. Ash, Misty and Katrina stood in the back of the room, the Grand Master cuddling Poppy; as Pikachu lay on the bed, Raichu by her side holding her paw in his.  
  
(translation of Pokémon speech)  
  
_"You're doing fine, Honey_," Raichu soothed as sweat appeared on Pikachu's brow as another contraction hit.  
  
"_That's okay for **you** to say_!" she glared at him. _"You're not the one who has to endure the **damn** labour pains!"_

The three humans sweat dropped at Pikachu's language and the Grand Master quickly covered Poppy's long ears. She normally never swore...  
  
The contractions intensified and Pikachu moaned in pain. _"I swear that this is the **LAST** time you are ever touching me again!_" the yellow mouse snarled at her mate as the biggest contraction yet hit.   
  
Ash was thankful that he still had Poppy's ears covered.  
  
"_But Honey..._" Raichu pleaded.  
  
Pikachu gave one massive push and a minute bundle of fur popped out.   
  
"That's the first one," Nurse Joy cheered. "Now to get the others out...and it should be easier for you Pikachu..."  
  
An half hour later, Pikachu had given birth to six tiny babies, which Nurse Joy laid gently beside her. Raichu gave his tired mate a kiss. "_I'm so proud of you.."_

"Three girls and three boys," Nurse Joy announced with a smile.  
  
Ash walked over and gave his favourite Pokémon a gentle scratch behind her long ears, eliciting a contented purr. "Congratulations Pik and Raichu. I'm really proud of you."  
  
He looked at Poppy. "And someone's a big sister now too..."  
  
Poppy chirped proudly and puffed her chest out a little.

Ash then noticed his wife had a strange look on her face. "Is something the matter, Hon?"

"Nothing," Misty smiled as she gently squeezed his hand. "I was just thinking about how that's going to be us next time." She then gave a sheepish laugh. "Although I'm not looking forward to the labour pains at all, if Pikachu's is any indication! It's too late to do anything about it now…" 

"You're right there," Ash said, looking down at his wife's six-months-swollen belly.

"I wonder if I'll be as bad as Pikachu was while in childbirth," Misty mused.

"I'd say you'd be much worse!" Ash stated then cringed as the red head waved a fist at him. "Only because of the drugs they give you, and since you're naturally feisty…" he added quickly, calming her instantly.

When Misty walked over to Pikachu's bedside, Katrina leaned over and whispered into his ear. "Nice save."

"Yeah," the Grand Master breathed a sigh of relief. "A pregnant woman is not to be trifled with, especially not with all those raging hormones."

"You learn fast, Ashy Boy," his friend smirked.

~*~

On his way back from the Pokémon Centre, Ash stopped by Drake's office to let his friend know how things went, and the two men went for a coffee at _Jigglypuff Jeans._

"So three boys and three girls," Drake mused. "Congrats Uncle Ash."

"Thank you," the Grand Master grinned as he sipped his café latte.

"You keeping one of them as usual?"

"Yup, one of the girls because girls are easier to look after."

"Any names?"

"Poptart."

Drake raised one dark eyebrow. "Poptart?"

"Nothing wrong with that," Ash defended his choice.

"No, but why am I not surprised that _food_ is your inspiration?" the Orange Crew Leader sighed.

"Heeey…"

There was a moments silence between them and Ash noted how tired his colleague looked. "In need of more sleep?" he queried.

Drake rubbed his eyes slowly before nodding. "I haven't been sleeping that well lately. Got a lot of things that are worrying me."

"Care to talk about them?"

"Trish is still very ill, and she hasn't been able to attend many functions with me," Drake hesitated before saying the next sentence. "On the other hand, Danny's been keeping her company a lot. I don't know whether that's something to worry about…"

"Of course not," Ash said firmly. "I know Trish has been frustrated at not being able to go out with you. I'm sure Danny is just being a good friend and all."

"Well…there's also the strange matter of Chris."

"I've noticed he hasn't been around. Where did he go?"

Drake raised one dark eyebrow. "Oh he's still around, just not in the form you're used to."

"What do you mean?"

"You know Trish's cousin Christine?"

"Yeah…"

"That _is_ Chris."

"Oh. My. God…"Ash trailed off, his eyes wide.

~*~

The night air was crisp and cool as a lone figure walked along one of the many cliff tops on Pummelo. Ash Ketchum wrapped his light trench coat closer around him, as there was a slight chill in the gentle breeze.  
  
The Grand Master had been unable to sleep, and so had slipped quietly out of his private villa. Perhaps a long walk would ease his troubled mind. All these unexplained occurrences, some of which he had only learned from Drake the other day.  
  
Mia acting the exact opposite to her usual self and not remembering a thing, the episode of Dana and himself being turned into Pikachus, Chris being turned into a woman, and Trish's apparently incurable illness. Plus Ash just could not shake the feeling that something bad, something terribly evil was around.  
  
He had asked Misty if she felt anything was amiss, and she had replied in the negative. Maybe it was all part of being the Chosen One..

Whatever it was, Ash felt as if he had to be there for some reason. _Although I seriously doubt that something is going to happen near a cliff top at 11pm at night_, he thought with a sigh.  
  
Meanwhile, there was someone else who couldn't sleep that night. Jenn tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sink into the sweet oblivion of sleep.  
  
After a half an hour the blonde gave up, throwing her sheets off and stumbling out of bed. There was simply far too much on her mind at the moment.   
  
Jenn dressed quickly in a pair of light cotton pants, tank top and a light jacket. Nothing like a moonlit walk when all was peaceful. Creeping quietly through the villa, she let herself out the front door, before setting off, her keys jingling in her pants pocket.  
  
The sound of waves crashing on the shore made Jenn head towards the cliffs. She had always loved the ocean, and to see the moonlight turn the water a shimmering silver never failed to delight her.  
  
As she walked she thought about the things that were bothering her. One of them being Gary Oak. Jenn never let on to her friends that her ex was still causing her grief.  
  
After all she had been with him for two years before the very public dumping, and Jenn had honestly thought that he was the one. She still couldn't believe that she could mean so little to him that he'd dump her for the first busty girl he saw.  
  
The blonde sighed. Maybe just maybe she should go back to him; if only because she was beginning to think that Gary Oak was the only chance she had for love. After all, Ash was very much off-limits being married, Drake was dating her best friend, Danny didn't seem interested in her, and Ben was dating Shannon.  
  
Trish was also one of Jenn's worries. Her best friend was not getting any better, in fact she was getting worse.  
  
The cool breeze blew her long tresses back as the low lying mist swirled around. A lone figure materialised out of the mist ahead, and Jenn's heartbeat quickened. Could it be Gary?  
  
"Hey there," she called out tentatively as she walked closer.

The man turned at her approach and Jenn saw that it was the Grand Master, instead of Gary as she had first thought. The moonlight cast a silver glow over his dark locks which were slightly ruffled by the breeze. _He looks so grrr..._  
  
"Hello Jenn," Ash smiled easily before turning his attention back out to sea.  
  
"What are you doing out here?" Jenn quipped as she came up beside him.  
  
"I should be asking you the same thing," the dark-haired man winked. "I just couldn't sleep that's all. There's a lot on my mind at the moment."  
  
"Same here," the blonde sighed. "So what made you come up here?"  
  
"Oh, I've always found the sight and sound of the ocean very relaxing and peaceful," Ash said. "Nothing like a walk along the beach at night."  
  
"Same!" Jenn beamed. She never knew that Ash felt the same way about the ocean as she did. Gary had never shared it, and so romantic walks along the beach were a rare occurrence during the two years they were together. If only Ash had been a free agent, they could have taken long rambles along the beach. _But he isn't, so just enjoy the fact that you are alone with him right now._ Jenn sighed. Life was just so unfair...  
  
"That sounded deep," the Grand Master glanced at her. "What's on your mind?"  
  
Jenn hesitated for a moment but then began. "I'm wondering whether I should get back with Gary..."  
  
"What?!" Ash blanched. "You can't be serious!"  
  
The blonde was a bit taken aback by his vehemence. "But I am sorta..."  
  
"But why, Jenn?" Ash questioned. "Why would you want to go back to a man who's cheated on you? Not only was he quick to deny that you were his girlfriend, but he certainly hasn't acted like he's heartbroken at all over you. To me that sounds like he doesn't place the same value on relationships as you do."  
  
"I know that," Jenn sighed. "But what if Gary's my only chance for happiness? What if I don't find another guy?"  
  
"He isn't."

"And what makes you so sure of that?" the blonde stared at her companion. The tone of his voice, it was if he was completely confident in the veracity of his statement.

Ash gave her a lopsided grin. "Just a feeling. You're a really wonderful girl, Jenn. You deserve so much better."

"But Gary…"

"Gary is the Viridian City Gym Leader, yes and he is the grandson of Professor Oak. Yes, he has lots of money, and yes he is all attitude. But is he a better person than any of the other guys out there?" the Grand Master questioned. "Mr Right could be a perfectly nice guy who is not all out there, and he could already be right in front of your nose and you don't know it."

Jenn blinked. "Since when did you become Dr Phil, relationship therapist?"

The dark-haired man laughed. "Mom always liked to watch the show, and so does Misty."

"Well you sure sound all knowledgeable and impressive," Jenn grinned. "Makes me wonder if you are as dopey and goofy as some people claim you are."

"You'd be surprised at exactly how much I _do_ know," Ash smiled back. "I don't think I would have got this far or remained here for so long if I was as bad as my critics say."

"True."

"And you did tell me quite a bit about yourself when I was Satochu…"

_Ooooh, so I did_, Jenn cringed inwardly with embarrassment.

"If Gary was the one, I sincerely doubt you would even contemplate eyeing any other guys, nor would you have had so many questions about his behaviour."

"True," the blonde conceded. "But I still want to see Gary…"

"And?"

"Get my answers before beating the living daylights out of his sorry hide!"

Ash laughed and shook his head. "You are really something else Jenn."

"Why thank you!" Jenn beamed as she walked closer to the cliff's edge to peer at the water below.

Ash felt the back of his neck prickle with apprehension as the willowy blonde neared the edge. "Jenn...be careful," he warned.  
  
Jenn grinned as she faced her companion, her back to the ocean. "I'll be careful! There's no danger...Besides I laugh in the face of danger! Ha ha ha ha!"   
  
A wry grin crossed the Grand Master's face. "Let me guess, you've been watching _The Lion King."  
_  
"Yup!" the girl beamed. "I loved that movie! I..." Just then a huge shadowy creature swooped down out of nowhere and knocked Jenn off balance and over the cliff; her horrified scream echoing in the stillness of the night.  
  
"JENN!" Ash gasped in horror as he ran towards the edge. Reaching it he peered over and saw that Jenn was clinging precariously to a thick tree branch jutting out just a foot below.  
  
"Just hang on there," he called out firmly as he took off his leather belt before tying it around a nearby small boulder and around his ankles; providing a firm anchor. Lying down so that he was half over the edge he reached down with one arm for the distressed damsel. "Give me your hand, Jenn."  
  
But the blonde shook her head as she clung onto the branch with all her might. "I don't wanna...I might lose my grip," she protested, the fear evident in her voice.  
  
"Give me your hand," Ash repeated.  
  
"But I'll fall and die!"  
  
"No you won't! You'll die if you stay here. I won't let you fall, I promise."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Do it for your family and friends, Jenn. Please," the dark-haired man urged.  
  
The girl closed her eyes as a soft whimper escaped but she still wouldn't budge.  
  
"Then will you do it for me?"   
  
Jenn opened her eyes and tentatively raised one hand towards Ash's outstretched arm. When their fingers were almost touching, the Grand Master grabbed her arm in a tight grip. "Good girl," he encouraged. "Now give me your other arm. It's okay, I've got you."  
  
Jenn let go of the branch with her other arm and gripped onto his tightly.  
  
Ash silently uttered a short prayer as he slowly drew back on his knee, pulling until Jenn was nearly over the top of the cliff. Then calling upon all his strength, he gave one last heave, pulling Jenn to safety and the two landed in one heap away from the edge.  
  
Ash lay there collecting his breath as Jenn lay there half sprawled on top of him. The slender blonde's body began to shake slightly and he could feel her tears begin to dampen the shoulder of his coat. Silently he wrapped his arms gently around her, knowing that it was better for her to cry and get the shock out of her system.

~*~

Unbeknownst to the pair, they were being watched by a shadowy figure perched in a nearby clump of trees. Lu silently gnashed his teeth as Ash continued to comfort Jenn. He had been sooo close to succeeding too! If it had not been for that meddlesome Chosen One being there...  
  
The red-haired Fae swore slightly. He had heard stories before in the Fae World about how there was a mortal known as the Chosen One, destined from birth to become the greatest of them all; and to be the one who was earth's best hope for salvation in the time of greatest peril. He had scoffed openly at the legend, how could a human, who was by the very nature of their being _pathetic_, be chosen by the gods?  
  
But then Lucius had come to the mortal world and had come across the very person whose existence he had always denied. Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Grand Master and the Chosen One.   
  
The young man seemed to lead a charmed life. He had already saved the world a number of times, and was the type to willingly risk his life in order to help others. By all rights, he should have been long dead. In fact he _had_ died on at least two occasions but had come back to life. Blessed by the gods, he was incapable of being grievously harmed by black magic. Lu had already tried once or twice to cast some black mojo on the man but to no avail.  
  
And it didn't look as if he was going to leave the blonde's side for quite some time. Lu swore again. He'd have to find another one of his victims to play with. One who wasn't so lucky to have the Chosen One by her side. He smiled then vanished.

~*~

By this time Ash had managed to move so that he was in a sitting position with Jenn cradled in his arms and on his lap. He stroked her hair softly as she continued to sob into his shoulder. "Its okay Jenn," he soothed. "You're safe with me, and as soon as you feel you can, I'll take you back home."  
  
Gradually Jenn's tears subsided completely and she raised her head to look at him with a teary smile. "Sorry about that," she hiccupped. "I didn't mean to make your coat all damp."  
  
The Grand Master smiled back. "No need to apologise. You nearly lost your life a few minutes ago. I don't blame you one bit for being rattled."  
  
The blonde enveloped him in a tight hug. "Thank you for saving me," she whispered before giving him a kiss on the cheek.   
  
"I was just lucky I was there in the first place," Ash returned the embrace. "Now how about I take you back home?"

~*~

_Knock! Knock!_  
  
Trish slowly surfaced from a deep sleep to hear the urgent pounding on the front door. Grumbling slightly, the dark-haired girl threw off the covers and stumbled out of bed, before padding outside. She knew all too well that nothing short of a nuclear blast could wake either Dana or Mia when they were asleep.  
  
Opening the door, she was startled to see Ash Ketchum standing there, supporting a dishevelled looking Jenn with one arm around her waist. Her eyes widened. "What happened? I thought she was asleep!" she gasped as she ushered them into the living room.  
  
"I uh couldn't sleep and went for a walk," Jenn explained as her friend sat down beside her. "And I sort of had a little mishap..."  
  
Ash raised a dark eyebrow. "_Little_ mishap? I wouldn't call being knocked off a cliff a little mishap! Just lucky for you I was taking a walk around there too!"

Jenn shrank back slightly at the incredulous stare Trish directed her way at the news. The blonde's discomfort increased when her best friend did not say a word, and just sat there and stared.   
  
"Uh...Trishy, it's rude to stare you know," she pouted.  
  
"Well so would you if you had just heard what I have!" the dark-haired girl retorted. "You fell _off_ the cliffs???"  
  
"Uh...yeah."  
  
"Oh my god..." Trish hugged her best friend tightly. "Are you okay??"  
  
"Yah, just rather shaken," Jenn hugged back.  
  
"She had a good cry before I brought her back home," Ash spoke up from where he was sitting.  
  
The Australian gave Jenn another hug before frowning at her. "You know that you shouldn't go for a walk at night without telling anyone, Sis. By the time we woke up it would have been too late! You were _very_ lucky that Ash happened to be insomniac as well!"  
  
The blonde hung her head. "I know..."  
  
"We nearly lost you forever...From now on, you are not to go on a walk at night without telling _me_ first," Trish said sternly.  
  
"Yes, Mom," Jenn promised.  
  
"And _please_ be more careful..."  
  
"Actually, it wasn't Jenn's fault," Ash said quietly. "Something flew out of nowhere and knocked her over the edge."  
  
A look of horror passed over Trish's face. "So it _wasn't_ an accident?" she whispered as the Grand Master nodded in confirmation.  
  
"But...who..or what would want to harm Jenn?"  
  
"That's what I'd like to know too," Jenn sniffled. "I can't think of any possible enemies..."  
  
"Neither can I," Trish frowned and rubbed her temples. "Things are just getting stranger everyday...the whole business with you and Dana as Pikachus, Chris, and Mia. Mia swears black and blue that she can't remember doing anything that we say she did. I just wish I knew what was going on..."  
  
"Me too," Ash sighed.   
  
The three were silent for a moment, before Trish sat up straight. "Maybe we should talk to Callie and Puck while they're here. After all, Faes are supposed to be familiar with all things out of the world and paranormal..."  
  
"That's true," Jenn brightened.   
  
"Easy enough to get them over here," Trish mused. "Just tell them we want to discuss what happened to Mia, and they'll be there."  
  
Ash nodded then glanced at his watch. "I'd better get going...Misty might be wondering where I've gone."  
  
The three rose from their seats and Trish hugged the dark-haired man first. "Thanks for saving Jenn, Ash. I owe you one for looking after my twin."  
  
"No need for that," Ash grinned and ruffled her hair. "Just try and get rid of this horrible illness for me okay?"  
  
"I'll try," she smiled before she yawned slightly.   
  
"Sounds like someone should get back into bed," he chuckled.   
  
"Mmmhmm," Trish turned to Jenn. "You're gonna be okay now?"  
  
"Yup," the blonde nodded and pushed her twin towards the direction of her bedroom. "I can let Ash out, you go on back to sleep."  
  
As soon as the door had closed behind her friend, Jenn walked Ash to the front and opened the door for him.   
  
"Thank you," she said simply before hugging him tightly once more.  
  
The dark-haired man smiled. "Anytime, Jenn. I won't let harm come to any one of my friends or family, and I certainly won't let any more harm come to you. And that's a promise."  
  
Jenn watched as the Grand Master walked down the front path and onto the street; before turning to go back inside. She had no doubt that Ash would keep his promise, he was a man of his word. As a young girl she had often wondered if the heroes she had read about in novels really existed. The tall, dark, handsome hero who would come to the aid of damsel in distress and sweep her off her feet. A small smile graced her lips as she thought about what had just happened. _"And now one has appeared and swept me off my feet. And he is also very much married and off-limits. But no matter what happens, you'll always be my hero Ashy-Boy. I owe you my life.."_

—

The next morning Misty glanced up from her magazine to see her husband enter the kitchen, stifling a yawn or two. "Morning, sleepyhead," she greeted.

"Morning, Hon," Ash sat down opposite her as the hovering Mr Mime placed a freshly cooked breakfast in front of him.

"I heard you get up last night; then you didn't come back for quite some time. What were you doing?" Misty asked curiously.

The Grand Master sighed inwardly. He had tried not to disturb her last night; obviously he was not successful. Ever since Misty had reached the latter stages of her pregnancy, her sleeping habits tended to be disrupted more often than not. Of course having a large stomach and a small being within who tended to tap dance on one's liver and had no concept of time when it decided to do a workout; would disrupt _anyone's_ sleep. No sense in keeping last night's events from his wife, she would just mallet them out of him anyway. Her fiery temper was very much exacerbated by the high hormone levels that were part and parcel of pregnancy.

"I couldn't sleep last night, too many things on my mind. So I went for a walk along the cliffs to relax," he finally said. "I came across Jenn out walking as well; she had an accident and went over the edge. After I dragged her to safety, I took her back home and had to explain what happened to Trish who we woke up. Then I returned here."

Misty raised her eyebrow. "You rescued Jenn?"

"Yes," Ash sighed. "I know what you're thinking, Mist and I'm telling you now – don't. I _had_ to help; even if it had been someone else I still would have helped them. I couldn't let her die, I couldn't leave _anyone_ to die…you know that."

"I know," the red head frowned. "But did you ever think that she might not have _wanted_ you to rescue her?"

The dark-haired man blinked then shook his head. "You think she was about to commit suicide? No, she definitely wasn't there to do that."

"What makes you so sure?" 

"She would have told Trish and myself when we had the talk." The pager on his belt went off and Ash sighed again. "Sorry, Hon but I have a meeting with the League Council now. Please believe me when I say that _nothing _of the romantic kind happened between Jenn and myself on the cliffs. It just so happened that our paths crossed last night." He gave his wife a gentle kiss on the lips. "I'll see you later."

"Bye Honey," Misty smiled and waved as he left the room, the sound of the front door closing a few minutes later. The red head woman walked into the living room and sat down on the lounge; one hand caressing her swollen belly. She didn't know whether to believe her husband or not. If the rescued person had been anyone other than Jenn, she would have no problems at all. Ash had spoken the truth when he said that he could not leave anyone to die. It was a creed that had defined his entire life up to this point; and he had fulfilled that silent promise countless of times. It was part of who he was, and part of what made him so special.

But Jenn…Misty frowned when she thought of the tall, willowy blonde American. Gary's ex-girlfriend and a girl who had a reputation for a roving eye when it came to good-looking men. The term 'hussy' would normally apply, but somehow she seemed to have escaped the label; rather she was regarded as a very nice girl and a great friend to have. Certainly Trish thought the world of her and the dark-haired Australian's judgement was always regarded highly amongst their group. As Danny said, she was a "damn smart lady who knows her stuff. She locks horns with politicians for goodness sake!" Trish certainly didn't seem to mind or care much that her best friend often eyed off _her_ boyfriend, Drake. Misty never understood that, then again the girl was an Australian and those folk were a queer lot living upside down.

The red head wondered if there was more to Jenn's relationship with her husband than just mere friendship. When Ash had come back to bed that morning, she had caught the faint scent of perfume. A delicate floral fragrance that she knew she didn't have in her collection. It must have come from Jenn…

How did the blonde know that Ash was at the cliffs? Was it a pre-arranged secret rendezvous? Misty slowly began to simmer as she recalled all the recent close encounters she knew that Jenn had with her husband. The fall in the surf, Ash waking up in Jenn's bed…

Ash's position as the Grand Master naturally made him the number one conquest in many females' eyes. Misty had always taken that in her stride, she had never worried about her place in Ash's affections before. But what disturbed her was that Ash really enjoyed Jenn's company and seemed to have no idea that she had designs on him. Then again, that was Ash for you. Mr Oblivious.

Misty sighed then eyed the phone. Maybe she should talk to Trish about this, maybe she should warn her not to trust the blonde she regarded as a sister.

_To be continued…_

~*~

_Author's Note: Let me tell you straight – We here in Australia do not live upside down. Nor do we have kangaroos hopping down the main street. _

_If anyone badmouths Jenn…I shall flame **you**. This is just a story peoples, this is a work of fanfiction. Keyword – fiction. I think that a lot of people sometimes forget that on here and that is so immature. There are sometimes some vicious flamings on FF.Net and that is totally uncalled for. _

  
  



	11. Chapter Ten: When Jealousy Burns

Midsummer Nights

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Callie, Flory, Lu, Poppy, Poptart and the storyline. The song that the chapter title comes from is '_Sacrifice_' by Elton John. The two quintessential Aussie songs are '_Down Under_' by Men At Work and '_Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport_,' by Rolf Harris. Any resemblance to real life is purely confined to the real life authors who appear.

A/N: This chapter is not to be taken seriously. This is dedicated to Vanesa De Chavez, the little three-year-old girl that I sponsor through World Vision in the Philippines. May she grow up to rise above the poverty she was born into and to become everything she dreams of being. This is also dedicated to my best friend Jenn – for all the encouragement and support she has given me with my writing. I really appreciate it. ^_^ 

_Chapter Ten__: When Jealousy Burns_

_Mutual misunderstanding_

_After the fact_

_Sensitivity builds a prison_

_In the final act_

_We lose direction_

_No stone unturned_

_No tears to damn you_

_When jealousy burns_

_Sacrifice_ – Elton John

~*~

Jenn looked up from her book to see Trish place the phone back down with a puzzled frown. "Who was that?"  
  
"It was Misty, but all she said was "Beware of Jenn..." Trish sounded as puzzled as she looked.  
  
"Beware of Jenn?" Mia echoed, as she drew her artwork at a nearby desk. "What for? Jenn isn't scary at all!"  
  
"I am too!" the blonde pouted. "I'm very scary!"  
  
"Suuuuuuure," her younger friend laughed.  
  
"Why would she say such a thing about you?" Trish wondered as she sank down on the couch opposite Jenn.   
  
"Could it be something to do with what happened last night?" Mia piped up as she padded over to sit next to the dark-haired girl.  
  
"Yeah but that had nothing to do with me," Trish frowned. "Unless she thinks that Jenn was trying to get Ash..."  
  
"Honestly it was a total coincidence that Ash was there!" Jenn protested. "I had no idea that he liked walking along cliff tops at night."  
  
Her best friend grinned. "Also, falling off a cliff to get a guy is too extreme, even for you!"  
  
"Her eyes may rove," Mia teased. "But her hands never stray!"  
  
"Yah, because certain men are off-limits," Jenn affirmed. "Like Ash, unfortunately."  
  
"And Drake?" Trish asked with a twinkle in her dark eyes.  
  
"And Drake..." the blonde sighed.  
  
"But you still have pinching rights."  
  
"Awww yeah..."

~*~  
  
Danny browsed around the shop, intent on buying a little gift before he went to check up on Trish. This illness seemed to be dragging on interminably, and the dark-haired girl was finding it a huge struggle to stay positive; having both good days and bad.  
  
_Maybe something to remind her of home would be good_, the lanky Navel Island Gym Leader mused as he walked along the aisles. His eyes fell on a particular object and he picked up it. Trish had often mentioned this thing to him, it was perfect.  
  
Drake was walking down the crowded boulevard when he spied a familiar figure stepping out of a florist shop, laden with a large bouquet of exotic flowers and a box gift wrapped in ribbon and paper. Danny. Where was his best friend going with these gifts? The Orange Crew Leader decided to follow from a discreet distance. His suspicions were confirmed when his colleague knocked on the door of the girls' villa and was promptly shown in by Jenn.  
  
Walking quietly around to where the living room was located, the dark-haired man stood with his back against the wall; hoping to overhear the ensuing conversation between his girlfriend and his best friend.

~*~  
  
Jenn showed the Navel Island Gym Leader into where her best friend was sitting in the living room.   
  
"Hey Danny," Trish greeted with a smile as she rose to her feet.  
  
"I come bearing gifts," he announced grandly as he handed them over.  
  
"Awww, you shouldn't have!" the dark-haired girl exclaimed as she admired the beautiful flowers before handing them over to Jenn.  
  
"Sure I should have!" Danny grinned. "Open the box, I think you'll like it."  
  
Drake frowned slightly. What was Danny doing giving all these large gifts to Trish?  
  
"It's a black teddy!" He heard his girlfriend exclaim. "It's so small and cute! And I really like the lace..."  
  
Teddy? Black and lacy? Drake's eyebrows shot up in shock. What the hell was Danny trying to pull? What was he doing giving his girlfriend a piece of _lingerie??  
  
"It's so cute," Trish held up the little black teddy bear for examination. "I love it!"  
  
"That's not all it came with," Danny smiled.   
  
She peered into the box and withdrew a small packet. "Ooooh these are the best! Jenn, could you go make some coffee please? I have to teach Danny Boy here how to do the Suck."  
  
Outside the house, the Orange Crew Leader blanched. The Suck?   
  
"Okay, you watching me carefully?" Trish asked.  
  
"Yeah," Danny replied.  
  
"I'm going to dip it in, take a bit off, then place my mouth around it. Not the whole lot just near the end."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Then I suck until the cream comes out into my mouth. Suck it until its dry."  
  
Danny groaned. "Oh that's good."  
  
Drake didn't think he could listen to any more. He quickly and quietly fled from the villa.  
  
Back inside the villa, Trish sat back on the sofa and grinned at Danny and Jenn. She held up another packet of biscuits. "Anyone want another Finger?_

~*~  
  
A day later Drake had just collected his Pokémon from Nurse Joy when he heard a familiar voice call out.  
  
"Hey Drake!" The tall Gym Leader turned to see Trish and Jenn making their way through the crowds towards him.  
  
"Hey girls," he greeted each with a hug and a little kiss before wrapping one arm around Trish's waist. "Nice to see you up and about."  
  
"Well this is one of my _good_ days,"the dark-haired girl grinned wryly. "So Jenn let me out of the house for a bit."  
  
"Uh-huh," Jenn smirked. "Trishy is like one of those rare exotic species. Every once in a while you need to take her out for some fresh air and exercise.  
  
"Oy," her best friend glowered at her with a mock scowl before turning to her boyfriend. "Say where were you yesterday?"  
  
Drake thought quickly. "I was busy with League paperwork all day."  
  
"I had rather hoped you would stop by for a bit..."  
  
"You should have seen her," Jenn piped up. "She kept looking towards the front door and looked like a forlorn little puppy dog until Danny made her eat a few chocolate biscuits he had brought over.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah, he brought a packet that I can find back home," Trish explained. "Which was really sweet of him. So we made him some coffee and he had some with Jenn and I before Mia stole the rest of them for herself."  
  
"Its a very nice thing for him to do." Drake began to feel rather silly. So that was what he had overheard at their villa, and the truth was nothing like what he had originally thought. But there was still the matter of that teddy..."How would you like it if I spend tomorrow night with you?"  
  
Trish gave him a warm smile. "I'd love it."  
  
The girls then took their leave of him and the Orange Crew Leader pondered what had just happened. He found it rather disturbing that he was so quick to assume the worst when it came to his girlfriend and his best friend when he knew very well that they weren't like that. Or maybe it's just that I'm jealous that Danny's spending more time with her than I am...

~*~

  
The next night, armed with a large bouquet of red and white roses and a large flat box with a gold ribbon wrapped around it, Drake knocked on the girls' door. Trish opened the door, and after accepting the flowers, ushered him into the living room.  
  
"So what do you propose we do for the rest of the night?" Trish asked as she settled down beside her boyfriend on the couch.  
  
"Mmm I thought we'd just take things as they happen," the dark-haired Gym Leader murmured as he wrapped his arms around her. It was then that he noticed the soft toy that was sitting on the coffee table. "Where did the bear come from?"  
  
"Oh that was the teddy Danny gave me the other day," Trish grinned. "Isn't it cute with the black lace bow?"  
  
"Uh yeah," Drake smiled back rather feebly. So he had got all worked up over a soft toy??? And it was no secret that the dark-haired girl collected teddy bears. One room was filled with her furry menagerie. Maaaaaaaan did he feel like an idiot...  
  
"What's in the box?" Trish reached for the package that he had placed down on the coffee table. She untied the ribbon and let it puddle onto the lounge beside her before lifting the lid and peering inside. A faint blush stole over her face and she hugged him tightly. "I guess I know what your plans for tonight are now...

~*~

The next day…  
  
Jenn walked into the living room where Trish, Shannon and Mia were waiting, with Callie and Puck trailing behind her.   
  
Mia scooted over on the lounge and patted the space beside her. Puck hesitated, only to receive a shove in that direction from big sister. He sat down next to the young brunette and blushed slightly when Mia took his hand in hers.  
  
"Aww isn't that sweet," Shannon cooed, making the couple in question go beet red.  
  
Jenn was about to comment when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," she waved her best friend back down and trotted to the door. Opening it, she was surprised to see both Ash and Danny standing there. Pikachu was perched on Ash's shoulder as usual with her baby Poptart clinging to the fur on her back.  
  
"Hey guys," she greeted them with a smile. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Trish told us there was a meeting with Callie and Puck to find out what's going on," Danny answered.   
  
"Come in then." They walked in and the blonde closed the door behind them. The Navel Island Gym Leader went to greet the rest, but Ash hung behind a bit.  
  
"So how are you doing?" he asked softly, concern in his dark eyes.  
  
"I'm okay," Jenn nodded  
  
"Good," Ash flashed her a warm smile and squeezed her hand gently. "Don't want any more bad things happen to you." He walked inside, failing to see the faint blush that stole across Jenn's face.  
  
"Nice to see you Ash," Mia waved cheerily as the Grand Master entered the living room. "So is that everyone then?"  
  
Danny settled himself next to Trish. "Where's Drake?"  
  
"He couldn't make it," she explained." He had a television interview to record and then he had a meeting with the local council."  
  
"That's a pity, because I know he would like to get to the bottom of these mysteries."  
  
"He's not the only one."  
  
The Navel Island Gym Leader patted her arm." He's mostly worried about you, you know."  
  
Trish smiled. "Yeah I know. I'm very lucky to have him."  
  
Seeing that all the chairs were taken, Ash settled himself on the floor in front of Jenn who was on the lounge with her legs curled under her. He lifted Poptart gently onto his lap, thus freeing Pikachu who leapt up into the blonde's lap and curled up in a small ball with a contented "_Chaaa…"_  
  
Callie then cleared her throat. "Okay the reason for this meeting is because there have been many strange and incomprehensible things happening on this island. Now in order for Puck and I to be of any assistance, we need to know _everything_ that has been going on."  
  
"Well first thing is Mia," Trish spoke up." She goes through this massive three hundred and sixty degree turn from missing Puck like crazy to not caring at all. Plus she acted completely unlike her normal self – wearing skirts and pink tops and high heels. Then all of a sudden she's back to normal and can't remember a single thing that happened."  
  
"I can't either," Mia confessed. "First thing I remember is seeing Puck on stage at the restaurant."  
  
"Can you remember anything strange or unusual?" Callie gently prodded.  
  
The teenager frowned, deep in thought. "I remember my ring glowing white and a slight burning sensation."  
  
Both Faes were suddenly interested. "This is the ring I gave you?" Puck asked his girlfriend.   
  
Mia nodded and showed him her left hand.  
  
"How many times did this happen?"  
  
"Twice."  
  
"That is very interesting…and important,"Callie mused.  
  
"Then there was the incident where Dana and I were turned into Pikachus,"the Grand Master spoke up. "While this has happened to me once before, this time was different. Last time involved a Pokémon magician called Lily, lots of potions and I still looked more or less like myself."  
  
"This time it was like wham bam, I'm a Pikachu, ma'am; nor did I look any different from Pik here…" he trailed off to look up at Jenn with a smile. "You having fun there?" For the blonde was running slender fingers gently through his short dark locks.  
  
"Mhmm," Jenn murmured dreamily. Pikachu just giggled.  
  
"Anyway," Ash continued (and as Trish noticed with a smile, he didn't make any attempt to stop Jenn) "the next time I find myself human, I'm naked and in bed with Jenn here…Not like that!!"  
  
Jenn blushed as did Ash at the snickers coming from Danny, whereupon Trish gently punched the man on his arm.   
  
"Then there's Chris or should we say Christine," Mia smirked.  
  
"Who's Chris?" Callie wanted to know.  
  
"He's a friend of ours, and he took a shower one night and was turned into a girl," Trish explained.  
  
"Oh the poor guy," the female Fae was sympathetic.  
  
"Jenn got knocked off a cliff by some creature, Dana can't stop singing like she's on Broadway, and that's about it…" Trish surmised only to be glared at by Jenn. "What??"  
  
"She always does this," the blonde sighed. "She's decided to downplay the fact that she's been seriously ill these past few weeks and none of the doctors can pinpoint the illness."  
  
"Is this true?" Callie addressed the question to the dark-haired Australian.  
  
Trish sighed. "It is. At first I thought it was only a stomach bug...but I've been to a number of doctors and specialist and no clear cut diagnosis. I've been prescribed almost every single medication under the sun and nothing seems to be working."  
  
"She's been constantly vomiting, sometimes she can't seem to stomach anything," Jenn took over. "She's recently been coughing up some blood, high fevers and temperatures, cold sweats, extreme fatigue, dizzy spells. Some days are so bad she can't even raise her head off her pillow."  
  
Mia leapt up from her seat and ran over to hug Trish tightly. "I'm soo sorry for not noticing, Trish! I swear if I had known I would have helped to take real good care of you!"  
  
The elder girl just smiled and returned the embrace. "It's quite okay Mi. We know you weren't acting like yourself..."  
  
When Mia returned to her seat, Trish continued. "I actually don't know how much more of this illness I can take. I have hardly enough strength to get through the day and I get exhausted so easily. If things don't improve soon, Jenn's going to take me back home to Sydney." She smiled sheepishly. "I kinda feel guilty about all this because I'm ruining Jenn's vacation here. Instead of having fun in the sun, she has to play nurse."  
  
"Aww don't worry about it, Tah," Jenn waved it away. "You're my best friend and 'sister.' Of course we look after each other, anyway I know you would do the same."  
  
Callie was silent for a moment, before turning to Mia. "Could I have a look at your ring for a moment?"  
  
"Sure," the brunette slipped the ring off her finger and handed it to the Fae.  
  
The group watched in silence as Callie held the ring between her fingertips, studying it intently. "There's the faint trace of a spell lingering on this," she announced.  
  
Puck sat forward eagerly. "You know who cast it?"  
  
"I do. And so do you. As does Flory. Unfortunately we know this spellcaster all too well. Lucius..."  
  
Her brother turned pale. "It couldn't be..."  
  
"It is, the spell bears all his hallmarks," Callie handed the ring to him. "See for yourself."  
  
Puck held the ring in the same manner as his sister, and after a minute he nodded. "You're right Sis."  
  
"Who's this Lucius?" Shannon enquired.  
  
"He's bad news with a capital B," Callie said grimly. "He's an Evil Fae who almost overthrew King Oberon, had it not been for Puck stopping him..." Her hazel eyes lit up and she turned to her brother. "That's IT!!! Lu is trying to get revenge on you for getting him thrown into exile! He cast a spell on Mia because she's your lady love and what better way to ruin your life by having the one you love most forsake you!"  
  
"He almost succeeded too," Puck muttered as Mia hung onto his arm tightly.  
  
"Well that explains that one," Jenn exclaimed in relief. "But what about the others?"  
  
Callie held up one hand for silence as she concentrated her thoughts on Trish. Finally she spoke. "This is one of Lu's spells as well...only..."  
  
"Only what?" Trish prompted softly as Danny gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.  
  
"Only that this spell was designed to kill you."  
  
"What??" Trish gasped, turning pale. Jenn looked just as shocked as her best friend. "But what for?? I mean I don't like Puck in the same way as Mia does. He's my friend but I'm better friends with Mia."  
  
"Somehow I think Lu's responsible for all that's happened,"Callie stated quietly.  
  
"But why?" Jenn blinked. "I'm the same as Trish, I know Mia better than Puck, and same goes for Dana."  
  
"What about me?" Ash piped up.  
  
"You, my dear Ashy Boy, are involved only because you have a bad habit of finding trouble. It's all part of being the Chosen One," the blonde smiled fondly down at the man, ruffling his dark locks. Pikachu, comfortably nestled on Jenn's lap cooed at the scene.  
  
"There's got to be some common thread," Trish spoke up, tapping a finger against her chin. The dark-haired girl frowned then sat up. "I've got it!"  
  
"You have?"Jenn asked.  
  
"Six Degrees of Mia-ness!" Trish exclaimed in triumph. When all she received were blank stares, the dark-haired girl sighed. "There was a movie called _Six Degrees of Separation_ where the surmise is that everyone is linked in some way to each other."  
  
"Okay," Jenn said slowly.  
  
"Lu is using Mia to get revenge on Puck. By hurting Mia he hurts Puck, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"So to hurt Mia, he hurts the people that she's close to. Mia thinks of me as the big sister she never had. So by hurting me, he hurts Mia, thus hurting Puck. Jenn knows me but she also knows Mia. So by hurting Jenn, Lucius scores against both Mia and myself. And so on…the common link is Mia."  
  
"I see what you mean,"Callie nodded.  
  
"I'm confuzzled,"Shannon confessed.  
  
"Me too,"Jenn admitted.  
  
"Me three," Ash echoed.  
  
"To put it bluntly, if you know Mia – you're doomed."  
  
"You don't have to put it _that_ bluntly, Trish," the teenager in question pouted.  
  
"Sorry Mi," her eldest friend grinned. "It's a Sagittarius trait. We Sags can be blunt, tactless and about as subtle as a ton of bricks."  
  
Jenn was looking thoughtful as she stroked the soft fur on a purring Pikachu. "So because I'm friends with Mia, I'm in danger from this Lu?"  
  
"You got it."  
  
"But…I haven't had anything bad happen to me yet!"  
  
The Grand Master twisted around to stare at the blonde in shock. "Heeelllllooooo Jenn??? Does being knocked off cliffs recently ring a bell with you – or is it a regular habit of yours that I don't know about?"  
  
Jenn grinned sheepishly as Trish rolled her eyes."Uh yeah, there was that," the blonde admitted. "Although I didn't mind what happened immediately afterwards…"  
  
Ash gave a wry smile. "You wouldn't."  
  
"Plus because you're my best friend, you are also a target," Trish continued.  
  
"So I'm completely doomed?"Jenn quipped.  
  
"Doomed to writhe in eternal damnation in the fiery depths of hell," her best friend confirmed with a solemn nod.  
  
"I should be so lucky,"Jenn leaned over and poked the girl on the arm. "I thought I told you to lay off reading all those _Buffy_ books."  
  
"Well there isn't much else for me to do while I've been sick."  
  
"True."  
  
"Apart from staring at the blow-up print of the jewellery advertisement you so thoughtfully got for me to hang on my wall."  
  
"Awwwyeah, I like staring at that too. Glad I asked for two prints!" the blonde said dreamily.  
  
Danny raised an eyebrow. "You have a jewellery ad hanging on your wall?"  
  
"It's not just _any_ jewellery ad,"Jenn waved a finger at the Navel Island Gym Leader.  
  
"It isn't?"  
  
"Of course not!" Trish spoke up. "And it's not the jewellery we're interested in; rather the very hot looking naked guy in the ad!"  
  
"How naked?"Mia wanted to know.  
  
"_Very_ naked. Makes waking up in the morning so much nicer…"Jenn sighed.  
  
"Mhmm. When he was on that billboard, it made walking to work so much nicer too!" her best friend added.  
  
"Women," Danny rolled his eyes before being whacked in the arm. "Ouch."  
  
Callie laughed then sobered. "Getting back to business, now that we know who's behind all this mischief, we can start to rectify things." She turned towards Trish. "First of all, we need to take that spell off you."  
  
As Jenn and the others watched, the Fae closed her eyes and concentrated, a soft lilac light slowly encircling the Australian. The blonde felt slightly apprehensive – for none of the numerous doctors and specialists had been able to help Trish. Callie was now the only one who could help the girl. _But what if this doesn't work, a small voice nagged at her. _Shut up you_, she thought to herself. _Of course it's going to work, it just **has** to_.  
  
A frown creased Callie's forehead after a few minutes, then the group gasped as Trish suddenly slumped against Danny, unconscious. Before they could say anything, Callie raised a hand. "It's okay, she's just sleeping. The counter spell has the tendency to sap one's strength."  
  
"Is the spell gone completely now?" Mia asked hopefully.  
  
But the Fae shook her head. "No, unfortunately the spell is much more complicated than I first thought. Some parts are interconnected with each other, and the wrong spell could make it even worse. Plus I didn't want to subject her to too much magic since her health is so fragile at the moment. She needs to build up her strength more. But at least she will free of that debilitating fever and not vomiting so much."  
  
As Danny helped Jenn put Trish into her bed, Callie cast a few more counter spells. Puck looked over at Mia who was visibly trembling beside him. He drew her into a tight embrace and the brunette buried her head into his shoulder.  
  
They stayed like that in silence for a few moments, when Mia raised her head. "Puck, I'm _really_ scared."  
  
"I know." Puck tightened his hold around her, trying not to show how worried he was. For Mia was not one to admit fear very easily, her Puerto Rican pride forbade it. But he could see the terror in her emerald green eyes and the tremors that shook her slim figure. "I promise that I won't let Lu harm you."  
  
"Even though I said that I didn't love you before?" she squeaked.  
  
Puck gave her a quick kiss. "You weren't yourself when you said that, so it doesn't matter now."  
  
Mia smiled and hugged him tightly. "Good, because I do love you so."  
  
The chestnut-haired Fae returned the embrace. "I love you, Mi. I promise that Lu will never harm you. Ever."_

~*~  
  
In a cave on the outskirts of the city limits, vivid green eyes snapped open suddenly to the sound of tiny alarm bells. "NO!"  
  
Lu shot up out of his reclining chair where he had been slumbering peacefully. Another spell of his had been broken, a tiny warning mechanism hidden within the spell had been triggered when the counter spell was launched.  
  
The red-haired Fae paced restlessly as he 'read' the information that the alarm was giving to him. These alarm spells were designed to give the name of the being that had broken it. His eyes widened first then narrowed. "Noooo…"he breathed. "It couldn't be…"  
  
A Fae even more powerful than his ultimate nemesis Puck; a Fae that was far more powerful than he. The one being that could ruin all…  
  
"Calliope." The name was hissed with pure venom as a glass was thrown to the cave floor with full force, splintering into thousands of tiny glass fragments.  
  
He had to get away and fast. She was probably finding out his location through his spells even now. Lucius feverishly summoned a spell that teleported him to another cave; this time on a small island to the north of Pummelo.  
  
The tall Fae resumed his pacing like that of a caged tiger.  How could his flawless spells be coming undone? First Mia, then Jenn and now Trish. He found small comfort in that Trish was not completely free of his evil spell…."Which is a good thing," he muttered. "Because I haven't yet succeeded in ridding the world of one pesky mortal. That tall blonde was saved from a messy end by that damn meddling Chosen One!"  
  
But he would succeed with this one. After all there were many ways to achieve his ends.  
  
The Fae nodded to himself before casting a summoning spell. Rudy and Jaime appeared in a puff of smoke; Jaime holding a small doll's dress in her hands.  
  
The girl blinked then scowled at Lu. "Do you mind?! I was just about to dress up my Pichus in these adorable outfits. How about a little warning next time!"  
  
She shrank back at the cold glare. "Silence Mortal!!! Need I remind you just _who_ is the Master here?"  
  
"You..you are, Sir," the red head quavered.  
  
Lu smiled benignly. "Good, because we have much work to do, if my evil plan is to succeed."  
  
"What happened?" Rudy ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Puck's sister has managed to break a few of my spells and she also knows that I am behind all the mischief that's been going on," Lu explained as he began pacing.  
  
"What's that got to do with it?"  
  
Lu spun around and glared at the Trovita Island Gym Leader. "EVERYTHING!" he hissed. "Calliope is a far more powerful Fae than I, and what is more it is her younger brother that I am trying to destroy. Do you think she'd just stand by and watch?"   
  
Rudy shrugged. "I dunno. Years ago when my little sister and her Seel were stuck in a dangerous whirlpool, I watched on with a pair of binoculars while someone else rescued her."  
  
"Unfortunately for us, Callie is not like that at all. She would do anything for her family, even if it means she has to kill to defend them."  
  
"So do you still have control over anyone?" Jaime enquired.  
  
"Trish, Drake and naturally you two," Lu examined his nails in a bored fashion. "The most important is Trish; by hurting her, I hurt Mia and therefore Puck. Since I can't kill her by illness now, I can always destroy her another way -by turning Drake against her."  
  
"That shouldn't be too hard," Rudy grinned. "It appears that Drake's best friend and my fellow colleague Danny, has been spending a LOT of time with Trish. Not only that, he's been buying her flowers and gifts. I saw Drake the other day and he didn't look happy at all."  
  
"Good," the Fae sat down on his chair and steepled his fingers. "We are going to help things along a bit." A thin manila envelope appeared in the air in front of Jaime. "Take it."  
  
She did so. "What is it?"  
  
"These are the results of an official pregnancy test you would get from a doctor. You are to give this to the Orange Crew Leader saying that you found this around the house. Upon opening it - he will learn that his girlfriend is pregnant…and not to him either."  
  
"Ooooh," Rudy rubbed his hands with glee. "Once they have broken up, I can offer to comfort my poor darling…"  
  
Jaime looked puzzled. "Wouldn't she turn to Jenn instead?"  
  
"Of course not!" the Trovita Island Gym Leader flicked his hair. "I'm the _only _one Trish would turn to!"  
  
"Dream on," Jaime muttered under her breath.

~*~  
  
Christine hummed as she dropped her sarong to the bathroom floor. The "girl" had just come back from a tanning and swimming session at the beach and she was pleased to see that it had not been in vain. The areas of her body not covered by the tiny black bikini were now a pleasant golden brown.   
  
She turned on the taps and closed her eyes as the warm water ran over her head and down her body. A slight tingle accompanied it but she ignored it. Chris was now more or less resigned to the fact that for some inexplicable reason, he was now a she. He had no idea of how or why he changed…and therefore had no idea when, if ever, he would turn back. He still didn't like it, but he had to live with it.  
  
She had managed to keep Paul from furthering their relationship beyond a kiss or two. Sleeping with a guy was just not something that Chris was prepared to deal with yet as a woman. She shuddered at the very thought. _I mean that would just be soo wrong, and that would make me a homosexual. Then again…what exactly am I?___

  
To all outer appearances, he was fully female. Inside however he was still fully male, or so he hoped. After a month of living like a woman, he found it rather disturbing that he often thought like a woman. _So really I'm both male and female at the moment. So what does that make me?___

  
His 'sisters' were no help. Jenn had smirked and called him 'Hermie". When he asked Trish what that meant, the dark-haired girl had burst out laughing before she told him that it was short for hermaphrodite.  
  
Christine sighed and ran the soap over her chest, then stopped dead in her tracks. Where there were supposed to be generous breasts, there was…nothing. Cracking open one eye, she looked down to see the pectorals of a young male. His eyes opened wider and he looked down further and smiled broadly when he saw that his 'vital male equipment' had been restored to him. Gone was the long black hair, as was every other feminine feature.  
  
Christine had disappeared. Christopher was back.  
  
The dark-haired male pumped his fists in triumph. "YES!!!!"he shouted. Filled with a wonderful exuberance, he quickly flipped off the taps and dashed out of the bathroom into his hotel room. Flinging open the door, he stepped out into the hallway in a dramatic pose. "I AM DA MAAAAAAAAAAN!"  
  
There was a shocked gasp and a few giggles in reply. Chris opened his eyes to see a few guests staring at him with their mouths open; among them was none other than Kaz and Tracey. "Hey Chris good to see you back!" the girl greeted with a smirk. "Love your outfit…"  
  
Chris looked down and flushed beet red in embarrassment as he realised that he was still attired in the black bikini. He rushed back inside the room and slammed the door shut; and slid down into a heap on the floor. How _humiliating. Would his friends ever let him live this one down? He didn't think so._

~*~  
  
_The next day...  
_  
I just cannot believe that I would wear a hot pink crop top, a mini skirt and heels," Mia sighed as she stirred her iced chocolate. The seventeen-year-old was sitting at a local cafe with Trish and Jenn. Since Trish had woken that morning feeling a lot more chipper than she had been for weeks, Jenn had decided that it was as fine a time as any to "take the Trishy Tiger for a walk out in the fresh air."  
  
"You did," Jenn smirked.  
  
"And Ash and Dana were really Pikachus?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"And you really woke up in bed with him?"  
  
The blonde felt a faint blush start to steal over her cheeks so she stared intently at her Pepsi.  
  
"Wow,"Mia's eyes sparkled. "So does that mean you two did it?? Did it??"  
  
"Of course not!!!" Jenn said rather sharply. "He's a married man with a child on the way. Completely off-limits!" But if the truth be told, that morning's kiss could have turned into so much more, had it not been for the fact that Jenn promptly freaked out about her little Satochu. Of course, she thought rather ruefully, I had NO idea that Ash was Satochu. Sometimes I wonder if my own mind conspires against me.  
  
Mia waved her hands in surrender. "Okay, Okay I'm sorry." She took a sip of her drink. "So what else have I missed while being enchanted?"  
  
"Well," Trish sipped her coffee. "Riny and Flory should be due back soon from their secluded beachside villa in Tahiti."  
  
"Tahiti?" Mia frowned. "You mean that Riny went with Flory to a secluded villa by themselves?"  
  
"Well, yeah. As you do."  
  
"But that's just wrong!" the brunette gasped. "What will Rina's parents say when they find out their daughter's getting it on with her boyfriend?"  
  
"Her parents are fine with it," Jenn said, puzzled at Mia's reaction.  
  
"Wha??? I mean wasn't Rina the one who was always lecturing everyone in our group to wait until..." Mia was interrupted mid-flight by Trish putting a hand on her arm.  
  
"Hold it Mini Mi. It's okay for Riny to go away with Flory. After all he is her _husband now. It's all perfectly legal if they want to make like rabbits."  
  
"So...Rina's married now?"  
  
"That's right," Trish confirmed.  
  
"Awww that's not fair," Mia pouted. "I can't remember the wedding at all!!!!"  
  
"Don't worry, there's always the wedding video," Jenn comforted.  
  
"So Rina's a Mrs now...Poor Rina...and she had soo much potential too."  
  
Trish chuckled. "Marriage is not a death sentence Mi and it's what both of them wanted."  
  
A gleam came into the younger girl's eyes. "Say...did either of you two get married as well without me knowing??"  
  
"Nope," Jenn shook her head. "We're both still single." The last part came out with a forlorn sigh.  
  
Mia gave her older friend a comforting hug. "Poor Jenn. It isn't fair is it? I've got Puck and Trish has Drake...Speaking of the man, I haven't seen him come around to the villa lately." She turned to her other friend. "There isn't anything wrong is there? He's just been busy right?"  
  
Trish shifted slightly in her seat as she stirred her coffee, before looking at Mia with a bright smile. "You're absolutely right there Mi. Drake's been swamped with work as a result of these League celebrations, and he doesn't have much free time to visit."  
  
"That's a shame," Mia sympathised.  
  
"I know."  
  
"So there's nothing wrong?"  
  
The dark-haired girl smiled and shook her head. "Nothing wrong at all..."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Jenn raised an eyebrow and studied her best friend closely. She was positive that Trish had just told Mia what she wanted to hear; and was hiding something from both of them. Unlike Mia, Jenn could tell when Trish was putting on an act. Those smiles had been just a bit too bright and too forced, and she had just managed to overhear what Trish had muttered under her breath. "Only that Drake's being completely paranoid..."  
  
Jenn wondered what was going on. She debated on whether or not to try and pry the information out of her friend later or to leave well alone.  
  
"Hey girls!" a male voice shouted from amongst the crowds. The three looked up to see Chris jogging towards them.  
  
Trish broke into a big smile. "Heeeey, you're back to normal!"  
  
"I am!" Chris hugged each of them in turn. "Just when I was getting used to living as a woman too…"  
  
"I say this call for a celebration," Mia piped up. "Chris is back to normal, I'm back to normal and Trish is semi-normal."  
  
"After all she is an Australian and they live upside down,"Jenn nodded solemnly before getting a light thwack on the arm from said Australian.  
  
"I agree," Chris grinned, jamming his hands in his jeans pocket. "How about we go for a drink at the _Billabong Bar_?"  
  
"I dunno…"Jenn was hesitant.  
  
"Oh come on Jenn," the Scot dragged her to her feet. "One little drink isn't going to hurt…"_

~*~  
  
"So…," Mia drawled as she stared at the scene before her. "One drink isn't going to hurt right?"  
  
"I know, I know," Chris groaned into his beer. "I forgot about that…"  
  
What Chris and the rest had forgotten was that Trish had not eaten much food for quite some time. And so one little drink had gone straight into her system and tipped her over the edge. While she wasn't completely inebriated, she was slightly tipsy. She was currently surrounded by several Australian tourists and expatriates and the whole bunch were singing songs from their homeland with gusto. "_We come from the land down under. Where women glow and men plunder…_"  
  
"Is it just me, or did her Australian accent just get broader?" Mia wondered when the group moved into some nonsensical song called "_Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport."_

_Take me platypus duck, Bill_

_Take me platypus duck._

_Don't go let him running amok, Bill_

_So take me platypus duck._

_All together now, _

_Tie me kangaroo down Sport_

_Tie me kangaroo down_

Tie me kangaroo down Sport 

_So tie me kangaroo down._

  
"What _are_ they singing about?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
Jenn shrugged. "Beats me. Bet you they don't really know themselves."  
  
"Think we should go?"Mia offered.  
  
"Yeah," Jenn stood up and fixed Chris with a glare. "Okay since you got us into this mess – you can go and get Trish down off that bar stool."  
  
"Yes Mum."

~*~  
  
The heat of the midday sun beat down on the beach goers; and turned the ocean into a blanket of shimmering silver. Jenn brushed back a stray tendril of hair from her face and thanked her lucky stars that she was waiting under shelter at the _Atrium._   
  
The blonde was seated at a table for two in a secluded part of the restaurant veranda overlooking the main beach. She reached down and checked that the bag containing the present was still by her feet. James had promised her that he would take care of all the arrangements and that Ash would be there at the time stated.  
  
The PA had also assured her that Misty would be none the wiser about this luncheon. James had arranged for the pregnant one to spend two whole days at a ritzy day spa resort; being pampered and indulged. He had told her that she deserved it because being pregnant wasn't that easy and that Ash didn't want his wife to be stressed in any way.  
  
Jenn bit at her lower lip as she gazed at the view. A million thoughts were going through her mind. _What if I'm overdressed? What if I'm underdressed?__What if he doesn't turn up? What if he hates the gift? What if he tells me to go jump into the Ocean? _What if he..._ But her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the man himself.  
  
Taking off his sunglasses, Ash flashed her a warm smile. "Hi Jenn, good to see you."  
  
"Hi," Jenn squeaked out. Darn why did that man always have to look SO good? The Grand Master was dressed in a dark blue Armani shirt, open at the neck and black pants. The faint scent of a very nice cologne drifted across from him.   
  
Jenn shifted a bit in her seat. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all...Here was a guy she wanted but couldn't have, looking all so very sexy and grrr...and what's more she was alone with him. Maybe she should have dragged Trish, Mia or Shannon along.  
  
"So," Ash said as he sat down opposite her. "James said that you wanted to take me out to lunch, though he didn't say why..."  
  
"Uh, yeah," Jenn said, still feeling the warm tingle that shot through her when his knees brushed against hers. "This is a thank you lunch.."  
  
"That's nice of you...but what for?"  
  
"For saving my life the other night," Jenn blushed and glanced down at the glass of water the waiter had placed there.  
  
Ash chuckled as he leant back in his chair. "You didn't have to thank me at all. I was just glad that I was there when it happened."  
  
"But I wanted to!" Jenn insisted." And I also bought you something." She reached down and fished the gift wrapped present out of the bag and handed it over. "I hope you like it..."  
  
The dark-haired man unwrapped the paper to reveal a glimpse of black leather. He unfolded it to reveal a snazzy bomber jacket in the softest black leather. He gave a low whistle of appreciation. "Very _very_ nice," then he looked at the label and glanced up at her in surprise. "You bought me a designer label? You shouldn't have spent so much!"  
  
"Yeah well, when I saw it I thought of you and well...you're worth it," Jenn smiled, happy that he liked it. Then she blushed as she realised just how that sounded.  
  
"I'm really touched Jenn, but..." and he slid the jacket back towards her. "But I couldn't possibly accept something that could have been better spent on yourself."  
  
The blonde shoved it back across. "No, I __want you to have it. Its my way of saying thank you"  
  
"I shouldn't..."  
  
"You should! Pwease accept it?" Jenn gave him a pleading puppy look.   
  
The Grand Master looked into those blue grey depths and sighed. "Okay, I accept."  
  
"Yay!!!" Jenn cheered then bit her lower lip. "I just hope it fits..."  
  
"May as well see," Ash rose from his chair and put on the jacket. It was a perfect fit and made him look even more grrr to Jenn. "How did you know my size?"  
  
"Uh, I asked James to go through your closet," Jenn confessed.  
  
Ash raised one eyebrow. "_James _went through my closet? I don't know whether I should be disturbed or not..."  
  
Jenn was then surprised to see the dark-haired man hold out his hand. "Huh?"  
  
"Come here for a moment..."  
  
The puzzled girl took his hand and rose from her chair; only to be engulfed in a tight hug.  
  
"Thanks for the jacket, Jenn. I'm really touched," Ash murmured in her ear. Jenn hugged him back and closed her eyes, enjoying the smell of brand new leather and being so close to the man.  
  
Alas for the pair, their embrace had not gone unnoticed...  
  
Rudy had just come out of the men's room at the back of the restaurant when he caught a glimpse of two people out of the corner of his eye.  
  
He stopped behind a potted fern and his eyes widened. For there was the Grand Master and a girl who he recognised to be Jenn in a tight embrace!  
  
Ash had his back to him, but Jenn's eyes were closed and there was a blissful smile on her features as she held onto the man.  
  
This is interesting, **very **interesting, the Trovita Island Gym Leader thought to himself_. I think I might keep a close eye on those two...__

_~*~_

_Back at the villa..._

  
Trish grimaced at the loud announcement that Dana was going to cook lunch for anyone who was interested.  
  
While she was not throwing up anymore, thank god, she wasn't sure if she could stomach Dana's 'cooking' this early into her recovery. The doorbell rang, and Trish rose to answer it, wondering who on earth would want to come by when Dana was cooking...  
  
Opening the door, revealed Danny standing on the doorstep, dressed casually in a khaki shirt and light coloured pants."Hey..."  
  
"If you know what's good for you Dan," Trish interrupted him. "You would get away from here before Dana starts to cook lunch."  
  
"That bad huh?"  
  
"You don't wanna know."  
  
"Well then, what say that you and I go out for lunch? My shout - because this is your first step on the road to recovery.."  
  
Trish hesitated, but then she heard Dana's voice holler from the kitchen. "Does lasagne have any pasta in it?"  
  
"Let's go," the dark-haired girl said before rushing in to grab her purse.  
  
The two went to a nearby café and sat down.   
  
"So where's Jenn?"Danny asked as they placed their orders. "I didn't see her around…"  
  
"Oh she said she was going out to lunch with Ash to thank him for saving her life recently," Trish answered.  
  
"That's nice of her…"  
  
"She did need some prodding at first."  
  
"So how's things with you and Mr Dragonite Master…"  
  
The dark-haired girl sighed and looked down at her hands for a minute. "Not that good…"  
  
"What? How come?" Danny was shocked.  
  
"I think…that you will have to stop coming around so much. Not that I don't enjoy your company but Drake seems to think you've been spending _too_ much time."  
  
The Navel Island Gym Leader sat back heavily in his chair. "So what you're saying is that Drake thinks that you and I…"  
  
"Are having some wild passionate affair," Trish finished for him.  
  
"But we're not having an affair!"  
  
"I know it, you know it. I don't know why he's so paranoid. It's not as if I've been _able_ to go out with him these last few weeks. I've been mostly confined to my bed!"  
  
"Have you tried telling him that we're just good friends?"  
  
"I have," Trish threw her hands up in frustration. "He either doesn't want to discuss it or else he doesn't have the time with all the League work due to the celebrations." Danny detected a slight undercurrent of resentment and bitterness in her voice. "Of course League work has to take the _first _priority over everything else."  
  
"Got a bone to pick?"  
  
The dark-haired girl nodded and when she looked up, he could see that she was rather upset. "I've hardly seen Drake these past two months – and the last time we spent together was a year ago. I know that his job as head of the Orange League and Pummelo Island Gym Leader is very important. I appreciate how much hard work he does and how important it is that these celebrations go smoothly. But I'm beginning to wonder if he values his work more than he does me…"  
  
"I'm sure that's not true," Danny tried to reassure her.  
  
"I know it's probably not true, but I'm just not so sure anymore. While I do love you, its only as a brother. No offence, Danny," Trish smiled.  
  
"None taken, Sis," he grinned. "I'm sure he'll come to his senses soon. It could be due to all the stress…"  
  
"I hope so…"  
  
An hour later, their lunch finished and paid for, the pair made their way back along the esplanade.  
  
"That was excellent," Trish said with a contented sigh. "You have no idea how nice it is to be able to enjoy your food again!"

"Bout time huh?" Danny grinned.  
  
"Oh yeah. But I can't start eating like a Snorlax, since my body isn't used to having much in the way of solid foods for the past month or so..."  
  
"So what has Jenn been giving you?"  
  
"I've been subsisting on noodles, soup and crackers...of course that was only when my stomach could handle food." Trish wrinkled her nose. "I swear I never want to see chicken noodle soup for a very long time."  
  
"Don't blame you at all."  
  
They walked along in silence when Trish stopped dead in her tracks, her face drained of colour. The girl swayed violently on her feet for an instant before she pitched forward.  
  
Luckily Danny was quick enough to catch her. The Navel Island Gym Leader wrapped one strong arm around her waist and drew her against him for support. "Whoa...are you okay?"  
  
She shook her head once before leaning heavily against his chest; her eyes closed. "That was one really bad dizzy spell," she mumbled. "I...I thought I was going to black out."  
  
Danny hugged his friend tightly. "Well don't you try to move until you're one hundred percent sure you can, okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
A few metres down the street, his errand quite forgotten, Drake stood with his mouth open in shock.  
  
The Orange Crew Leader had to go into the city at the last minute to see his financial advisor at the bank. He had run into Rudy there who casually mentioned that he'd seen Danny nearby having lunch with Trish.  
  
Drake was only a few metres away from the café when he saw Danny holding Trish close to him...and Trish wasn't making any attempt to move away.  
  
The dark-haired man felt rather dizzy and angry. What the hell was going on here?! Well maybe that was not the appropriate question because he thought he knew. The photos, the flowers, the presents, the constant visits...they all added up to one conclusion - Trish was having an affair with his best friend.  
  
He thought about rushing up and confronting them...but he needed some solid evidence first. The other things could be explained away...couldn't they?  
  
Drake shook his head once and then walked quickly back the way he came. He needed to think...  
  
The one question that was plaguing his mind amongst other unpleasant thoughts was "_Why_?"

To be continued… 

_Author's Note_: The Suck. Any Australian would know what that is. If you want to know what it is – you will have to leave a review with your email address first. Only then will you find out what it is, I may decide to be nice and tell you. _^_^_

_A plug to my best friend Pikajenn's stories. Go and read them – they are fantastic. I might add that she doesn't believe me on this point, no matter how many times I tell her. Family Portrait is one stand out. _

_I will be taking two weeks annual leave in early December, so I shall try to do some writing._


	12. Chapter Eleven: The Walls Are Closing In...

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish_

Disclaimer: Pokémon, Puck and William Shakespeare do not belong to me. The concept of Pokéspeare, the storyline, Callie, Flory, Poppy, Poptart and any other unfamiliar character belongs to me. Lucius is co-owned by Mia. Ashura the Mew is owned by Dragoness – but the concept of Flower Mew is all me. The lyrics for the chapter title come from Savage Garden's Crash and Burn.

A/N: Any resemblance to real life is purely confined to the names of the authors who appear within. Their characterisations, however may not be quite true to life, just add a Trish twist. This is a story. Deal with it.

_Chapter Eleven__: The Walls Are Closing In On You_

_When you feel all alone_

_And the world has turned its back on you_

_Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart_

_I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you_

_It's hard to find relief _

_And people can be so cold_

_When darkness is upon your door_

_And you feel like you can't take anymore_

_Crash and Burn – __Savage__Garden___

~*~

Back in the office, Drake sat down heavily in the leather chair behind his desk, his mind in turmoil over what he had witnessed. Never in a million years would he have dreamed that Trish would do something like this to him. She had never been the flighty type, and it seemed to be totally out of character. As for Danny…the man was like a brother to him - and brothers didn't betray each other, did they?

His dark gaze flickered over to a framed photo of Trish and himself on his desk. They looked happy together in that photo, but now he felt himself wondering about that. How long had Trish been unhappy with him? Unhappy enough to turn to the arms of his best friend for comfort?

Or did the dark-haired girl have another agenda? Though he never said it, way in the back of Drake's mind was always the fear that girls were interested in him, not for himself but for his status in life. That they were more interested in what they could get out of having the Orange Crew Leader as their boyfriend. He had honestly thought that Trish wasn't the gold-digging type - although why would she turn to Danny? The Navel Island Gym Leader was lower in status than Drake, the only man higher was Ash Ketchum. Trish had never shown any interest in him other than a friend and seemed more preoccupied with teasing Jenn about her 'attachment' to the tall, dark and handsome Grand Master.

In the far corner of the room, Lu smiled to himself. Invisible to human senses, the Fae had lain in wait for the Orange Crew Leader. Rudy had carried out his instructions to the letter, and now it was time for phase two of the plan to begin…_Strike while the iron is hot__…_

Drake was startled by a soft knock to the door. "Who is it?" 

"It's Jaime," came the muffled voice. "I need to talk to you about something." 

"Come in." 

The girl entered the office and sat down facing the desk. The Orange Crew Leader noticed she clutched a slender manila envelope in her hands.

"If this is about dressing Dragonite up in a bonnet and diapers, the answer is NO." 

Jaime pouted. "Awww, not fair! But that wasn't what I came to see you about." 

"No?" 

"No." The Canadian pushed the envelope across the desk. "I found this on Trish's desk at home." 

Drake fingered the envelope and raised an eyebrow. "What were you doing there? I thought you were not associating with the girls anymore."

"I had to collect some stuff that I'd left there. I thought I might have left some pens by accident on her desk," Jaime defended herself. "I found that and thought you might want to know…"

Drake pulled out a folded piece of paper and scanned the contents, his eyebrows raised. "This is the doctor's results for a pregnancy test.."

"Yup, and as you can see from the date, Trish received this two weeks ago. Did you know anything about it?" 

"No," the answer was clipped. Drake was mystified as well as rather hurt. When did Trish go for a pregnancy test in the last few weeks? Although, now that he thought about it, he did have a vague recollection of Jenn blurting out that Trish had undergone a pregnancy test…But why hadn't Trish told him? 

Jaime looked surprised. "Really? I thought for sure she told you…oh wait, unless that was Danny she told. I remember overhearing Trish tell Jenn that she told him. I wonder why Trish would have told him and not you…"

"I wonder why too," Drake muttered as he read through the results. Not only was it a positive result, but the doctor had put the conception date at around sometime in April. _April…that was when Danny was in __Sydney_…__

Jaime watched him closely and was pleased to see the dark clouds of anger beginning to grow. Lu's fake test results were working perfectly! She covered her elation with a mask of concern. "Is there something wrong Drake?"

Drake struggled to even find the words to answer Jaime with; so angry and devastated he was feeling. "Trish is pregnant…and the baby isn't mine…"

Jaime looked suitably shocked. "Oh no! Who is the father then?" 

"Danny." The name was forced out. 

"I'm so sorry to hear that Drake! I never would have thought that Trish would be the cheating type."

The dark-haired man gave a bitter laugh. "Neither did I…" 

"It sucks that you had to find out this way," Jaime sympathised. 

"Well, I wouldn't have found out, except for you and Rudy…" 

"We thought you deserved to know," Jaime rose from her seat and made her way towards the door. "You going to be okay?" 

Drake just waved her out. As the door closed behind her, he pushed the button on his phone that linked him to his personal assistant. When the man answered, he told him to hold all calls, cancel all meetings for the day, and that no one was to disturb him under any circumstances. He then hung up, before sinking down in his chair and breaking down.

~*~

Jenn hummed happily as she entered the villa that afternoon. After they had finished lunch, she and Ash had gone for an enjoyable walk along the cliffs - though this time the blonde kept well away from the edge.

Trish looked up from where she was reading as Jenn entered the living room. "Hey, how did it go?" 

"Very well. He loved the jacket!" Jenn beamed as she plopped down on the couch beside her friend. 

"Great!" 

"So did Dana get lunch?" 

"She did but I escaped with Danny and we had lunch out," Trish chuckled and Jenn raised an eyebrow at the news. "What?" 

"You and Danny aren't…y'know…" 

The dark-haired girl sighed. "Not you too Jenn…and the answer is NO, okay?"  
  
"Well it just seems that you two are spending a lot of time in each other's company," Jenn sought to explain herself. 

"You know DARN well that Danny is just a good friend. He dresses like Potsy from _Happy Days_ for heaven's sake!" 

"Meow Sis," Jenn grinned. 

"It's true," Trish grumped. "Don't get all paranoid on me like Drake okay? You know me well enough to know that I would never do something like that to him…"

The blonde hugged her friend tightly. "Yah I know. I trust ya." 

"I wish he'd trust me…" 

~*~

Mia turned over restlessly in her bed as the thunderstorm raged outside the villa, making her bedroom windows rattle. Unable to sleep, she squeezed her eyes shut and curled up on her side facing the wall.

"Maria," a voice whispered in the darkness.

Mia's eyes flew open and she rolled over quickly. A flash of lightning illuminated the room to reveal...no one. The girl blinked, maybe she had been dreaming or hearing things.

"Mia..." the voice whispered again and this time Mia felt the sensation of something gently caressing her face.

The brunette sat bolt upright in her bed, heart pounding. "Who's there?" she tried to sound brave but her voice quavered slightly.

Lightning again flashed to reveal that she was the sole occupant of her room, or so it seemed.

The voice laughed mockingly which sent chills down the girl's spine. "Poor Poor Mia..."

Her eyes darted around the room for some 'weapon' she could lay her hands on. Not that she could _see her tormentor._

"Poor Pretty Mia, going out to play. One by one your friends are not going to survive each day..." the voice purred. "Sweet dreams, my dear..."

Clutching her sheets tightly around her, Mia curled in a small ball as the storm continued to rumble - wishing for morning to come.

~*~

The next morning, Jenn padded out into the kitchen to see Mia sitting rather hollow-eyed at the table as Trish placed a fresh plate of bacon and eggs in front of her. "Hey Mia, you look terrible," she said cheerily.

"Gee thanks Jenn," the teenager huffed before yawning loudly.

"Lousy sleep?"

"Yeah...there was this voice that kept on taunting me and telling me that all my friends are going to die..."

Trish gave her younger friend a quick hug before settling down opposite with her morning cup of coffee. "It's okay Mi. We'll just tell Callie and Puck about this, and they'll make sure that no harm comes to any of us..."

"That's right," Jenn beamed. "Us Goddesses are indestructible. After all I went over a cliff and lived to tell the tale!"

A confused look came over Mia's features. "But I thought that it was all because of Ash..."

Trish leaned over and whispered, "Just humour her on this. It sounds better naturally..."

"Heeyy, I heard that!" Jenn pouted just as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it."

A smartly dressed chauffeur stood on the doorstep with a small covered wicker basket in his gloved hands. He was accompanied by another man (also smartly dressed) with a small bouquet of lilac and white roses. 

The chauffeur tipped his cap. "Morning Ma'am. I'm looking for a Miss Jenn who lives here."

"That's me," Jenn answered, curious.

"These are for you, Ma'am," the man handed over the basket. "I wouldn't drop this if I were you."

"Okay," the blonde took the basket then placed it gently on the ground just inside the door. She was then handed the bouquet. "May I ask who this is from?"

"Certainly, Ma'am. Compliments of the Grand Master Ash Ketchum." The two men bowed then took their leave.

Closing the door behind her, Jenn reached for the envelope nestled inside the bouquet, opened and read it.

_'Dear Jenn,_

_This is just to say thank you very much for the wonderful lunch and the jacket you gave me yesterday. It was really sweet of you, and I really appreciate it._

_The basket contains a little present for you and Trish from Pik and me. All I will say is that the blue one is for you and the pink one is for Trish._

_Warmest Regards_

_Ash.___

Jenn blushed slightly as she smelled the delicately perfumed roses. She certainly hadn't expected anything in return; but here was a bouquet in one of her favourite colours and something else too...

Mia came out of the kitchen and her eyes widened at the sight of flowers. "Oooh, who's the secret admirer Jenn?"

The blonde's face flushed even more. "These are from Ash."

"Let me put them in water for you," the teenager offered and took the flowers from her and into the kitchen.

Jenn followed carrying the basket and placed it on the kitchen table.

Trish raised an eyebrow as she sipped her coffee. "What's this?"

"This is from Ash and Pikachu. All he says is that the blue one is for me and the pink is for you."

Trish stood and the three girls gathered around the basket. It was very new, and the cover rose stiffly and with a slight squeak.

The girls held their breath as a tiny yellow paw came on the edge, followed by two large black tipped ears, and two big brown eyes framed by a yellow furry face. "Pichu?" The Pokémon chirped timidly and they could see there was a blue bow around its neck.

"Awww, aren't you a cutie..." Jenn breathed as she gently lifted the tiny creature from the basket. A second Pichu peered out from the depths, only this time with a pink bow. Trish lifted the Pichu out into her arms, and the tiny creature snuggled against her.

Mia fished out an envelope and two small boxes, one marked with a 'J' and the other with a 'T'. Clearing her throat the brunette opened the envelope and began to read. 'Dear girls, these two Pichus come from Pikachu's latest litter and with her blessings. Enclosed are their pedigree papers and I have also enclosed two Poke balls. However if they are anything like their mother and their older sister, they won't go into the balls at all!' 

"Oh that's really sweet of him," Trish smiled as she cuddled her baby Pokémon. "I've always wanted a female Pichu..."

"Yeah, I've wanted a male one," Jenn beamed.

The dark-haired girl gently tickled the fur on the Pichu's stomach. "I think I'll name you Pepita, little one."

Jenn lifted her Pichu up and looked into his eyes, which were a gorgeous mahogany brown. "I'll name you, Satochu..."

~*~

Drake was working out hard in the gym when Jaime and Rudy arrived for the next phase of Lu's plan. The red-haired Fae was lounging against the far wall, cloaked in invisibility from all human eyes but theirs.

The Orange Crew Leader was at the punching bag, pounding it with decisive hits; the sweat making his white singlet top cling to his toned torso, and his muscular arms glisten.

"Hey Drake," the Trovita Island Gym Leader called out. 

The dark-haired man looked up and sighed, stilling the bag. Taking off his gloves, he slung a towel around his neck and grabbed a bottle of water. "Hi Rudy, Jaime...what brings you here?"

"We'd thought we'd see how you were doing" Jaime spoke up. "Have you spoken to Trish yet about the results?"

Another deep sigh from Drake, and he shook his head. "Not yet...I thought I'd wait until I got her alone and away from everyone else. Its not something to be discussed in public..."

"Now that will never do to have that _not happen," Lu murmured and waved a little finger as he cast a small spell._

"Why not bring it out in the open?" Rudy shrugged. "After all, Trish and Danny have shown disregard for your feelings by openly going about together."

"Yeah," Jaime echoed. "Give them a taste of their own medicine!"

Drake's face hardened. "You're right...I just need a bit more time to take it all in..."

"Good..." Lu smiled evilly to himself in the corner. As the three humans left the room, the red head Fae then vanished with a chuckle.

A few minutes passed before a small blue flower hidden in a nearby pot plant quivered and then disappeared with a small popping sound. A small blue Mew hovered in the air, cocking his head from side to side. "Mew?" 

Ashura had escaped from Joanne again and had found a way into the Orange Crew Leader's villa. Being a curious little Pokémon, he had decided to explore, quickly transforming into a flower when human footsteps had come near. Flower Mew shook his head. That red-headed human-thing exuded evil unlike anything Mew had ever experienced before. Evil resulted in someone being hurt, and being a gentle little soul, Ashura didn't want anyone being hurt.

Who can Pokémon turn to in times of evil? Who has always helped out, regardless of the risks involved? Of course! The Psychic Pokémon snapped his little paws. The Chosen One...and he was here on this very island. But first to tell his human. The Mew vanished quickly.

~*~

Jenn was strolling along the boulevard with her newest little addition Satochu perched on her shoulder. The Pichu had, in the space of a day, already had her wrapped around his little paw. She would do anything for her widdle 'baby' Pokémon.

She had stopped to buy a Pepsi when little Satochu squealed in delight and scrambled off her shoulder and took off. "Satooooochuuuuu!" Jenn wailed then rushed after her Pokémon - only to find he had run and jumped into the arms of a Pikachu. Jenn was stunned

"_Pichu..." Satochu cooed as the Pikachu held it tightly. The older Pokémon looked up at the blonde and chirped __"Pichapi!"_

"Huh?" Jenn was confused. This Pikachu seemed to know her...

"That's his mother," came an amused voice. Jenn looked up to see the owner of the voice was none other than the Grand Master himself, Ash Ketchum. As there was a slight chill in the air, he was wearing the jacket Jenn had given him over a white shirt and blue jeans. His short black locks were spiked slightly with some hair gel, and gosh darn it, he looked mighty grrr to Jenn. "

Ash grinned at her. "Aren't you going to say hello to me Jenn?"

"Uh...yah...Hi," Jenn smiled sheepishly, for she had been staring with her mouth open in a marvellous impression of a Magikarp.

Pikachu chirped knowingly as she cuddled her baby to her. There was that faint telltale of a blush on Pichapi's face again...

"Oh, yeah, thank you so much for the Pichu. Trish sends her thanks along as well," the blonde remembered her manners.

"My pleasure. I knew you two had wanted one of Pik's babies if possible. Do you like him?"

"Awwwyeah, Satochu's my widdle cutie pie!" 

The handsome Grand Master raised an eyebrow but then smiled. "No prizes for guessing where that name came from!"

"Well I did love my little Satochu..." Jenn trailed off as the implications of what she said sank in.

"I can guarantee that _this_ little one won't turn into a human," Ash chuckled.

"You're wearing the jacket," Jenn observed before the conversation on Satochu could go any further.

"Yeah..." he trailed off when the blonde reached up with a slender hand around his neck.

"I'm just fixing your shirt collar over the jacket.."

All of a sudden there was a horrified gasp from amongst the crowd. Then an irate and all-too-familiar voice rang out with "I KNEW IT!!!"

The two turned to see Misty elbow her way through to stand before them, tapping her foot. Jenn gulped at the look on the woman's face which was red with rage. Ash just sighed and waited for the fireworks.

They were not long in coming.

"You...you...blonde HUSSY!!!" Misty seethed. "I knew you couldn't keep your hands off my husband!!!"

"Mist..." Ash began but his wife ignored him.

"Why don't you get yourself a guy, rather than hitting on _married men!" Misty railed against Jenn. "Unless of course, you can't get yourself a decent guy, and obviously this is why!!!"_

That did it for Jenn. That was way below the belt. "How dare you call me a hussy, Misty," she hissed. "Obviously pregnancy has caused you to forget that I dumped Gary because he had sex with some twit in a nightclub booth!!!"

"She's right, you know," Ash nodded.

"Stay out of this!" the redhead turned from Ash to Jenn. "And I can see why he did so! Why any decent guy would want anything to do with a slut like you is beyond me and..."

"Now stop right there, Misty," the Grand Master warned in a low tone. "You need to calm down somewhat. This is not good for either you or the baby and the health of _both_ of you is very important to me."

"But..." Misty started to protest. "...She..."

"No," Ash shook his head. "She and..."

"Maybe if you weren't such a paranoid bitch you wouldn't have so much to worry about," Jenn shot out.

"What did you say?" Misty's face blanched, then reddened again. "Did you just..."

"Mist..."

"Bring it on, fatso," Jenn jeered, stepping closer and seemingly oblivious to the two small electric mice at the humans' feet, "I can take you on any day."

"_Pi, Pikachupi!" Pikachu pleaded, looking up at the enraged Misty. There was, really, only one thing the momma mouse could do. After all, the two were about to get stepped on and..._

_"PIKACHUUU!!!"___

Jenn and Misty were both shoved away from each other by the electricity, though thanks to Pikachu's mastery of her powers Misty was more gently pushed aside as opposed to the shove Jenn got.

"Misty, are you okay?" Ash asked urgently, then glared down at Pikachu. "Honestly, Pik..."

"_Cha," the small mouse looked sheepish. "_Pikapi, chu_."_

"I know," Ash said. "Come on, Pik, we'd better go and take Misty home."

"No..." Misty said, standing strong by Ash's side. "I'm okay. She didn't hurt me."

"Darn," Jenn muttered, swiping a hand through staticked hair.

Misty shot Jenn a look, then looked at Ash carefully. "Where did you get that jacket from? I don't remember it."

"Well, that's the thing," Ash said, looking from Jenn to Misty and then indicated towards the ground where Pikachu was still cuddling her baby. "First of all I want you to know that Jenn and I are not having a secret rendezvous; rather little Satochu spotted his mother and naturally wanted to say hello..."

"Satochu?" Misty arched an eyebrow.

Ash shrugged. "And no, we weren't about to kiss. Jenn was just fixing my collar over the jacket."

"And the jacket..."

"I gave it to him," Jenn said in a low, dangerous tone. "For saving my life that night."

"I bet," Misty said.

"I did!" Jenn said, "I.."

"Ash, I want you to give it back to her!" Misty demanded. 

There was a brief tense moment and Ash looked from Jenn to Misty. Jenn's eyes widened in protest, but suddenly Ash was shrugging out of the jacket. He handed it to her with an unfathomable look in his dark gaze.

Jenn took it back, frowning, and held it close to her. 

Misty smiled triumphantly. "Let's go home, Ash. I'm tired and I want something to eat."

Little Satochu leapt up on top of the jacket and peered into his mistress's eyes. "_Pichu_?"

Jenn watched the retreating backs of the trio and trembled with suppressed anger. "Well, little one, Momma's going out tonight."

But first she'd have to talk with Trish. See if there was anything her smarter half could suggest. Then she'd go out and try to clear away these last few nightmarish moments. 

~*~

The front door slammed behind her as she stalked into the villa, making Trish, Shannon and Mia glance up in surprise from where they were playing Monopoly. 

The blonde walked over and hauled her best friend to her feet before smiling sweetly at the two younger girls. "Excuse us for a while would you please? Urgent Twin time needed here."

Trish followed Jenn into her room and sat down on the bed, Pepita jumping up and snuggling on her lap. The blonde closed the door and slumped against it. "I just had the MOST humiliating experience ever..."

"What happened?"

"The short version goes something like this. Satochu sees Pikachu. Satochu goes running off to his mommy. And wherever Momma Pik is, Ash is not very far behind. We talk and I go to fix his collar over his jacket when who should come along but El Preggo..."

"Oh no," Trish groaned sympathetically. "She erupted like Mount Vesuvius?"

"More like Krakatoa," Jenn griped. "She called me a hussy amongst various other things, in front of EVERYBODY!!! Then she said that I couldn't get a decent guy because I was such a slut!!!"

The Australian's eyes darkened in anger. "Now that's going too far. I know she's pregnant and irrational but that's no excuse. Didn't Ash try to say anything?"

"He did!" Jenn threw up her hands. "But would she listen? Nooooooo...But the worst thing was that she demanded that Ash give back the jacket I gave him..."

"And?" Trish prompted gently.

"He did..." the blonde finished in a whisper, clutching onto the soft leather. As much as Misty's words had hurt, the fact that Ash gave into his wife and handed back her thank you present was the bitterest pill of all.

The dark-haired girl rose and crossed the floor to give her friend a big hug. "Oh Jenn..."

"I thought he loved it. He mustn't have or else he wouldn't have given it back!"

"Hold on a minute there Sis. Take a step back and think. Now Misty was getting all furious and heated up right?"

"Right?"

"Now temper raises blood pressure right?"

"Right."

"And high blood pressure is never a good thing in a heavily pregnant woman. So Ash may not have really wanted to give it back - he only did it in order to calm down his wife so that she wouldn't go into premature labour on the streets?"

"Right…Oooh I get it now."

"So he might try to get it back?"

"I…" Jenn began only to be interrupted by a tune coming from the jacket's pocket. The blonde reached inside to pull out a small black cell phone. "I guess Ash must have left it in here…"

Her best friend chuckled. "Now he'll have to drop by to get it back. Well go on…answer it!!!" 

Jenn gulped, hesitated then quickly handed over the phone to Trish. "I can't! What if it's Misty?" 

Trish sighed as she grabbed the phone. "You and your phone phobia…" She pressed the answer key. "Hello? Oh hi Ash. Yeah you did leave your cell phone in the jacket…" The dark-haired girl then glanced towards Jenn with a smile. "Yes, she is here. I'll put her on…"

The blonde nervously put the phone to her ear. "Hello? Uh yeah I still have the jacket. You want to get both of them back?" She twisted the corner of her shirt in her hand. "I was planning to go to the _Chikorita Club_ later…you want to meet me there? But what about…Oh I see. Well…um..guess I'll see you around 9pm. Bye.."

"Well?" Trish grinned. 

"Ash said he'd meet me at the club to get his things back," Jenn flushed. "Misty is going on a girls night out with her sisters."

"Told you so!!!" her best friend crowed triumphantly. "I knew he wanted them back!" 

"You're right as usual," Jenn grinned back. 

"You know, if he wasn't married, I would tell you to go for it. Because it's obvious that he thinks very highly of you and likes you a lot."

The blonde flushed even more which caused Trish to burst out laughing. Jenn shot her 'sister' a mock glare. "You are so Evil…"

~*~

Later that night...

Jenn dug her hands deeper into the jacket pockets as the pulsating dance music throbbed in the air. The blonde wore Ash's leather jacket over a form-fitting little black dress, and black heels. She sighed. Nightclubs were no fun when you were on your own and you weren't sure if your 'date' was going to show up at all. Normally she would have dragged Trish along, but the dark-haired Australian pleaded ill-health and a migraine.

Waiting by the bar, she tapped her slender fingers impatiently against the granite bench top and frowned.

"Say what's with the glum face?" a familiar male voice came from behind her. 

Jenn spun around to see Drake standing there. The Orange Crew Leader was attired in a dark blue open-necked shirt and black jeans. His short dark locks were slightly spiked at the front, making him very grrr in her books. "Drake! What are you doing here? Trish said that you were busy with work..."

The dark-haired man sat on the stool beside her. "Well I was, but I just decided to take a break. Even Gym Leaders need a little fun now and then."

"True."

"So what are you doing here?"

Jenn sighed. "Trying to forget a day of humiliation, and waiting for...someone." The blonde decided that she wouldn't mention Ash's name. No need for another person to think that there was some steamy affair going on..

"How about I buy you a drink then?" Drake offered.

"Pepsi would be nice..."

The Pummelo Gym Leader laughed. "I didn't mean soft drinks, I meant alcoholic drinks..."

"But I don't drink..." 

"I know, but it will help you relax a bit. Even Trish has a drink every once in a while when she's had a tough day at work."

"I dunno..."

"Aww come on," Drake flashed her a dazzling smile and she gave in.

"Okay. Can I have a um…double Scotch on the rocks please?"

The dark-haired man grimaced. "Uh…that's a little hardcore for a non-drinker, don't you think?"

Jenn blinked. "But Chris orders it all the time."

"Yeah but that's Chris. How about I order for you."

One daiquiri, a pina colada and a fluffy duck later, Jenn was indeed feeling very relaxed. "This has been the best evening," she exulted.

"Well, maybe we should spend more time together."

"Mhmm," she nodded as the opening bars of Savage Garden's "Chained To You" blasted out. "Oooh I love this song!"

Drake rose off the stool and offered her his hand. "Wanna dance?"

The blonde beamed. "Sure!!" 

Jenn followed Drake onto the dance floor where he then pulled her close to him, and the two began to move in rhythm to beat.

Meanwhile on the balcony level, Chris was sipping a whiskey when a familiar peal of laughter floated up from below. The young man glanced down onto the dance floor and did a double take. There was Jenn dancing oh so very close with Drake! A little too close for mere friends. Chris scanned the surrounding areas then frowned. There was no sign of Trish anywhere. Which meant that the dark-haired Australian girl wasn't in the know about this. The Scot placed his glass down and started to make his way downstairs. He had to put a stop to whatever was going on and soon. For he hated to think of the consequences if he didn't.

Chris was not the only one startled by the sight. Gary Oak stood across the room with a blonde hanging on his arm; his mouth open in shock. 

A few feet away from him, Ash Ketchum also stood in mute shock; not quite believing what he was seeing. Jenn and Drake were dancing with hardly a space between them. The two moved slowly and sensuously, very up close and personal.

The Grand Master shook his head and left the way he came. He would just have to see if Trish could give him his things in the morning...obviously Jenn was too busy to care.

~*~

Finally Chris arrived at the dance floor area, and not a moment too soon in his opinion. Things were rather heating up between Jenn and Drake, and for lack of a better phrase, it looked like 'simulated sex on the dance floor.' The blonde had both hands on the man's toned derriere and the two looked like they were about to lock lips…

Chris rushed over to the couple and said in a loud voice. "Ah, Jenn there you are!!! I was looking all over for you!" 

The two stopped dancing, and Jenn grinned goofily at her younger friend. "Hey Chrissy…what are you doing here?" 

Chris raised an eyebrow at the nickname, Jenn looked to be off her face. "Trish sent me to bring you home," he lied. "She was getting worried about you…"

"Aww…poor Sissy," the blonde giggled then disentangled herself from Drake. "I was just enjoying myself with Drake here…"

I'll bet you were, Chris thought as he felt the first stirrings of anger on Trish's behalf. But first he had to get Jenn out of here. "Come on, Jenn - let's get you home…"

Jenn grinned and flung one arm over Chris's shoulders and he could smell the alcohol on her breath. Yep, Jenn was completely drunk. The young man shot a dark glare towards the Pummelo Gym Leader who looked most unrepentant. "I don't know what the hell is going on here, but you can be sure that I'll tell Trish all about this!"

"You do that," Drake said coolly. "I'm just treating her best friend the way she's treating mine." 

Chris just shook his head then guided Jenn towards the entrance. The two passed by a tall red-haired man leaning by a column, who had witnessed the whole thing. "Splendid, just splendid…" Lu smirked. "Maybe I can get them to kill each other after all…"

~*~

Twenty minutes later, Chris was knocking on the door of the girls' villa. Jenn was leaning on him and singing NSync songs, which was not something she'd do if she was in her right mind.

Trish opened the door and blinked in surprise. "Chris? And what's with Jenn?" 

"She's drunk," the dark-haired young man grunted as he walked his charge inside before dumping her on the couch. 

"She's drunk?" Trish echoed in disbelief. "But Jenn doesn't drink…" She walked over to her friend's slumped figure and leaned over; before straightening and wrinkling her nose. "Ugh, you can smell the alcohol…"

"What alcohol?" a new voice piped up. Mia was standing in the doorway of the living room. 

Trish waved towards the prone Jenn. "Jenn's drunk. Chris brought her home from the nightclub." 

"Jenn doesn't drink!" Mia blinked. 

"Well she has this time," Chris sighed. 

Trish sat down beside her friend, a slight frown on her face. "She didn't get into any trouble there did she?" 

Chris gulped slightly. He wasn't quite sure how to break this news to his friend. "Uh…there's something you should know."

"Like what?" 

"Jenn was dancing with Drake in the nightclub." Chris watched the dark-haired girl closely for her reaction. 

Trish's eyes widened and she shot a quick glance at the blonde. "But…Drake said he was too busy with work to come over," she stammered slightly. "And…Jenn…Jenn said she was meeting Ash at the club."

Chris shrugged. "I didn't see the Grand Master anywhere…" 

Mia ran over to Trish and wordlessly gave her a hug. 

"How were they dancing?" was the next question. 

"Uh…they were very very close, and how do I put it? Uh…it was like simulated sex on the dancefloor…sorry Trish," Chris apologised as the girl winced sharply and Mia's eyes grew as large as saucers.

There was a few minutes silence before Trish finally spoke up. "Chris, could you help me get Jenn into bed please? Then if you come around in the morning and we can work out what's happened."

"Sure." 

Mia was left in the living room to ponder over what just happened. Surely, Jenn would never ever do something like this to her best friend, would she?

~*~

_The next morning…_

Chris strode down the walkway to the villa, and was surprised to see the Grand Master standing on the porch. "Hey Ash," he greeted with a wave. "What brings you here?"

"I'm here to pick up my cell phone and jacket from Trish. I was meant to get it off Jenn last night in the _Chikorita Club_, but she seemed…ah…otherwise occupied," Ash replied as he pressed the doorbell, Pikachu clinging to his shoulder.

The young man blinked. "Oh so you saw what happened?" 

"Just a bit. I wonder if Trish knows…" 

"She does. I dragged Jenn back home before things could go any further." 

Mia opened the door and ushered the two men inside. "I know why Chris is here, but not why Ash is." 

"I'm here to pick up my cell phone and jacket from Jenn," Ash explained as Pikachu jumped from his shoulder into the girl's arms.

"Ash saw what happened last night," Chris indicated with a nod of his head. 

"Oh…was it as bad as Chris said?" Mia asked, looking worried. 

"Yeah, it was," the Grand Master sighed. "How is Trish this morning?" 

"She seems okay," the brunette said cautiously. "She hasn't said anything about it so far, but I'm wondering if this is the calm before the storm. Since Jenn isn't up yet."

"I'd imagine she'd be furious." 

"I dunno, but then again has anyone ever seen Trish when she's REALLY angry? I wouldn't know because I've never seen her like that," Mia shrugged.

"Me neither," Chris agreed. "Trish isn't that easily angered."

~*~

Jenn opened her eyes slowly and shut them quickly as a ray of sunlight hit her dead in the face. "Ack, too bright…" 

Sounds of people moving about the villa roused her and the blonde slowly sat up in her bed, wincing as she did so. Her head felt like it had been split in two and hit with a sledgehammer. Cradling her head in her hands, Jenn wondered what she had done last night to put herself in such a state. Last she remembered, was waiting in the _Chikorita_ _Nightclub_ for Ash to turn up_. I_ _wonder if he did turn up after all?__ She licked her lips. _Ack…throat all dry.__ Need some water_..._

Flinging off the bedcovers, she stumbled to her feet, threw on some old jeans and a t-shirt and brushed her hair into a neat ponyta tail. Shuffling into the kitchen she was surprised to see Ash and Chris there as well as Trish, Mia and Dana, all gazing at her with an inscrutable look on their faces.

"Uh…hi," Jenn waved meekly. "Can I just say that I feel like crawling under a rock and dying? I feel like crap." 

"Maybe you should do just that," Trish said in frosty tone which surprised the blonde. "Breakfast is there if you want it." And with that the dark-haired girl went out into the backyard.

Jenn blinked. That was most unlike her 'sister' to snap at her when she was feeling under the weather. Usually her best friend was all sympathetic and offered a hug. This time not a thing. "What's with her? What did I do?" Completely mystified, she followed her out into the spacious backyard.

Trish was standing at the fish pool when Jenn came up beside her. "Hey what's up?" the blonde offered meekly.

The answer was a sharp shove which sent her tumbling into the murky waters below. "Ack!!!"  Jenn then struggled to a sitting position with algae dripping down her face. "What was that for??!!"

"You should know!" Trish shot back.

"Know what?!"

"About last night."

"What about last night?" Jenn wailed. "Does the phrase 'I don't remember ANYTHING' mean anything to you?"

"No, but does 'simulated sex on the dance floor' mean anything to you? Because it does to me!"

"WHAT?!" the blonde nearly choked.

"That's right. You were doing the dirty dancing with Drake in the _Chikorita Club last night!" _

"I DID WHAT WITH DRAKE?"

"YOU HAD SIMULATED SEX WITH HER BOYFRIEND!!" Chris hollered from an upstairs window.

Jenn nearly keeled over and died. "SIMULATED WHAT??!!"

"SEX!!!!"

"Do you mind!" Jenn glared up at the peeping Scot. "I'm dripping wet over here!"

"Ooooh wet!" Chris leaned further out the window. "Does that mean you're _all_ wet?"

"Duh, much," the blonde rolled her eyes.

"Getting back to business," Trish snapped, tapping her foot.

Jenn gulped. "Uh yeah…"

"How could you?!"

"How about it wasn't me!" the blonde pleaded. "You know that I would never do that!"

"YOU DID TOO!!!" came from the peanut gallery upstairs.

"JUST SHUT UP CHRIS!!!" the two girls snapped in unison.

"Well how could you prove it was me!" Jenn resumed her defence. "What if it was my doublegengar…"

"That's doppelganger," Trish raised her eyebrow. "I have witnesses."

"Like who?" 

"Chris for one…"

The blonde blew some seaweed away from her face. "Yeah right, Chris was probably like _totally_ drunk…"

"Like a certain blonde we all know?"

"I don't drink!" Jenn wailed loudly. "I couldn't hold my alcohol if it was in a glass!"

"YOU DRANK HEAPS!!!" Chris called out. "Besides I wasn't the only one. Ash and half the _Chikorita Club_ saw you!"

Jenn went as a pale as a sheet. "Ash saw me???"

"So did a certain ex-boyfriend of yours," Trish added. "Gary left a message on the answering machine this morning. He was very impressed by your dancing skills."

"But I don't daaaance!" Jenn whined.

"YOU WERE DANCING ALRIGHT," Chris shouted. "YOUR MOVES WERE SO STEAMY THAT I THOUGHT I WAS WATCHING THE SPICE CHANNEL!"

"Oh my gooooooood," the blonde groaned. "I don't believe this….At least things can't possibly get any worse."

Just then the Grand Master walked into the backyard with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Did I just say that things can't get any worse?" Jenn winced as she sank further into the murky water. "I think I did…"

"Not interrupting anything am I?" Ash asked.

"Oh no, just join in my humiliation and torture session here," the blonde moaned.

"Serves you right," Trish glared at her.

"But Trishy!!!" Jenn cried. "I didn't DO anything!!! What part of 'I didn't do it' don't you understand??? Now if I DID have sex with your man…"

"Simulated!!!" Trish interrupted sharply.

"Okay simulated or whatever," the American huffed. "Don't you think I would remember every single detail of it!!!"

"Not if you're really drunk," Chris added knowingly; having joined the group by now. "And trust me you were _really drunk. I dragged you home and put you into bed."_

"You put me into bed?" Jenn blanched even whiter if that was possible. "Oh noo…"

"NOT like that!!!" Chris snapped.

"Uh, before Jenn gets into a prune like state, shouldn't someone go to get Drake's side of the story?" Ash asked as he held out a hand to the blonde. Jenn took it gratefully and stepped out of the pond, shivering and dripping wet.

Mia walked out of the villa and threw a towel around the soggy, straggly girl who wrapped it tightly around her.

Chris then snapped his fingers, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Wait a minute! Drake did say something before we left…"

Jenn brightened immensely. "Like what?" she asked with an incredibly hopeful tone.

The Scot frowned slightly. "He said that he was just treating Trish's best friend the way she was treating his…"

"What does that mean?" Mia asked, puzzled.

"I know _exactly_ what it means," Trish answered in a low tone. "Pummelo is going to need a new Gym Leader…"

_To be continued…_

~*~

_Author's Note: Many thanks for this chapter go to my best friend Jenn. She modified a section of this (the confrontation between Misty and herself) and she has been making many helpful comments behind me as I type this. We're both in the middle of a two week holiday from our jobs – and she's spending it in the land down under. ^_^ _

_I will be back at work for one week and a bit before the office closes over the Christmas/New Year period. Planning on doing much writing.___


	13. Chapter Twelve: A Loyal Friend Is Hard T...

_Midsummer Nights_

By Trish.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, Shakespeare or Savage Garden. Darn. I do own the story, Callie, Flory, Poppy, Poptart. Lu is co-owned by Mia. Ashura the Mew is owned by Dragoness. 

  


_A/N__: The characterisations of many of the authors that appear within is not true to life. This is a story concocted out of my imagination for the sole purpose of entertainment. Do not take it seriously. Plus many thanks go to Jenn for her help on this work, she often makes little additions here and there which I feel enriches the story._

_~*~_

_Chapter Twelve:__ A Loyal Friend Is Hard To Find_

_When you feel all alone_

_And a loyal friend is hard to find_

_You're caught in one way street_

_With the monsters in your head_

_When hopes and dreams are far away _

_And you feel like you can't face the day._

_Crash & Burn – __Savage__ Garden_

  


Mia, Chris, Ash and Jenn watched as Trish stormed back inside the villa. 

  


"Does that mean I'm off the hook?" Jenn asked hopefully.

  


"NO!!!" came the answering retort from inside the house.

  


"Darn."

  


"Mia, you and Chris better try to calm Trish down before she goes to rip Drake's head off, until I get his side of the story," Ash suggested. "Jenn can go and get into some dry clothes."

  


"Should I pack the rest?" Jenn asked, half-jokingly.

  


"Don't be silly, Jenn," Chris reassured the older girl before running after Mia. "You'll be fine. You know that Trish can never stay mad at you for long."

  


"There's always the first time," the blonde shrugged then looked towards the villa. "That's one _seriously_ pissed off tiger in there. And tigers are all big with the teeth and claws y'know!"

  


"You'll be fine," Ash went to give her a quick hug, settled for a reassuring smile. "Trish just needs time to calm down. She'll soon be back to her reasonable self again."

  


"Do you think a peace offering of coffee would work?" Jenn sighed, thought over her words, and came up with the answer. "Nah, not at this moment."

  


Meanwhile, Chris and Mia had managed to catch up with Trish just as she was heading for the front door. 

  


"Whoa there," Chris grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. "I know you want to go to the Gym and tear Drake a brand new hole; and I fully sympathise with that; but I can't let you do it."

  


"Why not?" the Australian glared at him.

  


"Because being violent is so unlike you. I know it and you know it. You've always been the most level-headed of all the group; preferring to hear both sides of a story before casting judgement. You're the most sensible one."

  


"Well maybe I'm tired of always being the sensible one!" Trish snapped, pulled her wrist away then sighed. "You're right. I don't know what came over me…I guess I just got so mad that I just snapped."

  


"It was scary seeing you act that way," Chris admitted. "You know what they say – it's always the quiet ones you've gotta watch."

  


"Sorry Lil Bro. I didn't mean to scare any of you. And don't worry, I'm not about to flip my lid and go psycho on you." The dark-haired girl led the way back into the living room and sat down. "I can't believe that I could get that mad, and over Drake too. I mean, he's just a guy…"

  


"But not just _any guy," Mia chimed as she sat beside her. "In fact he's _the_ guy for you."_

  


"True," Trish conceded. "But lately, things haven't been so good between us. Main problem being that he doesn't seem to trust me anymore. And you can probably chalk up this outburst to that…"

  


"You _have been under a lot of stress lately," Mia soothed. "What with that going on and this illness which __still hasn't been cured."_

  


"Add your boyfriend and your best friend to the mix and ka-boom!" Chris added and sighed a bit too thoughtfully at his words.

  


"What do I do guys?" Trish asked wearily. "Things have been so strange that what once I thought was fact isn't anymore. I never thought Drake would be the type to get jealous over Danny visiting; especially when he knows that I've been so sick that I can't get out of bed. I never thought I'd ever see Jenn drunk either, but there she was the other night – so drunk she passed out on the couch! I would _like_ to believe Jenn, after all she's my best friend and she's always been there for me…but…"

  


"But?" Chris prompted.

  


"How do I know what she was up to when she went out while I've been sick? You know how secretive Jenn can be when she wants to."

  


"True."

  


"I know, I know, presume innocent before being proven guilty. But we all know that Jenn's always fancied Drake and we also know that you can never force Jenn to do something against her will."

  


"She's stubborn as a mule," Mia agreed with a grin.

  


"So you're saying that Jenn was perfectly aware that she was grinding her hips against Drake?" Chris asked eagerly.

  


Trish winced at his words whereupon Mia hit him on the arm. "A little more tact here, please?!"

  


"Sorry," the young man had the grace to look sheepish.

  


"Excuse me for interrupting," a hesitant voice came from the back door. "But is it safe for me to enter or will I be getting a ten second head start before you set your Growlithes loose?"

  


The three looked up to see Jenn standing in the doorway with Ash and Pikachu. The blonde had quickly changed into some dry clothes, with her damp hair pulled into a bun. She still managed to look like a deer caught in the headlights, her blue-grey eyes wide with fear.

  


"Come in Jenn," Trish said with a slight smile. "I'm not about to kill you. I'll wait to hear what Ash finds out from Drake."

  


"I'm not sure how much if that makes me feel good or bad," the girl slunk into the living room, feeling a mix of dread and relief.

  


"But…," Trish raised a finger. "You are still partly to blame for this."

  


"Trish, how I can be blamed for my actions when I was drunk?" Jenn implored, dropping into a very plush recliner. "I didn't know what I was doing, honest!"

  


"You could have said no when he offered to buy you a drink." Trish raised an eyebrow. "It's as simple as that."

  


The blonde leaned back in the chair and found the ceiling suddenly _very fascinating. She knew Trish was right. She could have said no to Drake. What could have possessed her to accept? __Possessed…_

  


"Maybe it was Lu!" she sat forward and blurted out. "Maybe he put a spell on me to make me drink! After all, he's cast tons of spells on all of us. I'm, like, one of the few he _hasn't cast a spell on."_

  


"True, I guess we can ask Puck to find out. He's dropping by later," Mia mused, smiling at the thought of seeing him.

  


"I'd better get going," Ash looked at his watch. "Drake should be out of his meetings by now. I'll come back as soon as I can."

  


"Thanks," Trish smiled.

  


"I'll see you to the door," Jenn offered and walked with him to the entrance. The blonde leaned against the doorframe as she watched the Grand Master walk down the path. She hoped fervently that Puck would be able to confirm the presence of a spell on her. Because if he didn't, she was in even _deeper trouble with Trish._

  


~*~

  


_Later_…

  


Puck stared intently at Jenn as the blonde mentally kept up a string of _please to whatever higher powers that existed that he would be successful. Her spirits plummeted as the chestnut-haired Fae shook his head.  "No trace of any spells."_

  


"What?!" the American girl gasped. "Try again, you must have missed it!"

  


Puck sighed. "There was nothing."

  


Jenn glanced uneasily at Trish who was sitting across from her. "Uh, well you can never be too careful, I always say."

  


"No you don't," Puck said. "As a matter of fact…"

  


"Try. Again," Jenn ground out. "There's _no_ way I did this on my own."

  


Puck stared back with flashing eyes. "That was the _third _time I checked!"

  


"Third time's the charm?" the blonde said hopefully, then narrowed her eyes. "No, wait, that was the third time…Uh…fourth time's the charm?"

  


Just then Mia entered the room, with Ash and Chris in tow. "Ah just the person I wanted to see," Jenn exclaimed. "What did Drake say?"

  


"Well," Ash chose his words carefully. "He said that you two had sex before you went to the _Chikorita Club."_

  


The blonde blanched and sank down into the seat as far as she could go. "Okay you're so not the person I wanted to see right now." She risked a peek towards her best friend and waited for the explosion that she knew would come. It's what _she would do if the situation were reversed. Of course, Jenn wasn't exactly dating anyone and Trish wouldn't have laid a thought on Gary, much less a finger and…Why wasn't Trish sending a Growlithe on her tail? Trish was strangely calm. Jenn blinked and waved a hand in front of her friend. "Uh…aren't you about to explode? You know how much I hate suspense – kill me now and get it over with!"_

  


"He's lying," the dark-haired girl stated matter-of-factly. "Jenn was here with us,  panic-stricken about what she should wear to meet Ash."

  


"Ki…" Jenn paused. "Huh?"

  


"True," Mia blinked. "She was _really_ not sure of what to wear."

  


"So what are you going to do?" Chris asked.

  


"I'm gonna make it real easy," Jenn growled out,  her eyes narrowed. "I'm gonna KILL HIM! Trying to get me in trouble with my best friend! What did I ever do to him?"

  


"You are a frequent pincher of his butt." Mia offered.

  


"And that's going straight on my New Year's Resolution list of things _not to do." _

  


"But it's nowhere near New Year!" Mia laughed.

  


"No sense in waiting for the last minute," Jenn said. "Now, for when I kill him…"

  


"Wait a sec Jenn," Trish shook her head. "You can't kill him."

  


"Why not?" the blonde protested.

  


"Because _I have dibs on that __honour," Trish said grimly. "As his girlfriend, I get to kill him first!"_

  


~*~

  


Ash had just left the villa when a pink bubble suddenly appeared in front of his face. "Huh?"

  


The bubble burst and a small blue Mew hovered in its place, staring at him intently. A young brunette then rushed up to him. "There you are, Ash! Ashura was looking all over for you!"

  


The Grand Master blinked. Ashura? Then it dawned on him. "Hey you're that fan of mine, Joanne isn't it – with that crazy blue Mew!"

  


The Pokémon pouted as it transformed into a blue tennis ball. "_Why do people always say that?!"___

  


"Well, look at you," Ash gestured towards the legendary creature. "You're blue, and you're a tennis ball."

  


"_That's because I'm really bouncy and I'm always a real hit?"_

  


"Oy," the humans both groaned

  


The tennis ball then morphed back into Mew, suddenly serious. "_I'm glad I've found you __Chosen__ One…"_

  


"What's happened?"

  


"_A great evil exists in the world, Chosen One. An Evil Fae by the name of Lucius plans to hurt a great many people. He needs to be stopped."_

  


"I know that, but how can _I_ stop it? I'm not a magician or anything like that – how can I hope to defeat him?" Ash spread his hands in frustration. 

  


"_You can only try."_

  


"And we don't even know what his next move is going to be or when…"

  


~*~

  


The subject of the conversation was at that very moment plotting his next move. Things were going very well with his chosen victims. The relationship between the Orange Crew Leader and his girlfriend was extremely strained, close to breaking point. Mia was _very_ worried about her big sister as Lu had hoped; and therefore Puck was worried.

  


Lu smiled to himself as he put the final touches to his plan. He only hoped that his lowly minions would carry out their parts right.

  


~*~

  


_Two nights later_…

  


Drake sighed as he followed his colleague Rudy through the crowds. The Trovita Island Gym Leader had come to his office and insisted that his boss come with him; for he had something important to show him.

  


"This better be worth it," the dark-haired man growled. "I've got a whole pile of paper work waiting for me." He was not in a good mood, he had been doing paperwork all day and what's more, Trish had refused his invitation to have dinner that night. She had said she would be very busy.

  


"Oh it's _very worth it," Rudy reassured the man. He smiled to himself. _Oh it was going to be _**so**__ worth it._

  


The Gym Leader turned into a quiet street, then led Drake through a large garden of a white brick bungalow. "Keep to the shadows," Rudy whispered as they crept along the side wall. "And keep quiet or they'll hear us!"

  


"Who do you mean by _they_?" Drake hissed as they rounded the corner and came to a large window. Rudy just indicated for him to take a look. The dark-haired Crew Leader crept closer and peered in; his dark eyes widening at what he saw.

  


For Trish lay on the bed, held in Danny's arms, the silk sheets entwined around the slumbering lovers.

  


~*~

  


_Meanwhile…_

  


"Can someone remind me just what we are doing here at the mall at 10pm at night?" Trish said tiredly.

  


"Cuz I had a sudden craving for cheese sticks from _Arbys_?" Jenn wisecracked brightly.

  


"Are you sure _you're not pregnant?" _

  


"NO!!!" Jenn looked horrified.  "Trishy that's not only mean of you, but absolutely impossible!" Her expression darkened. "I'm not even with anyone at the moment. It would be an immaculate reception."

  


"Don't you mean _conception?" Trish shook her head in amused annoyance, then demanded, "Well what did you drag me along for?"_

  


"I like company? Besides you weren't doing anything. Crazy you didn't want to go out with old what's his face."

  


"After that stunt he tried to pull – what else did you expect?" 

  


The blonde was about to reply when she spotted someone making their way towards them. "Oh look, it's Drake's lil sis Becca! Hi!"

  


"How about saying hi to your little brother too," a male voice came from behind them. They turned to see Chris sulking like a little kid.

  


"Hi Chris," Jenn patted his head then turned to the young dark-haired girl who had just joined them. "Hey Becca."

  


"Hi Trish, Jenn," the twenty-four-year-old hugged both girls. Chris looked hopeful for a hug too; but alas all he got was a handshake. "So what are you all doing here?"

  


"Jenn has a craving for cheese sticks," Trish indicated towards her friend. "I just got dragged along for the company."

  


"Aww, would a coffee make you feel better?" Jenn asked then sighed as a familiar glint came into her twin's eyes at the 'c' word. "Ahh…stupid question wasn't it?"

  


"Very."

  


"Then how about we all have something to eat? The more the merrier!"

  


~*~

  


_The next night…_

  


Jenn fiddled with her napkin as she watched the revellers dance and enjoy the party atmosphere. The latest in a long string of League dances, it was being held in the cavernous ballroom at the _Pummelo Island Function Centre_. Drake had once described this place as being 'little'; however as Jenn well knew, the definition of 'little' in the Orange Islands was the exact opposite. 

  


'_This place is the size of a football field' the blonde thought as she gazed around at the myriad of multicoloured balloons that filled the ceiling as well as the large arrangements of exotic native flowers that graced each table; their delicate perfume filling the air._

  


All in all it made for a very enjoyable atmosphere, however the blonde was not sharing in it.  She could not shake the feeling that something big was going to go wrong tonight. Though what exactly that something was; she couldn't tell.

  


She sighed and smoothed down the skirt of her burgundy red beaded evening gown. Jenn decided to go in search of her best friend; maybe they could gossip and bitch about some of the dresses that were being worn tonight. 

  


On the other side of the ballroom, Drake accepted congratulations from another guest; then continued to scan the sea of faces for his girlfriend. He had not been able to erase the memory of what he had witnessed last night from his mind; nor had he had the chance yet to confront either of them. Finally he spotted the two a few metres away talking.  _Perfect, he thought, __now it's time to find out the truth. _

  


He had nearly reached them when Danny walked off with a little wave, leaving Trish standing alone. She turned at his approach and smiled. "Hey Drake, I was wondering where you were. I've hardly seen you all night!"

  


~*~

  


Jenn spied the brilliant emerald green of her best friend's gown in the midst of all the people, and then blanched when she saw that Trish was talking to Drake. Hurriedly, she began to squeeze through the dancers to where the two were. This could be the beginning of the big bad.

  


~*~

  


"Yeah, well I've had a lot of people I needed to talk to," Drake said rather stiffly.

  


Trish frowned. "Are you all right? You've been very quiet all evening. Is there something wrong?"

  


The dark-haired man gave a short bitter laugh. "Something wrong? I'll say there is. Like when were you going to tell me about the baby? A baby that _isn't_ mine." 

  


Trish was completely flabbergasted; but quickly recovered. "How _DARE you!" she gasped, turning pale._

  


Just then Jenn bounced up to them with a cheery smile. "Hey guys!" Her smile faded as she noticed the steely gaze in both their eyes; and the fact that neither one seemed to notice her at all. "Er…I've come at a really bad time haven't I?" she said quickly. "Don't answer that! I'll just take my goddess self away and come back later..." 

  


The blonde only managed to take two steps before she found her wrist held in a tight Australian grip. She turned to face two blazing dark brown eyes and gulped.

  


"You, Missy, are not going _anywhere_," Trish gritted through her teeth before turning her full attention back to Drake.

  


"Yes Ma'am," Jenn said meekly. "You're the boss. I mean, why would I want to go anywhere else? And for that matter, why would I need my wrist to function properly? Who really needs a wrist anyway?"

  


"How dare you," Trish repeated as if there had been no interruption, but let go of Jenn's wrist. "How _dare_ you accuse me of being pregnant with another man's child!"

  


"How dare _I?" Drake shot back. "__I'm not the one who tried to hide a doctor's test results, which were _positive_ I might add, from her boyfriend!"_

  


"What positive test results?" she squeaked. "They were _negative_!!! Who did you get this from?"

  


"Jaime." Drake crossed his arms over his chest.

  


"_Jaime?!"_

  


By this time a large crowd had gathered around them; one man with a moustache and a goatee beard was scribbling away furiously in a notebook.

  


"Yes, Jaime." Drake glared at her. "Jaime and Rudy were kind enough to inform me that you have been having an affair with Danny behind my back for quite some time now. It's Danny's child you're carrying within you isn't it?"

  


"Leave Danny out of this."

  


"Protective of your lover aren't you?"

  


"I said to leave Danny _out_ of this!" the dark-haired Australian gritted her teeth. "These problems are just between you and me. This has nothing to do with him!"

  


"This has _everything to do with him!" Drake growled out. "Is it true that you spent time with him in Sydney in April?"_

  


"It's true. But it's not the way you think!"

  


"And how do you explain away the fact that I saw you sleeping with him last night?"

  


"That's a _damn lie! I was nowhere near Danny last night! I was at the mall with Jenn and Chris…"_

  


"She's telling the truth there," a familiar voice cut in. 

  


The two turned to see Drake's younger sister, Rebecca Thayer step out of the crowd. "I ran into them at the mall. Jenn had a hankering for some cheese sticks and then we all went for coffee."

  


"You stay out of this Becca!" her brother grated and the girl flinched. 

  


"_That's it!" Trish finally lost her temper. "I've had _enough_ of all this nonsense! How dare you accuse me of cheating on you when you __know that I've been confined to bed for the past few weeks sick as a growlithe!  For your information, Danny was just keeping me company; we never did anything since I was asleep most of the time!"_

  


"What about the doctor's results?" Drake shot back.

  


"I don't where the _hell_ Jaime got them from, but the original results were negative! _Negative_! And the only candidate for the father would be you! I've been throwing up lots, yes – but that's because I'm sick with some _mystery_ virus that the doctors can't figure out! I never told you because I didn't want to worry you!!!"

  


"You're lying." 

  


Jenn saw her best friend flinch at those harsh words. "I'm not lying! Ask Jenn, ask Chris, ask Mia – even Becca knows I'm not lying and she's your _sister!! Plus you have the utter gall to call __me a liar – when you lied about what __you did with Jenn!"_

  


"Yeah," Jenn glared at the tall gym leader.

  


"I don't care," Drake shrugged. "I believe what I saw and what Rudy and Jaime have told me. They're good friends."

  


Trish shook her head. "I don't believe you could take the word of Rudy and Jaime over mine and your sister's! And you know something Mister Thayer? I don't need to put up with this treatment at all. I don't need this and I don't need you either." She suddenly grabbed a drink off a nearby guest and threw it on the Pummelo Island Gym Leader. "Guess what? We're officially through. Finished. Kaput. Over. And if you ever come near me again, I'll set my growlithes on you." 

  


The dark-haired girl stormed through the crowds towards the exit. Drake was shocked to feel a second ice cold splash and turned to see Jenn glaring daggers at him. "That's for giving me alcohol the other, other, _other_ night! Do you have _any_ idea how hung-over I was?" Without further ado, she ran after her best friend.

  


In the crowd, a lean, red-haired Fae smirked. "Just as I wanted it…"

~*~

  


There was the sound of pounding feet behind Jenn and she turned to see Mia and Chris come running up to her. 

  


"Jenn, wait up," Chris panted as he bent over, resting his hands on his knees. 

  


"Yeah," Mia puffed out. "We want to make sure that Trish is all right as well."

  


"Oh sure, ignore the pained blonde."

  


The two darted past her, engulfing Trish in a group hug. Jenn rolled her eyes. "No respect."

  


"Nope!" Chris's voice floated back.

  


"Hey, I was hurt too!!! Drake _used_ me," Jenn complained, crossing her arms and pouting. "I had a hangover."

  


"Come here, Sis," Mia beckoned the older girl over. "Group hug! Share the pain."

  


"What pain?" Chris blinked then nodded. "Oh yeah watching you and Drake dance was _really painful."_

  


"Shut _up, Chris!" Jenn growled as she was pulled into the little huddle._

  


After a while they let each other go, and Trish brushed away a stray tear and sighed. "Okay, I'm fine, I'm okay."

  


"No, you're not," Jenn disagreed, then murmured, "And me, not fine either. Kinda really pissed, actually."

  


"I said I'm _fine, okay?" Trish glared at her friend who backed away slightly. "I can do this, after all he's just a guy. One of millions out there. Just a pathetic, good for nothing, jerk that I can do without. All men are useless!"_

  


"Right!!!" the two other girls chorused. 

  


"Uh…do I have to be counted in on this?" Chris asked hesitantly. 

  


"That's okay, Chris, you don't have to," Jenn patted him on the arm. "We know you're okay. After all, we often forget you're a guy sometimes."

  


"Thanks…I think." Chris looked as confused as he felt.

  


"Seriously, Trish - are you okay?" Mia asked.

  


"I'm fine. I'm not mad, not mad at all," Trish said with the ghost of a smile. "Just very, _very_ pissed."

  


The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Not mad at all, huh? I'd hate to see you when you are _really mad."_

  


"I think you already have," Chris smirked. "Remember the pond?"

  


Jenn blinked then wrinkled her nose. "Oh yeah, right. Well then, let's go home." She had a feeling that this was going to be a _very long night._

  


~*~

  


The next morning Jenn padded out to the kitchen wearily; eyes half-lidded with sleep. It _had been a very long night as she had correctly foretold herself. Trish needed someone to just listen and who better than her twin. The dark-haired girl alternated between crying then damning Drake to the fiery depths of hell, and asking Jenn for a voodoo doll. The blonde shook her head at the memory – and people said that _she_ was crazy; just wait until they met the Aussie when she was upset. _

  


Mia and Shannon were already seated around the table, glancing up when Jenn plopped herself down. 

  


"How is she?" Shannon asked quietly.

  


"Still sleeping," the blonde yawned. "I checked on her as soon as I got up."

  


"Good," Mia nodded as she indicated the newspaper. "Cuz it's all over the news this morning..."

  


"Oh great," Jenn groaned. "Just what we don't need. The scum of the universe spreading more lies about her. I suggest we don't let her see that."

  


"Yes Ma'am," Mia saluted, tossing the paper into the garbage bin.

  


There was a moment's silence before Shannon broke it. "Do...you think Trish is telling the truth about Danny?"

  


Both her companions blinked. "Of course she is, Shannon!" Jenn said confidently. "How could you think otherwise? Trish was with me the whole time the other night; and I was there during that time in Sydney and it was completely platonic!"

  


"Just wondering, that's all," Shannon shrugged.

  


The phone rang shrilly, startling the trio before Jenn grabbed the receiver.

  


As Mia and Shannon watched, the blonde's eyes narrowed before she spat out a single sharp "NO!" and slammed the phone down.

  


"That was the Telegraph," she growled in answer to their unspoken question. "Wanting an exclusive interview with Trish about last night's rumours."

  


"Oh gawd, and so it starts," Mia buried her face in her hands.

  


Jenn pulled the plug on the phone. "And this is where it ends! That's all we're gonna get for the next few days so I'm disconnecting it. Any friends or family would know our cell phone numbers anyway."

  


"True."

  


"Listen, I'm gonna go out for a bit. Look after Trish if she wakes up, okay?"

  


"Sure."

  


Shannon watched the tall blonde leave and had a passing thought. _But what if an interview was a **good** thing? If there is nothing to hide then why not?_

  


~*~

  


Jenn was browsing in the confectionary section of a department store. Chocolate, as she well knew from her own disastrous relationships, was the number one comfort food for broken hearts.

  


"Jenn."

  


The tall American girl turned to see Liana Thayer, Drake's youngest sister standing there. The twenty-two-year-old looked tired and pale as if she had little or no sleep.

  


For a second the blonde was torn. Should she treat her normally or ignore her? After all Liana was related to 2003's Asshole of the Year. Then again, Trish would probably get pissed at her if she did ice out Liana. It wasn't Liana who shouted out so cruelly on Trish. The poor girl just had the bad ass luck to be related to a mangy maggot excuse for a Gym Leader.

  


"Uh, Jenn?" Liana asked hesitantly. 

  


Jenn blinked, then looked steadily at the girl. Her mind was made up on how to treat the Thayer. "Hey, Liana. How did you know I was here?"

  


Liana looked relieved at the friendly reception. "I didn't really. I rang Trish's cell phone and Mia answered. She told me you were out shopping and, being that sweets are a cure all for a wounded heart, I guessed that you would be in the confectionary section." The dark-haired girl's shoulders then slumped. "Anyway I just wanted to say I'm really, _really sorry for what happened last night. Bec is too."_

  


"How is Becca?" Jenn asked carefully, remembering the cutting remark the loser had made towards his sister.

  


"She's extremely upset. I spent half the night calming her down; that's why she's not here, she's taking a nap." Liana turned dark pleading eyes toward her. "Could you please tell Trish for us? We have no idea what got into Drake last night - it's not like him. Mom and Dad send their apologies too."

  


"I will," Jenn quickly reassured the distraught younger girl. "But how about you and Bec come over to the house. Uh, like sometime tomorrow? I'm sure Trish would love for you guys to drop by."

  


"You think so? I mean would she want to even see us?" Liana was doubtful.

  


"Sure she would," the blonde nodded confidently. "Trish isn't mad at you two, just your idiot brother.."

  


"Okay then..."

  


"Give me a call on my phone about ten in the morning."

  


"I will," Liana turned to leave. "See you tomorrow."

  


"Bye."

Jenn looked around a bit more before she finally spotted what she wanted on one of the lower shelves. The American picked up a box and studied it for a few moments before heading off to the cash register. It was just perfect.

  


~*~

  


The girl arrived home to find her best friend up and about. Trish was seated in the living room with a cup of coffee; looking tired and wan; Mia and Chris sat on either side, offering silent support.

  


"Trish!" Jenn sauntered over and gave the dark-haired girl a tight hug. "How are you feeling this morning?"

  


"Like I need to breathe?"

  


Jenn stepped back, releasing the dark haired girl. "Sorry." She looked anything but. "So, you're feeling like…"

  


"About as crappy as I look," Trish gave a wry smile as she indicated her outfit which consisted of very old grey tracksuit pants and a worn white Snoopy t-shirt. "But I think I'll live."

  


"Good," the blonde sat her down again and withdrew two small boxes from her bags which she placed on the coffee table. "And these will make you feel _much better!"_

  


Curious, the Australian girl opened the first to reveal a small cloth voodoo doll complete with pins. "You were saying last night that you wanted one," Jenn grinned. "And I knew just the shop to get it at."

  


"Hmm..." Trish picked up one of the pins and hovered it over the doll.

  


Chris's eyes widened and he grabbed his friend's arm. "Ah...I don't think you really want to jab _there_..." he said hastily. For Trish was about to stick the needle in the male doll's most private parts...It made him wince just thinking about it!

  


"Open the other one," Jenn suggested, her eyes bright. "I guarantee that you'll love it!"

  


Her best friend did so and withdrew a medium sized and very cute chocolate man. "What's this?"

  


The blonde gave a dramatic flourish. "Behold the Perfect Man! He's smooth, he's sweet, and you can chew his ears off!!!"

  


Mia giggled. "That is perfect!"

  


"So perfect I got one for you, me, _and Shannon!" Jenn grinned, then looked apologetic. "Sorry, Chris, but they sold out before I could get one for you."_

  


Chris just rolled his eyes in response, his fingers tapping a fast rhythm on his knees as he wished he had a cigarette. "No worries. I'll just steal yours when your back is turned."

Jenn stuck out her tongue. "In yer dreams."

Chris smirked. 

"Or nightmares," Mia laughed as she took a bite out of her chocolate man. "Mr. Headless here isn't going to have any dreams."

"Or nightmares for that fact," Shannon shook her head, amused at the banter.

As soon as Trish finished her coffee, the blonde hauled her to her feet. "Come on let's get you changed..."

  


"What for?" 

  


"I know just the thing to cheer you up."

  


~*~

  


A few minutes later, Trish walked out of her bedroom clad in a pair of old blue jeans and a t-shirt that had "Bugger Off."

  


"What?" she demanded as Jenn stared at her. "There's nothing wrong with this."

  


"True," the American girl allowed. "It's just that I know you're in a crappy mood, but do you really think its necessary to advertise that?"

  


"Yes!"

  


"Anyway..." Jenn shrugged and placed a small silver laser gun in Trish's hands. "You and I are going Egg Hunting...since you haven't been able to go since you've been ill." The blonde had taken over Trish's duties as head of the ITEO or International Togepi Elimination Organization while her best friend was confined to bed; keeping her up to date on never-ending battle against the pest Pokémon.

  


The dark-haired girl fingered the weapon gingerly. "Do you think this is such a good idea? I'll probably be very rusty with my aim..."

  


"No such chance," Jenn snorted. "Once a slayer always a slayer..."

  


"I hope you're right..."

  


"Since when have I been wrong?" she paused, "I mean when it counts..."

  


The two friends left the villa from the back entrance, a sharp-eyed Mia having spied the first signs of paparazzi lying in wait outside the front door. Jenn kept a stream of merry chatter in an attempt to placate a seething Australian. "When we see some Eggs _then_ you can use the gun. Take your aggression out on the Eggs. As much you'd dearly love to take out a few of the reporters, and I would normally encourage such behavior, it would not be good for your current public image to do so."

  


"You're no fun, you know that?"

  


~*~

  


Reaching a forest clearing where Jenn's Pokedex indicated the presence of Eggs, the two girls knelt down behind some bushes. "Now all we have to do is wait..." Jenn said brightly.

  


"I'm depressed, not blonde..." came the droll reply.

  


"Saaaaay…"

  


A few minutes passed before Trish raised one hand for silence. She inched forward slowly through the bushes to her right where she had heard some faint cries, taking care to make as little noise as possible. Finally she reached the spot and raised her head a tiny bit over the bushes.

  


A Togetic and four Togepi had surrounded a young Espeon and backed it up against a large tree trunk. It had been badly hurt, Trish could see many red gashes over its small body.

  


"_Togggetic_" the leader snarled and the rest '_Priiied' _baring their razor sharp teeth. The Togepi were all lined up in a row.

  


Trish calmly raised her weapon, positioning the little red dot right in the center of the side of the nearest Egg. She depressed the trigger, and the deadly beam passed through all four Eggs at once, vaporizing them.

  


The Togetic shrieked in anger before Trish took out the Satanic Chicken with one shot.

  


Behind her, she heard Jenn chuckle. "In reference to the whole rusty thing...Mind if I say I told ya so?!"

  


"No," Trish started to lead the way out into the clearing. "And you were right, it _did_ feel good."

  


The blonde cheered and struck an Ash Victory Pose. "She _admits_ it!!! Of course I'm right, the Goddess is never anything else!"

  


"Sure." 

  


Jenn pouted. "Chu are so mean!" 

  


Trish slowly approached the injured Pokémon, hands by her side so as to not alarm it. The Espeon whimpered and shrank back. 

  


"It's okay," the Australian girl soothed as she carefully grabbed the Pokémon and lifted it into her arms.

  


"_Esp_!" The Psychic Pokémon uttered a short yelp as it struggled feebly. In answer there was a faint cry of "_Umb_" from the bushes to the left which caused the Espeon to struggle even harder.

  


Holding her struggling charge close to her with one arm, Trish parted the bushes and her eyes widened at what she saw. "Jenn! Come here quickly!"  
  
The willowy blonde rushed over to her friend's side and saw a battered and bloodied young Umbreon lying on its side; its ebony chest heaving with every gasp.

  


"Oooh those evil, evil Eggs," she breathed out as she knelt down and scooped up the nearly unconscious Pokémon. "So glad that you got rid of them, Sis."

  


"Yeah, lets get these poor babies to the Pokémon Centre."  
  


~*~

An hour later the two girls were hanging around Nurse Joy's private office. The strawberry-haired nurse had made the offer after noticing how uncomfortable Trish was waiting in the general area with most of the crowd staring at her and whispering. 

The two jumped slightly as the door swung open; but relaxed when they saw it was only Nurse Joy.   
  
"Good news. Your Pokémon twins will be just fine," she announced with a tired smile.  
  
"Twins?" Jenn echoed.

"Yes, the two females are from the same litter, they just evolved differently."

"So that explains why the Espeon was so anxious to get free," Trish understood.

"That's right. I'd like to keep them overnight for observation but you should be able to take them home in the morning."

"Thank you Nurse Joy."  
  
"No problem. Its what I do," the nurse beamed.   
  
Outside the Pokémon Centre, Jenn pumped her fists. "I caught an Umbreon!!! Well...not officially as yet but who's counting," she amended as Trish looked at her.

Just then James and Meowth came running up to them. "Hey girls!"  
  
The lavender-haired man then took one look at Trish and turned around. Meowth caught his leg with his claws. "Hey where'd ya think you're goin?"

"Well it says 'Bugger Off'" James pointed to her t-shirt. "So I was just going to..."

Both girls and the Cat Pokémon sighed. "Noit you, Jimmy."  
  
"But it said..."

"It's a figure of speech."

"Oooh," James gave that falsetto squeal for which he was renowned. "Do you really think I have a great figure?? I always thought that I looked better in a dress than Jessie!!!"

"Ever wonder how he manages to reach that high pitch?" Trish muttered to her companions.

"He wears pants dat are a size too small dat's why," Meowth whispered back.

"Too much on the 411 there, Meowth," Jenn grimaced.

"Anyway what are you guys doing here?" Trish asked. 

"Oooh!" James stopped in mid prance and blinked. "That's right! Ash wanted us to ask you girls if he could stop by later, see how you're doing."

"Of course he can! I need..." the blonde said a bit too eagerly before she caught herself. "I mean, _Trish_ needs all the support she can get from friends and that."

"Guess I'm the latest social leper," Trish said gloomily.

Ash's PA blinked. "Social leopard? I've never heard of that before...Is that some kind of new fashion?? OWWW!!!" 

The two girls blinked to see Meowth had whacked a huge paper fan out of nowhere onto James' head. "She said leper NOT leopard you numskull!!" The Scratch Cat Pokémon grinned. "I borrowed dis off Jessie. It coimes in handy..."

"Aww and here I was hoping it was some new kind of Pokémon," Jenn sighed just before _she_ got whacked by Meowth.

~*~

Ash Ketchum signed his name to the Blackthorn City Gym Annual Expenses Report before putting down the pen and rubbing his eyes tiredly. The Grand Master was seated in the large spacious office in the Orange League Headquarters that was kept for his specific use when he was in the vicinity. Today the crap had really hit the fan as the news of last night's fight spread. Drake refused to answer any calls, and Danny had gone to ground somewhere(as you would); which left Ash to field all the calls from a concerned Luanna and Cissy; as well as fielding the questions from a frenzied media pack. He handled the latter by issuing a short terse press release which stated that what happened was a private matter for the Orange Crew Leader. It had absolutely nothing to do with the Orange League; and as such the media had no business pursuing it. The Orange Crew Leader as well as the other people involved should be left alone to sort it out privately. End of Story.

The black-haired trainer sat back in the leather armchair and sighed. He really hoped that things could be sorted out between Drake, Trish and Danny. Otherwise things would be rather uncomfortable for the other three Orange Crew members.

Teamwork, Harmony and Co-operation were vital elements a League needed to run smoothly. All of the Gym Leaders needed to be able to work together, much like their Pokémon. Ash wondered if the Navel Island Gym would soon be treated like the Trovita Island Gym; tolerated and only contacted if absolutely necessary.

Speaking of the Trovita Island Gym Leader, Ash thought Rudy was acting very strangely. He was the only member of the Orange Crew who didn't lament last night's events; and it seemed _very _odd that he would go all out to be nice to the one man who had, in his view, stolen his rightful girl. It seemed even odder that Drake wasn't even the slightest bit suspicious of his colleague's motives.

Ash recalled how, on his journeys, how suspicious _he_ was whenever his archrival Gary was even remotely nice to him. Now while Ash was known for having dense moments; Drake was not, being regarded as a very intelligent man. So what was going on??

Plus it seemed to Ash, that the charges leveled against Trish were absolutely ridiculous. The dark-haired Australian was not the type to cheat on anyone, let alone her boyfriend. Nor was she the gold-digging type. If she was, she would have flung herself at Ash - being the only one higher in the Pokémon League than Drake who was at the head of the Orange League. But she was not the slightest bit interested in him romantically, she left that as the sole domain of her best friend Jenn. 

Ahh Jenn... Ash started to visualize the tall, slender American when he was interrupted in his musings by two enormous big blue eyes peering upside down at him. "_Mew?"_

_To be continued…_

_Author's note__: A belated Happy New Year to all. Things are really heating up and what on earth could happen next!_

_To all my loyal readers(if I have any). Many thanks for all your encouragement and support. I never realised how hard it is to craft a good story until I started writing fanfiction. I couldn't have kept this up without you!_


	14. Chapter Thirteen: I Will Survive

_Midsummer Nights _

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, Puck or William Shakespeare. I do own Callie, Flory, Poppy, Poptart and any other unknown characters. Ashura belongs to Dragoness but the characterisation is all mine. Lucius is co-owned by Mia. The concept of Pokéspeare is all mine as well. The chapter title is the song I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.

_A/N_: The credit for some scenes, especially towards the end, go to Pikajenn. My best friend, sounding board and proof all rolled into one. 

_Chapter Thirteen: I Will Survive_

_At first I was afraid, I was petrified_

_Kept on thinking I could never live without you by my side_

_But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong_

_And I grew strong and I learned how to get along_

_I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor_

'_Mew?_'

"Gaaaaah!" Ash was so startled by the Psychic Pokémon's sudden appearance that he fell off the chair.

Ashura's eyes widened before he burst into a fit of giggles, '_Did__ I scare you, __Chosen__ One?'_

The Grand Master got up from the floor and dusted himself off. "No you did not scare me. I just fell off the chair to amuse you, that's all."

'_Oooh really?_' the blue Mew clasped his paws together and batted his eyelashes. '_Just for lil meeeee?'___

"Just for lil you," Ash gave a wry grin. "A Grand Master doesn't just fall off the chair for anyone you know…"

'_I feel so special'_ and with that the Pokémon transformed into a badge with the words 'I'm Special'.

The dark-haired man shook his head as he sat back down in his plush leather chair. "Now why can't I ever meet a normal Pokémon who does normal Pokémon things?" he muttered.

'_What was that_?'

"Nothing," Ash gave the Pokémon one of his trademark grins. "And I apologise for my reaction earlier but you caught me off-guard."

'_Thinking about something_?' Mew mused as he transformed yet again into the famous 'Thinker' statue by Rodin. '_Or should I say, thinking about **someone**?_' The last was said with a sly wink.

"That's none of your business!" the Grand Master retorted; deciding to end the current line of conversation before it went any further. "And just what is it that you've come to see me about?"

_'Oooh that_,' the Mew changed back. '_Lucius has been on the prowl_…'

Ash sat up in his chair. "He has? How did you know?"

_'Two nights ago, we Pokémon felt a great evil presence on the island._' 

"By 'we' do you mean all Pokémon? So that would mean that Pik felt it too?"

_'Yes. And one of your friends shall soon be in grave danger_…' A small vision appeared  in a pink bubble, and Ash saw it was of Trish.

The Grand Master sighed in frustration. "But what could I possibly do? This Lucius is a powerful evil Fae, I'm just a mere mortal!"

'_I wouldn't say that,_' Mew flew over and poked him gently on the nose. '_You are the __Chosen__ One.'_

"I know that,' he scowled slightly. "But what good does that do me here? I don't have any magical powers!"

_"But you have courage and greatness of heart. You will always come on the side of goodness. It is your destiny to save others and to save the world.'_

"And here I thought my destiny was to just become the World's Greatest Pokémon Master."

'_You have fulfilled that part of your destiny; now you must fulfil the other part, that of being the __Chosen__ One.'_ Ashura gazed at him steadily. '_All Pokémon know about the prophecy. He and he alone shall fight the demons, vampires and the forces of darkness…_'

The Psychic Pokémon trailed off as he noticed that Ash was staring at him, one dark brow raised. '_Oh wait, maybe that was from Buffy_.' He giggled. '_Woops, wrong prophecy. My human likes watching that show…'_

The Grand Master sighed in defeat. "Guess I'll have to keep an eye on Trish somehow…" But at least it would make his task of keeping an eye on Jenn a whole lot easier. 

~*~

After saying goodbye to James and Meowth the two girls returned to the villa, again via the back gate. 

Mia glomped the two in greeting. "How did the patrol go?"

"Great!" Jenn beamed. "Trish took 'em all out like no-one's business and saved an Espeon and an Umbreon just in the nick of time. They were almost Egg food."

"I just imagined that each Egg was a journalist," Trish remarked with a sly grin. "Since spoilsport here wouldn't let me go after the real things…"

"Well normally I would," Jenn shrugged in protest. "But we gotta think of your public image here! You don't need anymore bad publicity."

"Not that it isn't ruined beyond all repair already," Trish muttered. "Though I never wanted a public image in the first place."

"But you got one anyway," the blonde nodded sympathetically. "Ah the pitfalls of dating a celebrity…" Which she knew well from her experiences with Gary.

"The pitfalls of being a celebrity," the Australian added. "I can't imagine what Ash has to put up with, being the number one trainer in the world, of the world's most popular sport."

"Imagine being the idol of millions of people of all ages, from little kids to the elderly…" Chris said then shuddered. "Kinda freaky when you think about it. Everyone knows almost everything about you and you know _nothing _about them!"

Mia was about to reply when there was a sudden pounding at the back door. Chris motioned for the girls to stay put while he went to investigate with a few Growlithes in tow. A few minutes he returned and the person trailing behind him was one of the last people they expected to see.

"Danny?" Trish's dark eyes widened. "What are you doing here??"

Jenn was just as surprised as her best friend to see the Navel Island Gym Leader in the same town, much less their living room. Being named as the 'Other Man' in this mess, she would have thought he would have hopped on the first plane out of the Archipelago. Why come here? It would just make every one of Drake's accusations to be true.

"I managed to sneak into the backyard without the paparazzi noticing," Danny gave a wan smile. "I know I shouldn't be here, but I just wanted to see how Trish was doing."

"How are _you _doing?" the dark-haired girl redirected the question at him. She walked over and gave him a tight hug. "I am soo very very sorry that you were involved in this mess. It had nothing to do with you!"

Danny hugged her back just as tight. "It's okay. It wasn't your fault…I just wish I knew what got into Drake. That was really out of character for him, I should know, we've been best friends since we were six."

Shannon watched the two interact with a slight frown. Was there any truth to the accusations? 

"So what are you going to do Danny?" Mia asked.

"Going home to Navel and staying there until the crisis has died out," the chestnut-haired Gym Leader sighed. "It's the best thing to do…"

"More to the point," Jenn frowned. "What is our favourite Australian going to do to ride out the storm?"

"I can answer that now," Trish stated calmly. "I'm going home to Sydney on the first available flight and never coming back."

The blonde blinked. Trish had never said anything to her about leaving. Jenn had assumed that her best friend would stay and fight like any wrongfully accused Goddess. "But you _can't_ go home…"

"Why not?"

The tall blonde's brow furrowed. Why did her friend have this totally bad habit of _demanding _explanations from her? "Uh…cuz I don't want you to?" she finished lamely.

"I need a better reason than that. I can't stay here, and I might have a better chance at curing this lingering illness back home."

"True, but what if Danny's right? What if there is something wrong with Drake? If Callie or Puck can cure him…" Mia tried to help Jenn out.

"I don't care," Trish stated in a clipped tone.

Jenn snorted and opened her mouth to retort, but then thought the better of it. After all she did like living and her friend seemed especially snappy lately. '_The day that **you** don't care about people is the day that Jigglypuff can sing without everyone falling asleep!'_

"Oh pwease stay!" Mia latched onto the eldest girl's arm.

"Stay, please?" Shannon latched onto the other arm, giving the puppy dog look for added affect since she knew her friend was a sucker for that.

"Relax girls, she won't go home," Jenn smirked.

"And what makes you think I won't?" Trish demanded while trying to free herself from her human 'handcuffs'.

"Because I _know_ you. And I know you won't go home without me for company," the blonde explained. "Why go home and be miserable on your own, when you can stay here with fellow females…"

Chris coughed. 

"…and Chris, and still be miserable!"

"And that's supposed to make me want to stay?"

"Sure it is!" Jenn beamed. "We can be miserable together. There's two tubs of Forbidden Chocolate Ice-cream in the freezer just demanding to be eaten by the lot of us." She then noticed that Chris was looking at her, eyebrow raised slightly. "What?"

"Neither you, Shannon or Mia look miserable enough to warrant a whole tub of ice-cream," the Scot smirked. "Much less two tubs."

"Oh but we are!" she defended herself. "We're all so close that we're being just as miserable in sympathy."

"If you say so," Chris remained unconvinced. 

"Oh but I do!"

Trish shook her head with a wry smile. "You're a nut."

"I know! But the Nut is correct about you staying, right?"

The dark-haired girl sighed in defeat. "Right."

"Yay!!"

~*~

Jaime sighed as she found her surroundings change yet again; and found herself standing before Lucius in his hideout cave on a remote island to the north of Pummelo. "What do _you _want this time??" she demanded. "I was _busy_!!!"

"SILENCE Mortal!!" the red-haired Fae thundered making the girl quake slightly. "I have summoned you for vital information. Now that wench Callie is onto me, time is of the very essence. I must strike swiftly at my targets before all is lost."

"So what do you want?"

Lu paced. "The girl, Trish. What is her weakness? What can I use against her to destroy her completely?"

Jaime blinked. "Well she's addicted to coffee but that wouldn't destroy her.  The only other thing I can think of is that she is an asthmatic…"

"Her lungs are weak then," Lu stopped pacing, a wicked gleam coming into his eyes. "And can you tell me some scenario that she loves which I can turn into her worst nightmare using her weakness…"

"She loves reading the '_Hound of the Baskervilles_.' It's about…" She paused, then recited as if from memory. "It's about some hound from hell who hunts down any person who dares cross the moors at night. Don't know where you'd find a moor at. Whatever a moor is."

"It's perfect," Lu purred out. "_Perfect_."

~*~

Back at the villa, Danny glanced at his watch and sighed. "I guess I'd better get going…" The Navel Island Gym Leader hugged all the girls quickly in turn before shaking hands with Chris. "Take care all of you…"

Trish walked out with him to the back gate in silence. The tall Gym Leader rested a hand on the latch before turning. "So, I guess this is it for a while…"

"Yeah, at least until this mess has all died down or blown over," the Australian girl sighed.

"You take care of yourself now, promise?"

"I will. You too, Danny Boy."

"I will," he gave one last hug. "Still friends?"

Trish laughed. "Of course! If Drake thinks that I'm going to stop being friends with you just because he's paranoid, he'll have to think again!"

Danny smiled then opened the gate. "I'll see you around sometime. And it's bye from me…"

"Bye," Trish waited until the gate closed behind him then turned to go back inside. The whole situation was such a mess! "Oh what a tangled web we weave," she quoted softly from Shakespeare.

Just then a familiar voice came out of the darkness. "Did you say web? You know I _hate_ spiders with a passion!" Jenn walked up to her with anxiety and dread written all over her features. "I do hope you managed to clear the way for me like a good friend should!"

Trish shook her head. "I wasn't talking about spiders, Jenn."

"But you were talking about a web…"

"I was quoting from Shakespeare, you nut."

"You nut? I don't remember seeing that written in any of his plays," Jenn blinked. "Of course I've only managed to stay awake through one of them, and that was just barely."

Trish just rolled her eyes.

~*~

_The next morning…_

The two girls arrived at the Pokémon Centre as soon as its doors were open for business. Nurse Joy led them into the room where the rescued Pokémon were staying. "Espeon and Umbreon are back to full health and you can take them home," she smiled. 

Trish and Jenn each brought out a spare Poke ball, maximised them and threw them at the respective Pokémon they had chosen. The two creatures were converted into red energy then sucked into the red and white spheres, which wobbled once before emitting a single ding.

Jenn scooped up her ball and struck an Ash Victory Pose. "Alright!!! I caught a…uh…," she turned to her best friend. "What did I catch again?"

"An Umbreon, Jenn."

"I caught an Umbreon!!!"

"Before you two girls go, just let me register them in your names," Nurse Joy instructed as she led them out of the room.

~*~

"Are you sure about this?" Rebecca Thayer directed the question at her sister as she paced the floor of her spacious bedroom. 

"I'm sure," Liana stated firmly. "Jenn said that Trish would be happy to see us, and that I was to give her a call on her cell phone before we went there."

"I know I shouldn't be doubting you on this," Becca stopped pacing and threw herself on the bed beside her. "But what if Jenn's wrong?"

Her younger sister chuckled. "You know she'd be offended at that comment. The Goddess Jenn is never wrong, she'd say…"

"True," Becca laughed as well before sobering. "Wish I knew what was wrong with Drake…"

"Yeah," Liana echoed with a sigh. "It's almost like he's a different person…"

"Unless it's just because he's a guy and guys tend to mess things up. I mean he finally meets someone who loves him for who he is, not for what he is…"

"A girl that the family approves of."

"And Drake goes and stuffs it up, maybe for good," Becca finished gloomily. "Honestly men are such twits…"

"Who's a twit?" Ben poked his head around Becca's bedroom door.

"You are," Liana replied with a straight face.

"Oh hardy har," the young man retorted as he walked in and sat down in a chair. "So what are you two ladies planning to do this afternoon?"

"Getting together with Jenn and Trish to plot the destruction of men world wide. Right Bec?"

"Oh absolutely," Becca nodded. "It's the only thing that can be done about Drake."

"Yeah but what about the rest of us menfolk?" Ben asked, wide eyed. "I'm innocent, so I shouldn't have to suffer!"

Becca tilted her head to the side and regarded him quizzically. "Actually you're more guilty than any of the other guys put together."

"How so?!"

"Guilt by association dear Benji," Liana wagged her finger at him. "You are not only male but a brother!"

"Hey he's _your_ brother too!" Ben protested, glaring at his youngest sister for using _that_ nickname.

"But that's different!" both girls chorused gleefully.

"Oy, women," the young man groaned. "Seriously what are you two doing this afternoon?"

"We already told you. Jenn invited us over to see Trish," Becca raised herself up to a sitting position, brushing her fringe to one side.

The two girls were surprised to see a dark frown come over their brother's face. "You can't do that..."

"Why not?" Liana demanded. 

"Because Trish cheated on our brother and broke his heart! What would Drake say if he knew you went over to see his enemy!"

"Helllllo??? Earth to Benji Boy?!" Liana waved her hands in front of his face. "What makes you think that Drake is the only one with a broken heart? There are two sides in this - and have you seen Trish going out and partying hard with Danny? I think not!"

"Maybe so, but you two need to remember that Drake is our brother and therefore our full support needs to go with him and not Trish. Family loyalty comes first," Ben said hotly.

"But what if he _is _wrong?!" Becca shot back. "Does family loyalty demand that we support someone blindly no matter what they've done? And in this case I KNOW he is completely and utterly wrong!"

"It doesn't matter, he's our brother and I believe him on this," Ben folded his arms across his chest. "This is Drake for heaven's sake! He wouldn't lie about this!"

"And neither would Trish," Liana stated firmly.

"Well I'm inclined to believe Drake more," Ben frowned. "And you should too..."

Becca smirked. "I'd like to see how you go with Shannon on this. She may be your girlfriend but she's also friends with Trish."

"Shannon's entitled to her own opinion, but I would hope she'll see I'm right."

"As if," his sister snorted, inwardly thinking on how all guys were idiots.

~*~

Trish and Jenn managed to sneak back into the house without being seen.

"Despite how much of a celebrity this is making me feel like," Jenn said, closing the back door behind her. "It's getting to be darned inconvenient."

"You don't say," Trish said dryly. "I wonder why you feel like that."

"Oh, I dunno," the American girl shrugged. "Could be the campgrounds on the front lawn that holds half the press in the regions."

"Hmm, could be."

"What you really need, Trish," Mia walked into the kitchen, "is a diversion."

I know that," the older girl sighed as she slumped in a chair. "Someone to lure the press in the opposite direction. But I don't have a doppelganger handy..."

"I always thought it was doublegengar..." Jenn mused. 

"You would," Mia moaned.

"Anywayz," Jenn ignored the comment. "We need to find someone who could pass for T here…"

"No one we know," Trish said dejectedly. "The only other thing we can hope for is something bigger to break involving someone that's more important than Drake."

"You mean something like Ash being sprung naked in bed with Jenn?" Mia piped up.

"Hey!" the blonde in question huffed. "I've already been sprung with Ash in that situation!" She flushed beet red when Mia looked suddenly interested. "Of course we didn't do _anything_…much."

"Perhaps Cal or Puck might be able to help us out," the seventeen-year-old brunette brightened. "They could magick up a decoy for you…"

"True."

Mia then left the room to call Puck on her cell phone, leaving the two older girls alone. A few minutes silence passed. "So how are you feeling?" Jenn ventured softly.

Her answer came in the form of a deep sigh. "Like crap, just existing, not really living…"

"You still thinking about him?"

"As much as I try _not_ to, I still do, especially at night," Trish slunk further into her chair.

"Block him out completely," the blonde snorted. "I mean why on earth you would think about a guy who is such a player, such a moron. Label him as a closed and vacuum sealed chapter of your life and move on. You can do better than him, Tah."

"Jenn, it's only been what two or three days…"

"So? The faster you get the toxins out of your system the better."

"If I remember rightly, it's taken _you _a good month and a bit to declare yourself completely over Gary," Trish stated, one eyebrow raised.

"Uh…yeah."

"So why should I have to get over Drake in two days?"

"He's not worthy?" Jenn held up her hands in defence.  "Okay, okay…The answer is…I don't really know.  Other than I hate to see you tear yourself up over him."

Trish didn't relent. "But _why _are you so insistent that I get over Drake so quickly?"

"You mean He-Who-Is-The-Year's-Biggest-Asshole," the blonde corrected.

"That's too long to say," her friend protested. "How about Mr. Asshole?"

Jenn rolled her eyes. "You, Sis, are just too polite. In fact waaaaaaaay too polite," the tall American wagged her finger. "I wouldn't be so polite. You gotta be more American..."

A ghost of a smile played over Trish's face. "Well technically that's impossible, since I am an _Australian..."_

Jenn rolled her eyes. "Stop making things so complicated." But at least her best friend was showing signs of getting her old spirit back. "You gotta show him _no_ mercy and kick his butt thoroughly!"

"Why does it sound like that I might have to beat you to it?"

"He messed with me, and no one messes with tha Goddess!" Jenn growled. "He _used _me!!!"

"He used _both_ of us," Trish said wryly.

"Yeah but I got used worse than you."

"How?"

"Well..." Jenn struggled for a quick answer. "I got a hangover and you didn't. And a hangover is _no_ laughing matter. It's too close in relation to a migraine."

"But _you_ weren't humiliated in front of hundreds of people, or his colleagues and accused of being with another guy's child," Trish retorted. "Nor do I see _you_ splashed all over the papers being called a cheater amongst other nastier things."

"I think a whole nightclub counts for something," the blonde protested. "And I'm just channelling your rage if you must know. You're so not the vengeful type." She patted Trish on the back. "See the problem with you, Tah, is that you're too nice. When things like this happen, you gotta take action against those who wrong you. And since you won't do it, I'll just have to do it for you!"

"Just don't kill him okay?"

Jenn sighed and shoved a freshly brewed coffee in front of her best friend. "Stop being so nice. Hush now and drink. The Goddess knows better than you in these matters."

"You're not going to listen to me are you?" 

"Nope! Gotta keep up my image of not listening.."

"Oy," Trish shook her head. "I wash my hands of this matter..."

Jenn blinked. "How did you do that? I didn't see you go to the bathroom."

"And again with the 'Oy'.

Just then there was a knock at the back door. Jenn quickly walked over and to her relief it was only Ash, Pikachu, Liana and Becca standing there. They had obviously followed her instructions to come through the back gate.

As soon as she opened the door, the yellow mouse launched herself at the blonde with a happy '_Chhhhhhhhaaaaaaaa!_'

"Wow, Pik's really really happy to see you, Jenn" the Grand Master remarked with a smile before two small Pichus barrelled over and hugged his legs. Ash scooped up Pepita and Satochu and nursed them in his strong arms.

"But isn't your Pikachu one of those naturally happy types anyway?" Becca questioned.

Ash looked over to where his first Pokémon was snuggled in Jenn's arms. "She is, but Pik's become more fussier about who she likes."

'_Pikapichu_' the electric mouse looked up at the blonde with big brown eyes. 

Jenn melted and hugged the small creature gently. "Awww you are such a widdle cutie!!" 

Pikachu grinned. '_Pikapichu pikacha Pikapi_?'

At this comment Ash blushed slightly. "Pikachu!! You shouldn't ask Jenn things like that!"

"Like what?" Jenn looked at the Grand Master who seemed to flush even more under her gaze.

"Um...she wanted to know if you thought I was a...um...hot...cutie." 

Now it was Jenn's turn to writhe internally. "Uh…do I have to answer that now?"

"Aww, c'mon Jenn," Mia smirked as she returned from her phone call. "You're among close friends here. Besides, after what happened to Trish here, would we even want to tell anyone's secrets?"

"True," the blonde mused before taking a deep breath and glancing down at the small 'chu in her arms. She whispered into one long black-tipped ear. "I do think Ash is a hot cutie."

"Oooh!!" Mia squealed, as she'd bent closer to hear without Jenn noticing. "I knew it!!"

"Okay, moving right along," Jenn said hurriedly, ushering all before her into the kitchen. "Let's go see the hopefully caffeinated Trish…"

Ash went over and hugged his friend first before stepping back for Becca and Liana. An awkward silence hung in the air as the two girls held back, unsure of their welcome.

Trish made the first move. "Hey Bec, Hey Liana" she offered a small smile.

That broke the ice, the two sisters rushing over and enveloping the older girl in a group hug.

"We are sooo sorry for what happened," Liana repeated what she had told Jenn the previous day. "So are Mom and Dad, they would have been here if they could…"

"No need to apologise," Trish hugged them both. "You're not to blame for what happened; you can tell your parents that too. The full blame rests with Drake himself,  no one else."

"Hey where's Ben?" Jenn piped up. "I thought he would be here…"

The two Thayer girls looked at each other before Becca spoke. "Uh…Ben is of the opinion that anyone who wrongs his brother wrongs him."

"You are kidding me aren't you?" Trish had one eyebrow raised.

"Um, afraid not. We had a rather loud argument"

"Oh this just keeps on getting better and better," the Australian girl moaned as she sunk down to almost under the table. "Now I'm the cause of a family feud."

Jenn hauled her back up. "Before you end up on the floor, how about we go into the lounge room? I'm sure it's more comfortable on the carpet than the kitchen tiles don't you think?"

~*~

Drake rolled over on the couch in his office and gazed with bleary eyes at the wall clock, 4.45 pm. _Time to get up…_

The Orange Crew Leader had lain down for an hour after being struck with a massive migraine. He felt rather light-headed and wondered if he should call off his 5pm meeting with Cissy, the Mikan Island Gym Leader and make a doctor's appointment instead. For these migraines had become almost a daily occurrence, leaving him feeling incredibly woozy. Compounding the problem was the fact he seemed to have selective memory, as if someone had ripped pages out of his life. He remembered everything fine except for the past five days. Try as he might, he just could not recall them.

Stumbling off the couch and into the ensuite bathroom, the Pummelo Island Gym Leader splashed some cold water on his face to freshen up before getting a cup of tea. Settling down in the leather chair behind his desk, his dark gaze fell on a framed photo of Trish. He wondered why she hadn't been around lately and why the daily papers were no longer placed on his desk to read each morning. Maybe he could ask his colleague when she came in…

Cissy entered the office promptly at five, attired in her usual outfit of a tank top and long skirt. "Hey Drake."

"Hey, Cissy. Take a seat." He waved her towards one of the chairs opposite. "Before we start, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Have you seen Trish around lately? She hasn't stopped by at all and I was wondering if you knew…"he trailed off at the incredulous look his friend was giving him. "What?"

"Drake, you two had a spectacular bust up at the League dance two days ago. _Obviously _Trish isn't going to stop by," Cissy said slowly. She was unprepared for what came next…

"What??" the Crew Leader's jaw dropped. "What do you mean we had a spectacular bust up?"

"Don't you remember?" Cissy frowned; she was starting to get worried. "You two had a huge argument in front of everyone. You accused Trish of cheating with Danny and being pregnant with his child. Naturally she took offence at that and fought back, then you yelled at your sister, and it ended with Trish declaring it was all over and storming off."

Drake was mortified. "I would _never_ have done such a thing!!! I swear I wouldn't have…I didn't really did I?"

"You did," the Mikan Island Gym Leader confirmed then looked hard at him. "You _really_ don't remember what happened do you?"

"No. I swear that I honestly have _no_ recollection of the past five days," the man slunk down into his seat. "I remember everything else _but_ that –  I've tried as hard as I can to remember but all I ever do is bring on another migraine…I can't believe I would have done such a thing…"

"It did seem out of character," Cissy agreed.

Drake sat up straight. "Maybe I can ring Jenn to explain…"

"Er, I wouldn't do that if I were you…"

He paused with his hand near the phone and looked wary. "What did I do to her?"

"Oh just got her completely smashed with alcohol at the _Chikorita Nightclub_, then proceeded to dance extremely up close and personal…"

"Oh God, no…"

"Oh yes. You then told Chris to tell Trish that you were just treating her best friend the same way she was treating yours. You then tried to turn Trish against Jenn by saying you two slept with each other beforehand."

The Pummelo Island Gym Leader grimaced. "And when did this happen?"

"Five days ago."

"Figures it would be in the period I don't remember at _all_," he muttered then opened a drawer and grabbed out a catalogue. 

"What are you doing?"

"Jenn is most likely going to kill me," Drake flipped through the pages. "Trish said once that only platinum and/or diamond jewellery works as a peace offering on Jenn. He picked up the phone and dialled, gesturing for silence as he was connected through to _Tiffany's_. The Pummelo Gym Leader placed an order for an exquisite gold bracelet encrusted with diamonds, one that he knew that Jenn had _always_ wanted, but could never afford. When he hung up, Cissy was grinning at him. "What?"

"When you go to make amends, you _really_ make amends," she giggled. "Maybe _I_ should get mad at you!" 

"I'd rather you didn't," Drake said with a wry grin. "I already have a few who are, and that's more than enough!"

"If that is what you are getting _Jenn_ to say you're sorry, you must be getting the whole shop for Trish!"

"Jenn has always said she can be bought," the dark-haired man leaned back in his chair. "Unfortunately for me, Trish is the exact opposite. From the sounds of it, she'd probably be satisfied with nothing less than my head on a platter…"

"Probably."

"You are so encouraging..." Drake buried his head in his hands. "Whatever I did, I would never have done it if I had known…why would I do such terrible things to the most important person in my life?"

~*~

Back at the girls' villa, the only one of their visitors who remained was Ash and Pikachu. Liana and Becca had gone back home since they were expecting dinner guests.

"How about you show me your new Pokémon?" the Grand Master suggested. "Give them a chance to meet the others in your group."

"Yeah how about it?" Mia piped up.

The group went into the backyard where a sharp whistle or two brought the rest of the girls' Pokémon running. Hamlet ran up to Trish, followed by Ophelia who was giving Pepita a ride. Mac was carrying Ash's Pikachu whereas Beth was saddled with Satochu.

"Come on out Espeon!" Trish threw her poke ball which released the small lavender Psychic Pokémon. The Espeon shook her head a little before walking over and resting against the girl's legs.

The two Growlithe sniffed the newcomer inquisitively before barking happily and licking the fox-like Pokémon's face. 

"Aww isn't that cute?" Jenn smirked before maximising her poke ball and throwing it. "My turn! I choose…er…whatever you are!"

The Umbreon formed from the red beam of energy and promptly gave the same raised eye look that everyone was giving the blonde. "What??" Jenn demanded.

"Aren't you going to say its name?" Mia questioned.

"I've forgotten what it is!"

Umbreon heard a slight giggle coming from her left and she glared at her sibling Espeon. '_Why did I have to be her Pokémon??_'

'_Never mind her Umbreon, she is not as bad as you think_,' a male voice echoed in her head. 

The Dark Pokémon turned her head towards the sound of the 'voice' and saw the Grand Master looking at her. He inclined his head slightly towards Jenn and Umbreon understood what he wanted her to do.

_'You want me to watch over **her**?_' Umbreon whined silently using the psychic link that enabled the Chosen One to communicate with all Pokémon.

'_You got it._'

The Pokémon sighed. '_Okay, I'll do it. You are the __Chosen__ One and the boss after all_…'

Jenn scratched her head. "Okay let's try again. Undie-on. I choose you!!!"

The Dark Pokémon gritted her teeth. _'_Umbre_!_' she hissed then swung on her sister Espeon who was almost killing herself with laughter. 'It's NOT funny!!! I know she's blonde but does she have to act like it?'

Jenn looked hopefully at her non responsive Pokémon then looked at her best friend who sat there just shaking her head. "I'm guessing that wasn't it, huh?"

"Jenn...if I was a Pokémon and you called me _that_ - I wouldn't answer either!"

Meanwhile the Umbreon had bounded up to the Espeon and smiled sweetly at her. 'Hey...Sis...'

'Yes?'

'How about we swap humans? I'll take the dark-haired one, you take the blonde, okay?'

Espeon burst out laughing. 'No way!'

Umbreon pouted. 'Well I say yes way. Besides, I match up with Trish better than you. I have black fur and she has black hair. Pwetty pweeeeeeeeeease?'

'No!' Espeon gently batted her sister on the nose with her tail. '_Jenn is **your** human, and you must watch over her for the __Chosen__ One like you agreed to.'_

'_Me and my big mouth_…'

"I've got it now!" The two Pokémon were interrupted by a triumphant shout from Jenn. "Umbrella-on! I choose you!!!'

Espeon collapsed in a heap of laughter as Umbreon's ears drooped. 'Well she **nearly** got it right that time!'

The Dark Pokémon sent a withering glance towards Ash and he just chuckled and walked over to the puzzled blonde and put a hand on her shoulder. "You almost got it right Jenn. It's Umbreon."

The American girl blinked. "I knew that!" Everyone fell over. "I was just…ah…testing you that's all…"

"Sure you were." Ash rolled his eyes.

"Dare you doubt the Goddess?" 

"I dare."

"Why I oughta…" Jenn glared at the Grand Master but as usual found herself unable to stay mad at him.

"Kiss him?" Mia called out with a cheeky grin, Pikachu cheering her on.

"Who asked you?!"

Espeon managed to raise herself to a sitting position and nosed her sibling. '_You okay there?_' she asked, still giggling.

The heap of black and gold fur shuddered. '_Why me?_'

~*~

It was 6.30pm when Cissy finally left the Orange League Headquarters building, and the Mikan Gym Leader stopped off at a nearby café to have dinner. As she ate, the tall brunette reflected back on the meeting she had just had with her friend and colleague. 

Drake had no recollection whatsoever of the nightclub incident or the fight and break-up with his girlfriend. The Orange Crew Leader had insisted that she tell him everything that happened, sparing no detail. So she did just that and ended up having to comfort one extremely upset man. In fact he got so worked up over what he had done that he brought on a massive migraine; and so Cissy had Ben come and take his brother home.

It was all so very strange, and yet she suspected that he was telling the truth in this case. The Drake she had seen this evening was more like the man that everyone knew. Cissy took a sip of her soda and sighed. If only Drake was able to make things right again, but would Trish or Jenn even give him the time of day? There had to be a way to help him. The Gym Leader decided to speak to the American girl first thing in the morning.

~*~

Cissy arrived at the villa just as Jenn stepped out the back gate. "Hi Jenn, just the person I wanted to see," she greeted.

"Hey, Cissy," Jenn smiled as she locked the gate. "I can't talk now, I'm just on my way to get some groceries."

"Could we perhaps stop off at a café on the way? I really need to talk to you about something…" the brunette frowned slightly.

"Is it very important?"

"It is. It's about what happened with Drake…"

Half an hour later, the two girls were seated in a rather private booth in the Shakin' Spinda, the best place in the Archipelago for ice creams and milkshakes. 

Jenn sipped on her chocolate milkshake as she pondered what the Mikan Island Gym Leader had just told her. "Let me get this straight. Drake doesn't remember a single thing about what happened up to and including the fight?"

"That's right."

"And you _believe_ that lying sack of…"

"Jenn!" Cissy stared at the blonde with a shocked expression. "I _believe_ what he says to be true. You weren't there…You didn't see him."

"I know," Jenn nodded and leaned close, speaking in a confidential tone. "That's why he's still alive."

Cissy sighed inwardly and watched the blonde sit back and sip at her milkshake, her attention following something outside. Even though she had been expecting this reaction from the blonde, she had hoped that there was some part of Jenn that would have an open mind, to believe even with what had occurred. "Well I do. I've never seen a man so devastated as Drake when I told him what had happened. He was so cut up by all this that he got hammered by a bad migraine..."

Blue-grey eyes fixed sharply on her. "So what do you want from me?" The tone was flat and unconcerned.

"I just hoped that you might be able to find out what's wrong with him, or persuade Trish to talk to him, though that seems highly unlikely."

"Well…"

"Please Jenn?" Cissy pleaded. "He really is sorry for everything, including what happened to you at the _Chikorita Club_. He even got something for you from _Tiffany's_ to apologise."

"Sure," Jenn snorted. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"I guess I'll take that as a no," the Mikan Island Gym Leader sighed.

"Sorry Cis," the American girl was at least truly apologetic. "I just find it hard to believe that he could do such asinine things and not remember them."

"That's okay," Cissy waved it off. "At least I tried…"

~*~

Jenn arrived home an hour later laden with groceries and was grateful to dump them on the kitchen table. Trish came out to help and the two girls put away the food and supplies.

Mia came running in carrying a small gift bag. "Hey Jenn, this came for you!"

The blonde straightened up and rubbed her back as she peered at the bag. "You sure its for me? It says it's from _Tiffany's_…"

"Of _course_ I'm sure," Mia huffed. "I can read. The tag says its from Drake to you and it says that he's really sorry for what happened."

Jenn blinked and inwardly cringed at the look she got from her best friend. "Oh-kay…" She took the bag from Mia and opened it to withdraw a large flat velvet box. Opening the lid revealed a beautiful gold bracelet inlaid with diamonds; in fact it was the very same bracelet she had been eyeing for some time.

"Wow," Mia breathed as she looked over Jenn's shoulders. "He sure knows how to make amends, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he sure does," Trish said, a slight edge to her voice.

Jenn knew what her friend was thinking and quickly turned to her. "Oh there's absolutely nothing going on between us! You know that, and you also know that I can be bought off with expensive bling blings. Drake does too and this is what this is and nothing more."

"True, but why haven't I got some expensive bling bling from him?" Trish grumbled. "I'm his…ex!" 

The blonde blinked. "But I thought you couldn't be bought.." 

"I can't! But that doesn't mean Drake couldn't have tried!" the dark-haired Australian muttered. "It's like he doesn't even care…"

Jenn almost pointed out that her best friend had just contradicted herself, but settled for giving her a tight hug instead. Trish was already emotionally overwrought, no sense in making her worse. Women were perfectly entitled to be fickle after all. She just wished there was something she could do to help…

~*~

Back in her room, Jenn sat on her bed and gazed at the glittering bracelet inside its velvet case; her thoughts drifting back to the earlier conversation with the Mikan Island Gym Leader. So Cissy had been right about the bracelet from_ Tiffany's_…which meant that she could also be right about Drake being in some sort of trouble. Jenn had always found the brunette to be a honest and reliable person before, so why should she doubt her word?

'_It's because of what he did to me and especially because of what he did to my closest friend_,' her brows furrowed with renewed anger. '_As long as she hates his guts, I do too_.' 

But did her best friend really hate his guts? It was obvious to Jenn that Trish was completely torn over the whole thing. She had heard the hesitation before the word 'ex.' On the one hand she had vowed to be strong, to get on with her life and she was better off without him. Her public facade was that she was completely over him. 

However the negative publicity that had been generated over the incident meant that she had to be very careful about what she did. She couldn't even go out for a girls' night out at the local nightclubs, just in case some nasty piece of work spotted her speaking with any guy, however innocent it may be.

Privately, Trish was rather an emotional mess. She just found it almost impossible to believe what Drake had done to her. The man she knew, or _thought_ she knew, would never have aired their troubles in public. But the truth was, that he had.

Jenn sighed then came to a decision. She would take Puck with her to see Drake just like Cissy had asked. 

~*~

Mia ran to the door to let Puck and Callie in when they arrived, the teenager giving the young Fae a quick hug and kiss, which caused him to blush beet red under the amused gaze of his sister.

"I'm so glad you two came," Mia led Puck by the hand into the living room. "I'm really worried about the effect this whole mess is having on Trish. She's looking more run down and frail every day, when she should have been getting better after Cal removed some of the spell. I hope you can do something for her…"

Chris entered the living room a few minutes later, his eyes widening as they fell upon the tall, beautiful brunette who was standing beside her brother. He subconsciously straightened his shirt and smoothed back his dark hair; it would not do at all to look scruffy in front of such a stunner.

Mia noticed her friend and stepped forward. "Oh, Chris, I'd like you to meet Puck's sister Calliope, but everyone calls her Callie. Callie, I'd like you to meet my friend Chris."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Chris gave a slight bow, noticing that the female Fae was smiling at him with an amused look on her face.

"You must be the Chris I've heard so much about from the girls," Callie said. 

"Oh?" the Scot's ego puffed up a notch. So she had heard about him… "What have they been saying about me? All good things I hope."

Callie titled her head to the side. "Actually they were talking about what a wonderful girl you make as Christine." 

Chris groaned as his ego deflated like a pricked balloon. "Why am I not surprised?" 

Mia smirked. "Hey what else do you expect from being the token male in a group of girls? I know that I always think of you as being one of the girls."

"Gee, thanks so much Mia," the Scot said rather sourly. She _would _have to go and humiliate him even more in front of potential date material!

"Don't be so hard on her, Chris," Callie smiled. "I think it's wonderful how you managed to cope with the transformation and how you didn't let it get you down. That takes guts and I admire you for it."

"Really?"

"Really, and I'm sure you learnt a valuable lesson from it all."

"Oh I did!" the young man assured her. "I'm not likely to forget it either!"

"Great."

"So," Chris decided to make his move while the going was good. "Would you like a drink or something to eat Callie? If you come with me to the kitchen I can show you what's there."

"A drink would be nice," the female Fae replied as she followed him out of the room.

Mia grinned then noticed Puck watching the departing figure of his sister with a slight frown. "What?"

The Fae blinked. "Oh, nothing."

"Yeah right," Mia snorted. "I saw you looking at Chris."

Puck grumbled, "Yeah, well he's interested in my _sister_, which makes it _my_ interest as well."

"Sounds like someone is doing the protective brother act," Mia teased.

"With Cal looking like every man's bootylicious dream, you would too!" the chestnut-haired Fae protested. "Not that she _needs_ any protection, but that's beside the point. It's a...brother thing?"

"She must get heaps of suitors."

"Yeah, but Cal's never been interested in any of them."

"Until now..." Mia said slyly.

"Exactly," Puck nodded then snapped his head around to look at his girlfriend. "What do you mean 'until now'...Callie's interested in Chris?"

"Uh-huh."

"How can you tell?"

"Women's intuition."

Just then Jenn came into the room, dragging Trish behind her. "Hey, Puck!" she greeted cheerily. "Hope you and Cal can do something to help Ms. Sad Sack here."

Trish gave her a half-hearted scowl before sitting down on the couch, whereupon Hamlet leapt onto his mistress' lap. 

"I hope so too," Puck agreed before noticing Jenn was beckoning him over. He rose and walked over to the blonde, curious as to what she wanted with him. Hopefully it had nothing to do with pinching his butt, for he had heard Jenn had a reputation for pinching the butt of any good-looking guy. Mia would never forgive him for it.

Jenn led him into the next room, and when she finally spoke, it was in a low voice. "You and I are going to go see Drake tomorrow."

Puck blinked. "We are? What do you want me there for? If it's anything illegal count me out, I don't kill people with magic y'know."

"What makes you think I would kill him?" the blonde huffed. 

"No offence Jenn, but you are rather aggressive," the Fae held up his hands in defence. 

"Well, I_ am_ American," she rolled her eyes. "It's perfectly normal for us. Though I have to admit that the thought_ has_ crossed my mind; but I'm not going there to kill him, promise."

"Promise?" Puck looked doubtful. 

"Promise," Jenn raised one hand as if taking an oath. "Trish would kill_ me_ if I did that, and I so totally don't want to die at the moment."

"So what do you want me to go along for?" 

"To find out if there's something wrong magic wise with Drake, and if there is, cure it," the blonde explained. 

"Okay, count me in." 

~*~

_The next morning…_

Jenn and Puck were ushered into the Orange Crew Leader's office by his personal assistant promptly at 11. Both were shocked by Drake's appearance, the dark-haired man looked pale and utterly drained. Jenn allowed herself a small inward smirk at this; it would be poetic justice if he was having as crappy sleeps as Trish was. 

"Please, take a seat," Drake waved them into the two chairs across from his desk.

"Why Drake, you look like crap!" Jenn smiled sweetly as Puck shot her a disapproving look.

"Thank you so much," the Orange Crew Leader said dryly.

"I don't want your thanks," the blonde retorted with a glare.

"I was being sarcastic; I wasn't being nice."

"Neither am I."

Drake gritted his teeth silently. He had been expecting a hostile reception from Jenn, but did she have to make things so difficult? He desperately needed her to understand that he was under some spell, a spell which made him say and do things against his free will. There were only occasions like this one when he was his own self, but he had to fight hard to win it. He wondered if he would have had more luck going straight to Trish, at least she might have given him the benefit of doubt before slamming any verbal doors in his face.   

Meanwhile Jenn was silently congratulating herself on such a sharp comeback. Nobody disses the Goddess and gets away with it. She mentally counted the verbal ammunition she had stored away when a tiny voice inside her brain whispered. '_Now now Jenn.__ Might we remind ourselves exactly what we're doing here?'_

_'Getting personal satisfaction?'_

_'Besides that.'___

_'We're gonna kick his sorry ass?'_

_'No!!!' _the voice was exasperated. '_We're here to hopefully help Trish and Drake get back together!'_

Jenn frowned. '_Who are you?'_

_'I am your conscience.'_

_'Really?__ How come I don't remember you?'_

_'You never listen to me that's why!'_

From the corner of her eye, Jenn caught sight of Puck looking exasperated and something clicked. "HEY!"

Both Drake and Puck jumped. Drake looked confused and broody, while Puck looked slightly guilty.

"What?" the Fae ventured.

"Stay outta my head!" Jenn glared at the slender man. "Don't think I'm that stupid." She crossed her arms and sat back in her chair. "I know my mental voice, and it doesn't talk all British accented like you."

"Neither do I!" 

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Drake watched Jenn huff and turn away from Puck, while the Fae looked torn between anger and confusion. The Orange Island Gym Leader sighed softly.

"Well, fine," Jenn snapped.

"Fine!" Puck ground out.

"Children..." Drake drawled out, feeling like a counsellor. "No fighting."

"_You_ need to keep quiet," Jenn fumed. "You're in enough hot water as it is."

"I might be," Drake said, "but I'm proposing that we strike a truce."

Jenn almost snorted, then thought of both the bracelet and Cissy's pleadings. The almost snort turned into a sigh that perked up Drake's interest.

"Jenn?" he asked. "Will you strike a truce?"

"Well, a truce isn't what I _want_ to strike," the blonde ignored the swift wince that flashed on Drake's face, "but I'll agree to it."

Something deep down, _really_ deep down, told Jenn to be patient and to listen to whatever it was Drake had to say. This time she was sure the inner voice was her own and not Puck, and her inner voice was never wrong. It was most smug about its track record of correctness and...

She noticed the two males staring at her. "Um...What's the plan?"

_To be continued_

_Author's Note: As stated previously, many thanks go to Jenn on this chapter. Without her support and encouragement this story wouldn't have got very far._

_Just one note to readers.__ Do not go making judgements on a writer by just one story. Go to his or her profile and read a couple of stories. If you don't agree with their reasoning do not flame them for it – there is freedom of speech and if it doesn't fit in with the Pokémon anime or magna so be it. The aim of Fanfiction writing is to unleash your imagination and free your soul. Besides if we all wrote AAMLs and trainer journey fics it would all get so very tired._


	15. Chapter Fourteen: When The Madness Stops

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Nor do I own Shakespeare. Ashura the Mew has been borrowed from Dragoness with her permission. Lucius is co-owned with Mia. Callie, Flory, Poppy, Poptart and any other unfamiliar characters belong to me as does the storyline. The concept of Pokéspeare is mine too. Some parts of the chapter are authored by Jenn and used with her blessings but it's mostly me. I do not own the song the Chapter title is taken from – Savage Garden's _Break__ Me, Shake Me. _Nor do I own '_Can't Fight the Moonlight' _by LeAnn Rimes.

_Chapter Fourteen:  When the Madness Stops_

_So you're the kind who deals with the games in the mind_

_Well you confuse me in a way that I've never known_

_You confuse me in a way that I've never known_

_So break me, shake me, hate me, take me over_

_When the madness stops then you will be alone._

_Break Me, Shake Me – Savage Garden_

"Simple," Drake leaned back in his chair. "You promise to at least _hear _me out before you try to throw me out." 

Jenn smirked. "I wouldn't have to try, because I would throw you out the _first_ go." The blonde enjoyed the slight scowl that came over the Orange Crew Leader's face.

Drake tried to keep his voice level. "You're making things more difficult than they need to be. We just agreed to a truce; let's try to stick to it for more than a minute?"

The American girl just rolled her eyes and snorted. 

"If you resent me so much then why don't you just leave?' Drake raised one dark brow. "You gave me your word Jenn; now do you really want to help Trish and myself or not?"

"Alright," she muttered reluctantly and slunk down into her seat.

"The fact of the matter is...I need your help. The problem is that I don't know exactly what the problem is; the only thing I know is that I have _no_ memory whatsoever of what happened those nights. Not the _Chikorita Nightclub_, not the fight with Trish...I know it's hard to believe but that is the honest truth."

"It's not just hard to believe, it's also convenient!" Jenn chipped in with an overly sugar coated tone.

Drake closed his eyes and sighed. "This is going to be a long day."

Jenn batted her long lashes innocently. _You have no idea_, she thought darkly.

~*~

Meanwhile, in a cave on a nearby island, a certain blonde was waking from unconsciousness to find herself tied to a chair in a dim location. She lifted her head to take a look at her surroundings. "Where am I?" 

The wide stone cavern echoed her question, but did not answer it. Someone did, but his voice did not echo. It seemed to flow over her skin in a physical way and she shivered.

"Welcome to my parlour," the smooth voice said. "Said the spider to the fly."

She winced. Why was everyone talking about spiders?

A lean man with long red hair appeared in front of her and smiled down at her with sparkling emerald green eyes. "I do hope you like your accommodations."

"I've had better."

An elegant red brow lifted. "I'm sure you have."

"Who are you?" Jenn glared. "And what do you want with me?"

"As for who I am," the man stared down at her. "I'm sure you can figure it out yourself. You and your friends have been...talking about me...for quite a while now."

Jenn's brows furrowed together and she exhaled sharply. "You're Lu!"

"Precisely," Lu turned his back to her. "You're not as dim-witted as you make yourself out to be."

"And what, exactly, do you mean by that?" Jenn demanded.

He turned. "You play the dumb blonde rather well." 

"What do you want with me?"

"Oh it's not what I want from you, it's what I want you to _do_."

"I won't help you." Jenn said. "I won't help you hurt my friends."

"Really?" Lu looked disappointed. "And here I had hoped you would prove to be as easy to overtake as two of your friends."

Jenn narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

"Dear, oh dear...Am I at liberty to say whom?" Lu cocked his head to the side. "Rudy and Jaime."

"Rudy and..." Jenn gasped. "Rudy, I can understand since he's not even a _friend,_ but Jaime? I can't believe it."

"I would, of course, compensate you with whatever you want." Lu went on. "At least one gift has been bestowed on you from me already."

"What is that?" Jenn asked warily.

"A certain dance with a certain gym leader comes to mind," Lu said, tapping his chin with a finger.

"Even you know about that?" Jenn groaned. "Oh, why me?"

"Know about it!" Lu laughed. "Silly mortal! **_I_** _made it happen_!"

Jenn blanched at the words. "No...no, that's impossible..."

"Of course it's not impossible, I..."

"No, not that!" Jenn shook her head. "I was right! Drake _was_ under a spell!" Then the blonde groaned. "I knew I should've placed a bet on it."

Lu stared at the girl, an incredulous look on his features. "You are a strange mortal."

Jenn shrugged. "I get that a lot."

"It really doesn't matter anyway," Lu continued. "Regardless if you agree or not, you will succumb to my plans."

"No I won't!" Jenn said. "Whatever you do, you'll never get away with it!"

Lu leaned close, his breath warm on her bare shoulder. "I already have.."

Jenn watched him as he sauntered off. "What did you do?"

He didn't stop walking.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!"

The evil Fae paused and looked over his shoulder. "Why bother telling you?"

"If you…"

"What I mean, mortal, is that I'll simply show you."

Jenn's nostrils flared in a mix of fear and anger as a wide panel appeared in front of her. It resembled a wall mounted television. The light space flickered and then images appeared on it, sharp and fully detailed. There was also sound.

Lu was pleased with the shocked expression on the blonde's face. "What do you think of that?"

She frowned, "I'm thinking being evil isn't that bad. I mean…Plasma TV's conjured out of thin air? Intense."  
  
"So I have you, then?"  
  
"In a word…No." Jenn sneered at the Fae. "As soon as I get out of these ropes, you are in for some _serious_ hurting!"  
  
"Aaah, aah," Lu said in a singsong tone, wagging his finger at her. "Those are enchanted ropes. They'll be around your wrists and ankles until I disenchant them."  
  
"And that would be?"  
  
"Once you cooperate, of course."  
  
"Of course," the blonde sighed. " I really hate you magical users."  
  
Lu only smiled.

~*~

Back in a nondescript hotel room, a blue flower in a blue terra cotta pot suddenly shivered and vanished in a blue mist, only to emerge from the mist as a blue coloured Pokémon.  
  
Ashura looked around and flew over to the large window overlooking Pummelo Bay. He stared out into the distance, his gaze focused on the horizon.  
  
Joanne walked up behind her Pokémon, saying nothing to disturb him. She'd seen him in trances like this before and knew better than to disturb him before he was ready to talk.  
  
Ten minutes went before the small Pokémon turned to face his human. _'Strange things are afoot.'_

~*~

'_Wake up_.'  
  
The voice that interrupted Umbreon's nap was familiar and annoying. She chose to ignore it and try to refocus on the dream at hand. One which had a certain blonde in a vice versa deal with Umbreon. The Dark Pokémon snorted with contained mirth at the sight of herself calling out to "Jenneon" only to replace it with…  
  
Umbreon sat up, suddenly in a bad mood. There was no way to mess up Jenneon as the blonde had messed up Umbreon. The Dark Pokémon looked over at the being responsible for waking her up.  
  
Lilac eyes gazed at her. '_About time you woke up. I was beginning to think I'd need a Pokéflute to wake you.'  
_  
"_Stick the flute up your_…" She broke off when she noticed a few more Pokémon hovering around her sister. Three Growlithe and a…a blue Mew? '_If I'd have known we had company…'_  
  
 '_You'd have had a better attitude?'_

  
 _'No,_'  Umbreon stood up, stretched. '_I'd have taken a nap in my poké ball and really ignored you. What do you and your entourage want?'  
  
_

_'Jenn is missing,_' Espeon said, leading her sister and the rest to an area overlooking the villa.   
  
Just then, a tinkling laugh floated out from the villa.  
  


'_No, she's in there,'_ Umbreon said patiently. _'I think I know what her laugh sounds like by now.'__  
_  
Espeon looked at the others, as if for support. The strange Mew, who was hovering three feet above ground, floated over to Umbreon's side. '_Take a closer look._'  
  
Umbreon sighed and trotted into the kitchen through the open French doors. There was the group, sitting in the living room watching television. Jenn, Trish, and Shannon were watching a funny video program. A Houndour walked into a closed glass door and the blonde burst out laughing.  
  
Espeon sat next to her sister and cocked her head. '_Notice anything different?'_  
  


'_She's wearing tasteful clothes?'_  
  
Indeed, the blonde was wearing something that didn't have flowing sleeves or flared pants. Actually, she was wearing a grey track outfit, something she didn't normally wear.  
  


'_Look at her energy._' Espeon said patiently.  
  
Umbreon sighed, but did so, paying attention to the natural energies that flared around each individual human. The Dark Pokémon stifled a gasp, for her human had a taint to her energy, as if it were being manipulated.  
  
Espeon ushered her sister outside, where the hovering Mew looked at Umbreon with a patient gaze.  
  


_'That's not my human,_' Umbreon said, feeling nauseous at the contamination to the energy.  
  
_'Precisely,_' the Mew said. Behind him, two of the Growlithe whined low as the third nuzzled them sympathetically.

_'We'll find Jenn safe and sound_,' Hamlet reassured Mac and Beth as a new and squeaky voice joined them out of the darkness.

_'He's right, and if we all work together,_' a familiar yellow electric mouse scampered up to them.

_'Hey Pikachu_,' Mew greeted as he performed a lazy mid-air somersault.

_'What are you doing here?__'_ Umbreon asked, curious as to why the Grand Master's favourite Pokémon was doing here alone.

_'I'm here because Ashura the Mew here first came to Ash when he found out what had happened. Ash being the __Chosen__ One and all; and as it is Jenn that is missing, he'd instructed me to help find her__.'_

'_What is the deal between those two__?_' Mac cocked his head. 

_'Oh I think they're more like kindred spirits than anything else__,_' Pikachu giggled. _'Although Jenn does have a bit of a crush on my Pikapi...__'_

_'So what are you guys going to do?__'_ Umbreon asked.

_'We are going with Mew and Pikachu to look for Jenn__,'_ Espeon informed her sister, stretching her legs as she did so.

Umbreon flattened her ears against her dark head. _'Heeey waitasec what do you mean we? I didn't say I was coming along!'___

_'Too bad, you are,'_ Espeon yawned. _'We two along with Mew, are the only ones with Psychic Abilities. And Pika's shockingly good at what she does.'_

_'Why do I have to go and look for Jenn?'_ Umbreon whined. _'I can't believe I've got her for a human! First of all, she couldn't remember what Pokémon she had chosen. Secondly she can't get my name right and messes it up something spectacular and thirdly she goes and gets herself kidnapped!'___

_'I can't believe you said that_,' her sibling looked shocked. _'No human being gets themselves get kidnapped on purpose! Besides you promised the __Chosen__ One you would look after Jenn for him no matter what!'_

Umbreon sunk down onto the ground and rested her head on her front paws. _'Yeah but I didn't think he was serious!'___

_'Well he was and you're gonna help whether you like it or not'_ Espeon nudged her to her feet.

_'You are so mean__,'_ Umbreon growled.

~*~

_The next day..._

"I tell you, it was a waste of time! Jenn..." Puck trailed off with a sigh as he walked with Mia and Trish along the main boulevard. 

"What was a waste of time?" Trish interrupted, curious as to why the blonde's name was mentioned.

Mia elbowed him sharply in the ribs and Puck winced. "Ah...nothing important. Uh...Jenn wanted me to uh...play Tomb Raider on the Playstation." He had forgotten that Trish was not to know about the failed attempt at curing her ex-boyfriend. He had kind of forgotten the Australian was with them at all, she had been so quiet.

Originally the intention was for it to be just Mia and himself. However Mia had been spooked by yet another nightmare and insisted that she could not let Trish out of her sight; thus she dragged along a reluctant Australian with them on their date.

"Oh," and Trish left it at that.

"How about we go into _Jigglypuff Jeans?_" Mia suggested as they came upon that famed coffee establishment.

"Sounds good to me."

The three friends entered and placed their orders before taking a seat. A few minutes passed before Mia noticed her eldest friend perk up a bit and look at spot beyond Puck and herself. 

The brunette followed her friend's gaze, and turned around in her seat to where a man in his late thirties or early forties was speaking to a group of people. Whatever he was saying, his audience was completely transfixed.

"Do you hear that?" Trish gave the first genuine smile Mia had seen in the past few days. "He's quoting Shakespeare..."

"Really?" the teenager brightened and listened carefully. The man was indeed quoting the Bard - and if ever there were two huge fans of Shakespeare and all his works, it was Trish and herself.

"Now _there_ is the way to a woman's heart," Trish sighed and Mia nodded vigorously. 

Puck stared hard at the man. "Hey, I know that guy."

"You do?" 

"Yeah, why that's William Shakespeare himself. I magiked him here by accident and managed to persuade Cal not to send him back," the chestnut-haired Fae looked smug.

His two friends blinked in disbelief. "But that can't be..." Trish breathed. 

"Why not?"

"Because he has short hair and modern clothes."

"He wanted to fit in, and you can thank Jessie for that!"

"Wow." Mia's eyes sparkled. "I never knew Shakespeare could be so _hot_!" And without further ado, she pushed back her chair and raced off. She tackled the playwright with a flying glomp. "BILLY BOY!!!"

Puck blinked. "Heeey, what's he got that I haven't?"

Trish smiled and calmly sipped her coffee. She had been expecting something like this to happen. "He's William Shakespeare and you're not."

"But I'm a Shakespearean character!" the Fae wailed. "I can quote the Bard!!"

"Awww, methinks someone is jealous."

"No I'm not." Trish just gave him a Look. "Okay so maybe I'm a bit jealous"

"I really don't think you need to worry about Mia ditching you for some Elizabethan playwright."

"You sure about that?"

"Of course I'm sure! As Mia's been waiting for you for these past two years without so much as looking at another guy."

"But what about Mikey?"

"That doesn't count. She was bewitched. And stop interrupting me!" the Australian glared at the Fae who shrank back. "As _I_ was saying, if Mia's waited for you all this time and worn your ring, I don't think she's going to dump you now."

"True."

 A sparkly-eyed Mia came back with Bill Speare in tow. "Hey can you believe this??? This is William Shakespeare in the _flesh_! I'm so geeked!"

"Hey Bill," Puck grinned. "How you going?"

"Oh well thank you," the playwright replied. "I was just reciting some poetry to some people when I was accosted by this charming young lady…you know her?"

"Yeah, she's my girlfriend."

"Nothing more? I thought I saw a ring on her left hand."

Puck and Mia flushed bright pink as Trish stopped sipping her coffee and stared at them. "Are you two…engaged?"

"No! At least…I don't think so." Mia squeaked nervously before turning to Puck. "Are we?"

"I dunno." Puck turned beet red.

"What did you two say that time you left two years ago?" Trish asked patiently.

The young couple thought hard. "I believe I promised Mia I would come back to her." Puck said finally.

"And I promised I would wait for him," Mia added, turning a slight shade of pink.

"Well then," Trish looked satisfied. "Sounds to me like the two of you are engaged in a manner of speaking. While Puck hasn't asked you to marry him, you two have promised yourselves to each other and he has given you a ring."

"You're not mad?" Mia ventured.

"Of course not," Trish blinked. "Why would I be? I'm not your mother."

"It's not that," the teenager fidgeted. "I just thought you might be upset with things not working out between you and Drake."

"Some things just are not meant to be," Trish shrugged as she drained the last of her coffee.

"To be or…" Bill began only to be interrupted by the two girls.

"Not to be. That is the question…we know," they chorused.

"Hey…you didn't let me finish!"

~*~

_In a cave to the north of Pummelo…___

"You mean to tell me that Jaime has been posing as me?" Jenn's gaze flickered between her red-haired captor and the images she was seeing onscreen.

"That's right," Lu sounded smug.

"And she's managing to get away with it in front of all my friends and Pokémon?" the blonde's eyes widened. "That's just not right!"

"And why not?"

"Because I'm unique! There is supposed to be no other person like me in the world! And anyway she's Canadian and I'm American. We don't speak the same, the gang would be able to tell us apart."

"No they won't. I've cast the spell so that Jaime assumes your whole identity. She thinks like you, she speaks like you, she acts like you."

"You're not going to get away with this," Jenn scowled.

"Oh but I've managed to get away with so much already," the Fae laughed. "So many things like Mia's personality change, Trish's illness, the spell on her boyfriend to make him believe that she was cheating on him."

"YOU caused them to break up??" 

"Why yes," Lu looked very pleased with himself. "A fine piece of work I must say…I caused the illness to make it look like she might be pregnant. I also cast a spell on Drake so that he would always see relations between his girlfriend and his best friend as being less than innocent. I made Jaime and Rudy appear to be Trish and Danny that night – Drake believed me to be Rudy."

Jenn wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Eww…they didn't really sleep together did they?"

"Of course not."

"Now I _really_ believe you when you say that Jaime is under your influence. She would have to be _well_ medicated in order to do anything with _Rudey_!"

Lu shook his head. "You really are the strangest mortal."

"I know." Jenn felt the anger slowly grow within her as she stared at the man. So he was the cause of all the current misery Trish was experiencing! The blonde couldn't believe that someone could take such joy in causing another person great pain. Cissy had been soo right, Drake was not responsible for what happened at the nightclub or the dance – Jenn now knew who was really to blame. She made a silent vow to herself that she would do everything in her power to make Lu pay.

~*~

The setting sun cast a dusky glow over the city as the Pokémon Grand Master stood on the balcony of his private villa. Normally Ash would have enjoyed the beautiful sunsets that Pummelo was renowned for, but his mind was preoccupied by the increasingly serious situations that were happening to his friends.

He prayed for the safety of a tall, American blonde, currently missing; and the small band of Pokémon which included his Pikachu who were determined to find her. 

The dark-haired man had no idea when he would hear back from the group of furry crusaders, he only hoped it would be soon and that the news would be happy.

He had managed to explain away his preoccupation to a hormonally irritated Misty as 'League problems'. Which was partially true as he had had to stand in for Drake at a few Orange League meetings this week, due to the Orange Crew Leader being laid low by ill-health. 

He couldn't tell his wife the real reason behind his worries, for Misty was more and more tetchy as the final months of the pregnancy drew near. "Raging Hormones" Brock had advised him before being struck down with a Misty Mallet.

And there was _no_ way he was going to tell her it was to do with Jenn; remembering her over-the-top outburst in public the last time he was with the blonde.

How could he explain to her the strong bond of friendship between them? Misty would _never_ believe him when he said that Jenn was a kindred soul rather than some secret mistress of his. 

Admittedly there was chemistry between them, which sometimes flared into romance but Ash knew it would never lead to anything. And he knew that Jenn knew that too - for he was a married man and married men were off-limits. Had he been a free agent, things might be different but he wasn't. 

He chuckled to himself as he thought of the public image that Jenn was a man-eater. Those who were close to the girl knew that was not the case. She was also not really a dumb blonde as she liked to portray.

The Grand Master took one last look over the darkening city skyline before going back inside. "Jenn, wherever you are, I hope you will be found safe..."

~*~

Across the city, Trish was also standing outside gazing at the night sky. She couldn't help but feel that something was not quite right in the grand scheme of things. It didn't help that she couldn't figure out what that something was. 

The dark-haired Australian rubbed her temples, maybe she was just overtired. She had been trying to get as much rest as possible to get over this dang illness but it didn't seem to be working. Even if she did a Rip Van Winkle and slept for one hundred years she felt it wouldn't do much good. Callie had refused to work any more magic on her until she had built up a satisfactory level of strength and stamina. 

A loud melancholy howl echoed in the distance from some lonely dog in the suburbs. Trish shivered and rubbed her arms and went inside. 

Mia bounded over to her and gave her a hug. "There you are! I was wondering where you had gotten to." The brunette trailed off as she felt how cold the girl was. "You okay? You feel like a block of ice."

"Yeah, I think so," Trish said shakily. "I don't know what came over me, but my blood just seemed to run cold." 

Mia frowned. "Maybe you're getting sick again." 

The dark-haired Australian blanched. "Geeze I hope not!" 

"Anyway, let's get you off to bed just in case," the teen steered her older friend firmly towards her room. 

"Yes, Mom." 

~*~

Jenn sighed as she watched Lu pace up and down. "You know, your hospitality really sucks? I'm bored here!" 

The Fae raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to entertain you?" 

"Yeah, I paid good money for this!" 

Lu was puzzled. "What do you mean you paid good money? I didn't get a single cent from you." 

The blonde sighed. "You don't have a sense of humour do you." 

"Should I?"

Jenn frowned. "You're right. The big bads never have a sense of humour…so if you're done gloating how about letting me go. Now."

"My dear girl, who said about _ever_ letting you go?" the red-haired Fae's smile was cold which sent a nasty shiver down her spine. "As for gloating, I have only just begun!"

"Like what else?"

"Oh I have something very special in store for a certain friend of yours."

"Kicking Rudey into the next universe?" the blonde brightened.

"No, I said _friend_."

"Darn, and here I thought you said fiend."

Lu stared incredulously at his captive. "You really are the most peculiar mortal I have ever met. How on earth does Trish put up with you?"

"Because I'm worth it."

"It will be worth your while to see this." 

The screen flickered and showed a night scene, the mist laying low and thick on the ground as the sounds of breaking waves far below indicated to Jenn they were near some cliff top.

She gasped as the familiar figure of her friend appeared through the mist, walking along the cliff pathway until she disappeared into the fog in the distance. A huge shadowy form followed close behind, its menacing roar turning Jenn's blood to ice in her veins.

The American girl gasped before turning to her captor. "What was that thing??"

"That you will just have to find out. Certainly Trish will not be around to tell you."

Jenn felt sick. "If you do _anything_, I'll make sure you'll wish you'd never been born."

"Oh but I shall and there is _nothing_ you can do to stop me."

~*~

Puck lay back on his bed and stretched luxuriously. There was something to be said for this human habit of 'doing nothing' he had to admit. Two huge blue eyes suddenly appeared in front of his face. _'Mew?'_

The chestnut-haired Fae almost had a heart attack. "Don't _do_ that to me!!" 

'_Awww'_ the blue eyes soon were joined by the rest of the blue Pokémon. _'Why does everyone jump when I greet them?' _

"Perhaps it's because you fail to give us any warning of your coming?" Puck glared as he sat up. "What do you want this time?"

_'We need your help.' _

"We?" 

In answer there was a shimmering light before they were joined by three other Pokémon - an Espeon, an Umbreon and a Pikachu. 

"And these are?" 

Flower Mew did the introductions. _'The Espeon and the Umbreon are siblings and belong to Trish and Jenn respectively. The Pikachu belongs to the Grand Master.'_

_'Hi!_' the yellow electric mouse in question chirped. 

"So what can I help you with?" 

_'Jenn is missing and being held captive by Lucius on an island north of Pummelo_,' Mew explained. 

"What do you mean Jenn is missing?" Puck interrupted. "I was with her the other day to see Drake and she was _incredibly_ unco-operative. Because of Jenn giving him such a cold shoulder, Drake ended up cutting the meeting short. We simply weren't getting anywhere."

_'That wasn't the real Jenn'_ Pikachu stated softly. _'It is an impostor made to look and act like her.'_

The chestnut-haired Fae was silent for a moment. "That does make sense, I mean why would she be so insistent that we go and help Drake, then the next day do all she can to sabotage it?"

_'Exactly,'_ Mew nodded. _'Most likely Lu would have her entrapped by some magic, which is why we've come to you. We may be psychic but we aren't magical creatures.'_

"Sure, count me in." 

~*~

Lu yawned as he relaxed on his recliner, casting a lazy eye over Jenn's futile struggles to free herself from her bonds. "You won't get free that way, you know. The only way you are going to get free is..."

"Save your breath," the blonde scowled. "There is no way in _hell_ that I'm gonna help _you__._"

"Not even if I tell you of the innumerable rewards that would be yours if you do?" the lean Fae rose and walked over to her. "I can do so much with magic..." He leaned close and whispered in her ear. "I can give you your heart's desires."

"I desire that you let me go and leave my friends alone."

Lu ignored her and continued. "I can make you a billionaire so that you would never have to work again. I could give you the huge mansion that you've always wanted. I can make it so that you are dripping in diamonds and expensive jewellery. I could give you the hottest looking men in the world to serve your every whim."

The American girl shifted uncomfortably. There was a part of her that was _very_ interested in his offer. 

"Just think, you could have everything you've ever dreamed of and more," Lu added, sensing his captive was slightly weakening. "No one else but I can give this to you...all you have to do is say that you'll help."

Jenn gritted her teeth. "It's not gonna work. I won't betray my friends."

"Forget these so-called friends," Lu waved dismissively. "Who needs friends anyway? I have no friends."

"And with how hospitable you've been?" the blonde said mockingly. "I can't see why a guy like you wouldn't."

"I did away with them long ago, when they started to get in the way of my ambitions," he paused and took a sip of water. "What good are your friends for? Tell me this, can any of them offer you what I have?"

"No, but they're always there for me and that's what counts! Friends make the bad things in life bearable."

"Then where are your friends now?" Lu laughed. "Not good friends are they if they don't care if you're missing."

"Hello? Anyone up there?" Jenn snorted. "That's because you're tricking them into thinking Jaime is me!"

"It's a pity you won't reconsider helping." The man walked in front of her and idly ran his finger along the spine of a very sharp knife. The blade gleamed a bright blue where his finger had traced its surface. "For the only other way out is death. A death most slow and painful."

Deep down Jenn was terrified but she refused to let it show. She needed to keep her wits about her if she was to get away from this madman. Somehow she had to get away and get back to Pummelo to reveal the truth about the whole situation. To expose Jaime for who she really was, to warn Trish and the others of the things she'd learned from Lu's boasting...if she wasn't already too late.

He stopped three feet from his captive, then made a slashing gesture with the knife, cutting the air. The air shimmered bright blue in a fading path made by the knife and Jenn gasped out suddenly, for while she had thought that the evil Fae had been practicing, in reality he had magically cut her. The feeling ran along her upper left arm and when she looked at it, she saw the cut the knife had made, and saw the trickle of blood tracking down her arm. She looked back at Lu with eyes widened by terror.

"See?" A crafty smile spread across his face, "Magic can be fun." The smile faded like the blue light made by the knife had faded. "And you shall experience as much fun as you can handle before bowing to me. You will join my side."

"Never," Jenn ground out, though fear made her whisper the word. "You coward, hiding in a cave with all your delusions of grandeur." 

Lu's lip raised in a snarl and he slashed twice more, the magical glowing tracks burning bright before fading. The magic washed over Jenn with an almost physical sensation, like sitting on the shore of an ocean and feeling a wave pass over. It was not gentle though and burning pain laced her shoulders.

Just then Lu stopped in his tracks, dropping the knife. "It couldn't be..." he snarled. "My sworn enemy here already?"

"Who?"

"Puck." The name was hissed with pure venom. "He's on the other side of the island, I can sense his magic aura. I shall not let him ruin my carefully laid plans this late in the game!" Lu stalked to the entrance of the cave and vanished.

The blonde slumped against her chair in relief. That was too close for comfort. Her relief turned to fear as a long shadow came in through the cave's entrance. Then...

_"Pikapichu?"___

Jenn sighed from sheer relief. There was only one Pokémon in the world who called her that. "Pikachu! Over here!" she called out in a low voice, just in case Lu was still in the vicinity. She knew that the mouse would still hear her as a Pokémon's hearing range was far greater than a human's.

Soon a small yellow fur ball came scampering into the room, closely followed by an Umbreon, an Espeon and a familiar chestnut-haired young man.

"Puck! What are you doing here?" the blonde blinked. "Lu said you were on the other side of the island…" 

The Fae smirked. "That's what we _want_ him to think. He thinks he's chasing me but in fact he's chasing after a Pokémon I've cast a spell on…" He broke off as he noticed the blood trickling down her shoulders and arms. "What did that brute do to you?"

"Just get me outta here!" Jenn whimpered and Puck could sense the girl's terror. He bent down and began the incantation to loosen the enchanted ropes as the Pokémon stood guard at the entrance to the cave.. First things first, get the girl back to safety and heal her wounds. There would be plenty of time for questions later.

It seemed like an eternity for Jenn (but was only a few seconds) before the ropes finally glowed and disappeared. Puck helped the tall girl to her feet as the Pokémon gathered around. A small blue Mew appeared in a shimmer of light and performed a lazy flip. _'Ready to make a speedy exit?'___

Puck nodded and held Jenn firmly around the waist. "Ready."

The world vanished for Jenn then reformed to reveal the inside of a large and airy office. The blonde blinked. "Wow, that was intense." 

"Jenn!!" She turned to see Trish sitting there on the couch with Ash and Callie. The Australian started towards her friend when Puck raised his hand to stop her. 

"Don't hug her just yet, Trish. She's been badly hurt."

Puck guided Jenn to the other sofa and gently sat her down. He knelt down in front of her and placed his hands over the wound on her shoulder. "This may hurt a bit."

A gentle heat emanated from his hands, Jenn wincing slightly as it penetrated deep in into the jagged cut, knitting the flesh together. After a minute or two he moved onto the arm and she saw that her shoulder was completely healed with no scars at all. 

"Wow, maybe I should make you my doctor from now on," she grinned, causing Puck to blush.

"I'm no doctor," he murmured as he finished healing her arm.

"You do a pretty good imitation of one then!"

"There you go, good as new," he smiled and rose to his feet, moving out of the way just in time before Jenn was enveloped in a tight hug by her best friend. 

"It's good to see you back!" Trish beamed.

"Some air would be nice too," the blonde managed to wheeze out, she was being hugged so tight.

The Australian let go with a sheepish grin. "Sorry."

"How did you know I was missing?"

"Ash asked me to meet him at the office this morning, and he explained to both Callie and myself what Mew told him." Trish explained.

Jenn turned to the Grand Master who was standing quietly behind her friend and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you for looking out for me," she whispered.

"No trouble at all," the dark-haired man returned her embrace just as tight. "You're my friend, and you mean a lot to me."

The blonde smiled as she hugged Ash back. Lu could shove his comments about her friends up his ass. Her friends cared about her and she had two living examples in front of her. "You mean a lot to me too. You have _such_ a sexy derriere."

"Excuse me?"

Jenn flushed. _Curse this light-headedness_. "Uh…nothing."

"I thought you said…"

Luckily for Jenn, Trish chose that moment to interrupt with a suggestion. "How about we all sit down and let Jenn explain exactly what happened?"

"I think that's a great idea!" the blonde said quickly and sat down, followed by the others.

"First thing is, just who or what, has been pretending to be you?" Trish started.

"Would you believe it if I said it was Jaime?" Jenn answered.

Her friends all blinked. "_Jaime_??" 

"Jaime's name has been cropping up a lot lately," Trish frowned. "She was the one who gave the fake pregnancy test results to Drake."

"That's because she's completely under Lu's evil influence," Jenn explained. "So she's been doing his bidding. She even agreed to let him magik her and Rudy to look like Trish and Danny that night."

"Ewwww," both Trish and Ash grimaced.

"I know!" the blonde pulled a face. "What I can't understand is why she agreed to help him."

"So how did Lu manage to kidnap you?" Callie questioned.

"I'm not really sure," the American confessed. "It must have been after I went to sleep, because I woke up to find myself tied to a chair in his cave."

"Did he give you a reason?"

"Yeah, he wanted me to help destroy my friends," Jenn said softly. "I refused to, then he tried to tempt me by offering everything I ever wanted. When that didn't work he threatened to kill me…and he would have too, if not for the distraction by Mew." Ash squeezed her hand gently.

"He was such a creep," she continued. "He was boasting about all the things he's done, like Mia's 360 personality change, Trish's illness…" Her blue-grey eyes widened and she turned to her best friend. "Promise me one thing, Sis. That from now on you won't go on any nightly walks by yourself."

"Sure," Trish replied quickly, hearing the urgent tone in the request. 

"He showed me a vision," Jenn shuddered at the memory. "It was foggy, it was night and you were out walking by the cliffs. A few minutes later, this huge…beast…comes tearing along after you. Lu wouldn't tell me what it was and he boasted that you wouldn't be able to tell me what it was either."

"What do you think it was?" Ash asked.

She shrugged. "I dunno – but it was about the size of a big cat or something."

Trish gave her a reassuring hug. "I promise not to go out for moonlit walks along the cliffs. It's not really my thing anyway. And I also promise to watch out for any tigers or lions that may come after me."

"Good." Jenn hugged back.

~*~

Lu stalked back to his cave in a foul mood. He had been unable to find any trace of his number one nemesis on the other side of the island. He would have just loved to have wrung Puck's neck for interrupting his torture session. Never mind, he would just inflict his rage on his helpless victim waiting in his cave. It wouldn't do for Jenn to survive for she knew too much. 

The red-haired Fae stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the empty chair. "WHAT??!!!" 

Anyone present on the island would have heard curses and other unprintable things being shrieked loud and long.

~*~

Jenn waited until Trish had left with Ash and Callie for her medical check-up before pulling Puck to one side. 

The Fae looked at her warily. "Can I help you?"

"Yup!" the blonde slid her arm through his. "You and I are going to cure one Pummelo Gym Leader."

"But didn't we…?" Puck trailed off as he remembered that it wasn't the real Jenn the previous time. 

"Nope," the blonde dragged him towards the door. "But first I need to grab something from home."

~*~

They found Drake stretched out on his office sofa from another migraine attack. The dark-haired man looked blearily at his two visitors, "If you've only come to insult me, I'm really not in the mood."

"Forget what happened last time," Jenn spoke up first. "That wasn't really me, that was Jaime. Lu cast a spell to make her look like me."

"Jenn was being held captive in Lu's cave on another island," Puck added. "I had to go and help rescue her with some Pokémon pals."

Drake said nothing.

"Listen, I know the truth now about what happened. I know that you were placed under a spell by Lucius to make you believe that Trish was unfaithful. I know that he was behind Trish's illness, made up the fake test results, and made Jaime and Rudy appear to be Trish and Danny that night you were taken to the bungalow." Jenn renewed her pleas in an effort to get Drake to believe her. 

A faint smile flickered over the Gym Leader's face. "So you believe me when I say I would never do anything that would deliberately hurt Trish?"

"Yes I do." And she meant it too.

"And you'll let Puck do whatever he has to cure me?"

"Yes."

The dark-haired man sat up and flashed her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Jenn. I guess I wasn't really surprised by the 'fake' Jenn's reactions. I mean after all what happened at the club."

"Well yeah, that incident has cured me of any craving for alcohol for the rest of my life!" Jenn snorted.

Puck sat down next to the Orange Crew Leader and placed his hand on his temple. He nodded to himself after a minute then gave his instructions. "Okay, what I'm going to do is begin the incantation and you have to focus on breaking the spell." Drake nodded and the Fae began the recitation.

Jenn hoped that Puck would succeed; for the safety of her best friend depended on it.

A slight frown creased the Fae's features. "There's some barrier that's preventing me from completely dissolving the spell."

The blonde suddenly knew how she could help things along. "Come on Drake," she encouraged. "You can do it. Do it for your future, because despite everything that's happened, Trish still loves you."

"Really?" There was a glimmer of hope.

"Uh-huh. She admitted it herself. And very soon she'll be needing you more than ever."

Drake frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Lu plans to kill her by having a huge creature chase her over a cliff on a foggy night. He showed me as much." Jenn hoped that the information would be enough to help Drake overcome this final psychological barrier. The Orange Crew Leader, she knew, would do anything to protect those he loved.

"_What?_!" 

From the triumphant look on Puck's face, Jenn knew that he had broken through. "Done!" 

Drake sank back against the sofa and sighed in relief. "Thank heavens for that! God that was a horrible experience! It was like I was trapped in my own body…I'd see the truth but I couldn't stop myself rejecting it or accepting what Lu wanted me to see. There were times when I was in complete control but I could never remember what happened. When I tried, I would get struck down by these excruciating migraines."

"The migraines were caused by the spell struggling to keep its hold over you," Puck explained. "Lu wouldn't want you to remember what happened just in case you tried to go and make amends."

Drake looked at Jenn. "Jenn? I'm really really sorry for what happened? Can you ever forgive me?"

"Sure I can. Just don't hold me back when I rip into that Lu when we get him okay?" she grinned.

"I wouldn't _dream_ of trying to stop you," he promised.

"Good. Now just make sure you're over at our villa tomorrow night so we can unmask Jaime. Trish and I worked out a plan of sorts."

Drake fidgeted. "Ah…I might come over another night if that's okay with you."

"No it's not okay. You are coming whether you like it or not," Jenn said firmly, withdrawing something from her bag. "Are you a Gym Leader or a Chicken?"

"A Gym Leader but I'm also not suicidal!"

"There's no time for you to think of some elaborate apology! Not while a person's life is in danger." Jenn uncoiled the item as she spoke.

Puck raised one eyebrow. "Is that a whip?"

The blonde smiled sweetly. "Yes it is. And if Drake doesn't agree to come tomorrow night, then I will just have to _use_ it."

Drake gulped. "I'll be there."

Jenn pouted. "Darn, and here I was totally hoping I could practice my whip skills."

"You would." The Orange Crew Leader grumbled. "So how do you propose to thwart Lu's plans for Trish?"

"Well the most important thing is that I got her to promise me not to go out by herself at night and especially not near any cliffs."

"That's a very good start."

"Then I figure if we keep our pet Aussie on a tight leash by not letting her go out alone; Lu can't take us by surprise," Jenn finished.

"Do you think Trish will agree?" Puck asked dubiously.

"She'll just _have_ to agree. I'm not gonna have any of my friends end up dead because of that jerk, 'nuff said!"

~*~

Trish waited hopefully as the doctor put away his stethoscope and then scanned the blood test results.  "Well?" she ventured.

The doctor smiled. "Your health has improved greatly since the last check up two weeks ago. Though there's still a little way to go before I would pronounce you back to full health."

"Thanks. I just can't wait to get rid of this illness once and for all."

Ash and Callie were waiting outside for her when she finished, and both rose to their feet. 

"What did the doctor say?" the Grand Master questioned. 

The Australian grinned. "I'm almost back to normal!"

Callie returned the grin. "Fantastic! Now I can finally take the rest of that spell off you. How about we return to Ash's office and get started?"

~*~

Jenn and Puck were waiting for them there, the blonde jumping up at the sight of her best friend. "What did the doctor say this time?"

"That I've almost got this thing beat!" the Australian girl beamed. 

Jenn smiled to herself at the almost giddy tone in her friend's voice. Not that she blamed her one little bit for it had been two _very_ long months while Trish had battled against this mysterious and seemingly incurable illness. Now at long last the end was in sight.

"Ready to be cured?" Callie asked.

"Absolutely."

"What do you plan to do afterwards?" Puck asked.

"I'm going to go out and celebrate!" Trish exclaimed. "After two months of being practically confined to the house – you're going to have a hard time keeping me at home!"

Jenn grimaced. It might be harder to keep her friend from danger than she first thought.

~*~

The next night, the group gathered at the villa as planned while the fake 'Jenn' was out of the house. Chris, Shannon and Mia had by now, been informed of the situation and were in on the plot. It was universally agreed that no matter how strong the spell, a person's true personality and nature was still there deep inside. If the incentive was strong enough, then that true nature would always prevail. Both Trish and Jenn thought they knew just the thing that would force Jaime to show herself for who she really was.

"So what are we waiting for?" Trish questioned.

"We're still waiting on someone," Jenn explained.

"Who? Ash, Callie and Puck are already here."

The doorbell rang and Jenn jumped up to answer it, but not before shooting a look at both Chris and Mia, who nodded back.

Trish's eyes widened when the blonde ushered the last person she expected to see in the world into the living room – Drake. The Australian went to rise and escape but was promptly pinned down on either side by Chris and Mia.

"Oh no you don't," Mia wagged a finger at her eldest friend.

"Traitors," Trish grumbled as she sank back down on the couch.

"You still love us," Chris grinned cheekily.

"I dunno about _that_."

"Hey Drake," Shannon greeted him with a warm smile.

"Hey Shannon," the Pummelo Island Gym Leader returned her smile though his dark eyes never left a rather disgruntled Australian across the room. "Long time no see."

Jenn sat down, ignoring the death glares coming her way. "I suppose you're wondering what Drake's doing here, Sis."

"Too right, I am."

"Remember how I said that you weren't allowed to go on night walks? Well I've changed that to you're not allowed to go _anywhere_ on your own. You need a bodyguard of sorts." She gestured towards Drake. "This man has agreed to do it, and he _certainly_ won't let anything happen to you."

Trish exhaled noisily. "Are you out of your mind?! After what happened at the dance, do you really think I want to be in the same room as him, let alone spend time with him? For another thing, why would _he _care about what happens to me."

"Because I love you." Drake said quietly. "And that is the honest truth."

She shook her head in utter disbelief. "You…" 

"He's telling the truth, Trish," Jenn interrupted. "Lu had put a spell on him to make him think you were being unfaithful. That was one of the things Lu-lu was crowing about to me. Puck broke the spell yesterday."

"And you didn't tell me this?"

"Of course not!" the American girl snorted. "If I had, you would have jumped on the first plane outta the Archipelago. Couldn't have that happen."

"I would have too," Trish muttered. "So what you're saying is that _everything_ that happened was because of Lu. That Drake was acting against his will the whole time?"

"That's right," Jenn nodded.

The dark-haired girl was silent for a moment and when she spoke again there was a slight quaver in her voice. "I don't know what to say…I don't even know what to think."

Mia patted her hand. "That's okay. First we need to take care of Jaime, then we'll leave you two alone to talk."

"That's right," Shannon looked at her watch. "She said she was due back at 7, which is in about fifteen minutes."

"Okay," Ash clapped his hands decisively. "Everyone to their places please!" The Grand Master whistled for Pikachu and Espeon to follow him into the backyard with Drake, Jenn, Chris, Callie and Puck. The group then scattered and hid themselves throughout the garden.

Trish stayed on the couch and Hamlet leapt up next to her and nestled his head on her lap as she picked up a book. Mia pulled out a sketch book and pencils and settled herself at the dining room table, while Shannon sat at the computer.

This was how 'Jenn' or rather Jaime found them when she stepped in the door, five minutes after 7pm. 

"Ah, Jenn you're back!" Trish looked up from her book, one hand idly scratching Hamlet behind his ears as he liked best. "Are you going to be in for the rest of the evening?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Trish, Shannon and I were going to go to the _Verona Caf_ to hear Bill Speare read some of his works," Mia piped up.

"So we were wondering if it's okay with you, if we left our Pokémon loose," Trish continued.

"Sure!"

"Thanks," the dark-haired girl shooed Hamlet off the couch before rising and brushing down her slacks. "Oh, just one more thing – Ash's Pikachu is here to visit her little ones."

"Okay." 

Trish, Mia and Shannon grabbed their wallets and keys before waving goodbye to 'Jenn'. As soon as they reached the gate, they doubled back and went quietly around the side of the house to the backyard and joined the others.

~*~

Jaime sighed and sat down on the sofa facing the glass sliding doors that led to the backyard. Man, it was hard work pretending to be someone else – even if you had a spell to aid you. She had to constantly remind herself that she had to be Jenn, not Jaime.

Her eye fell on the coffee table where a set of baby doll dresses were lying with a child's birthday card. Looking closer she saw that it was for Trish's little niece. A '_Pika_' caught her attention and she saw Pikachu sit herself near the door as she watched Pepita and Satochu play together. 

Jaime felt the prickling of a familiar urge come over her, as her eyes darted between the doll's clothes and the striped back of the little Pokémon. It had been a looong time since she was able to dress up Pokémon in doll's clothes which was what she loved doing best – besides drawing.

Should she act on this urge? Surely Lu couldn't begrudge her indulging in a little time of being her own self. She reasoned that with no one around to see her, it wouldn't hurt to do it just this once. Picking up a frilly pink number she quietly slid open the doors and walked towards the electric mouse. "Hey Pikachu…"

'_Pi?_' Pikachu turned and in a blink of an eye she was dressed. _'Pika!_'

"Hold it right there!!!" a familiar voice called out. Jaime froze when she saw her friends emerging from the bushes.

"The game's up, Jaime," Ash came over and freed Pikachu from the dress.

"But I'm not Jaime," she stuttered. "I'm Jenn!"

"Nuh-uh" and her eyes widened when Jenn stepped out of the darkness. "_I'm_ the real deal. I know that Lu placed a spell so that you looked like me while I was being held captive."

Jaime couldn't think of anything to say as Callie and Puck stood on either side, a faint glow beginning to surround her as they worked on the spell. Before the watchful eyes of her friends, Jaime slowly transformed back into the familiar auburn-haired girl they all knew. The Canadian blinked then sank down to her knees on the soft grass shame-faced. "I don't know what to say to you guys except that I am utterly sorry for everything."

Jenn stepped forward. "That's okay, Jaime. You're not to blame – Lu is. He's the real enemy."

The girl looked up and gave a small smile. "Thanks. That means a lot to me."

Mia cleared her throat. "How about we all go inside and have some soda or something" she suggested. "I think that two certain people need to talk."

"Ah yes," Jenn grinned as she looked at Trish and Drake. "I agree with Mia. Let's go!"

When all had been shepherded inside, Mia immediately rushed to one of the open windows and peered out.

"Hey, I thought you said we should leave them alone," Puck protested.

"We are! But I wanna see what happens!! Besides you know those two probably need a helping hand after what happened. Trish can be very stubborn when she wants to."

"She's right," Jenn knelt down and started rummaging through the CD rack. "Now where are all those icky love songs."

~*~

Five minutes had passed since they were left alone and still nothing had been said between Trish and Drake.

"So…," Drake said a bit nervously in an effort to break the awkward silence. "Nice night we're having?"

His ex-girlfriend gave a wry smile. "You need to work on your lines a bit more."

"I know, but at least we're talking."

Trish sighed. "I'm sorry, but what can I possibly say when my head and emotions are in a _complete_ spin over what I just learnt?"

"I know how you feel."

"I'm just finding it all a bit overwhelming," her voice wavered slightly. "I believed you really hated me after that fight. It felt like you meant _every_ harsh word. And now I find out that you were under a spell the whole time and that you still love me? I...don't know what to think. I feel immense relief but at the same I can't forget all the pain you caused, however unintentional." Trish shrugged helplessly and her voice dropped to a near whisper. "What am I supposed to feel? That I both hate you and love you?"

Drake reached out and drew her to him in a gentle embrace. He felt Trish start to shake as the tears that had been threatening all night, finally began to fall. He sighed, "I wish I knew what to say to you to make things better. All I can say is that I am so terribly sorry. If I could have prevented all that happened, I would have."

~*~

"What's happening??" Shannon whispered as she strove to see over the huddle of people at the window. "I can't see!!"

"Me neither!" Chris grumbled. "If Jenn and Mia would stop hogging the prime window spots, we might be able to see…oooph!"

Jenn withdrew her elbow from Chris's stomach region. "Are you saying that I'm fat?" she asked in dry voice. "No one insults the Goddess Jenn, least of all little brothers who should know better."

The Scot gave a sheepish laugh. "Ah yeah. I should know better, shouldn't I?"

"After all," the blonde turned back to the front. "Who protested that her ass looked too big in a skirt?"

Chris reddened under Callie's amused gaze. "Let's not bring that back up, shall we?"

Mia peered through the binoculars and squealed excitedly. "Ooooh, Drake's got his arms around Trish!"

"Are they kissing?" Jaime asked, with hope in her voice. She had been filled in on just what role she had played in the break-up and was feeling immensely guilty.

"Nope."

Jenn grabbed the binoculars off Mia, looked and heaved a deep sigh. " Those two are _hopeless_. I knew they would need some help. Jaime, press the play button on the CD player, okay?"

"Okay."

The blonde blanched when the opening bars to _Don't Want You Back_ began to blare out of the stereo. "NO, not THAT one!!"

"Sorry."

~*~

Both Trish and Drake blinked when the music began to come from the villa louder than usual. 

"What the…?" The Pummelo Gym Leader frowned.

The dark-haired Australian raised her head from his chest and listened carefully. "That's one of Jenn's CDs. '_Back to Your Heart'_ by the Backstreet Boys."

"The who?"

"Ask her later and she'll fill you in." She gave a wry smile, "and I think I know why it's playing." She shook her head and shouted towards the villa. "What do you think you are doing??"

"What does it look like??" came the answering holler from the peanut gallery at the windows.

"It's not gonna work, you know!"

The response was miffed. "And WHY not?? It's ROMANTIC!!! So hurry up and kiss already!!"

"Oy," Trish shook her head at the antics of her friends. She did love them all dearly though, which is why they knew they could get away with so much.

"They're nuts," Drake laughed.

"I know." 

"Anyway, enough about them." His dark gaze turned serious. "What do you say to the suggestion that we start over again?"

Trish was quiet for a moment. "I…guess I could agree. It might take a bit of time though before things are back to the way they were."

"And I don't blame you one bit for feeling that," he hugged her tightly. "So how about a private dinner, say tomorrow night, back at my place?"  
  
She smiled. "I'd like that."

He inclined his head towards the villa. "I promise that we won't have these peeping toms around to disturb us either."

"That's even better," Trish laughed.

A wicked glint came into the Orange Crew Leader's eyes. "How about we give them something to make their night worthwhile. Nothing too much of course, but then maybe they'll leave us alone."

"Good idea."

The two shared a small kiss which sent the watching friends wild.

"WOOHOO!!!" A slight pause before one lone voice piped up. "So when's the wedding?"

Drake shook his head again. "Where did you find your friends? They're completely bonkers."

"Hey, they're your friends too!"

"True." The dark-haired man slipped his arm around her waist as they walked back. "But you knew them first."

"Love me, love my friends," Trish grinned. 

The two walked back inside to be glomped by a pleased Mia. "Now this is how things should be!"

"So what do you two have planned?" Chris asked slyly.

"Well I thought we'd go out…" Drake began before he was interrupted by Jenn.

"Uh-uh," she shook her head. "This Trishy won't be going _anywhere_ at night."

"But…" the girl in question began to protest.

"Don't start arguing with me, Sis – this is for your own good!" the American girl folded her arms across her chest. "You know what Lu has in store for you and I won't let it happen!"

"But you said earlier that it was okay if Drake was with her," Shannon pointed out.

"Yeah, well I changed my mind, okay? After what happened to me, I'd be crazy to not take his threat seriously." 

"Oh come on, Jenn," Puck interjected. "Have a heart, I mean those two just got back together and they want some time to themselves."

"Hey!!! I totally have heart!" the blonde huffed. "It would never let me put a friend in any possible danger! Especially not when I know what would happen."

Trish sighed. She knew better than to argue the issue any further. When Jenn was determined, there was just no budging her. "Okay, I promise that I won't go anywhere at night."

"Promise?" Jenn arched an eyebrow.

"Yes! I promise!" Trish insisted. "I promise by all that you hold dear."

"Good! That's just what I want to hear," her friend looked satisfied then frowned in confusion. "…I think."

"I guess I'd better get going," Drake sighed. "I've got a meeting first thing in the morning."

After he said his goodbyes, Trish walked with him to the door. Once they had stepped outside she turned to him with a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry about tomorrow night, but you know how protective Jenn can be."

Drake checked to see that no one was eavesdropping before leaning close and whispering in her ear. "Who says that we can't?"

She blinked. "We can?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "There is no way I am going to miss out on spending tomorrow night with you alone. There is so much that I have to make up for and Jenn doesn't have to know."

"Just how are we going to do that?"

Drake kissed her gently. "You have an Espeon, use it."

~*~

It was the afternoon of the next day and Trish was standing in front of her wardrobe trying to decide what to wear, when Jenn padded into the room and threw herself across her friend's bed. "What's up?"

The Australian jumped slightly. "Oh nothing much…uh just sorting through my clothes."

"Kay." The blonde grabbed a large stuffy puppy and rested her head on it. "Say, T?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not mad at me for not letting you go out at night are ya?" 

"No, why?"

"Just thought you might be," Jenn let out a deep sigh. "It's just that I don't want to see Lu cause you any more pain. You've been through so much already."

Her friend dashed over and gave her a quick hug. " Don't worry about it. I know you only have my best interests at heart."

"I do!"

Trish turned back and pretended to peer closely among her shirts as she tried to quell the rising guilt over tonight's secret rendezvous. She felt bad about having to sneak behind her best friend's back and Jenn's previous statement just made it even worse. Jenn _was_ just trying to protect her after all.

But Trish also knew that if Jenn found out, she would never let her out of her room, much less the house. The chance to spend time alone with Drake and really talk things over was something that she wanted very much. As last night's events proved, that was just not possible if they stayed here. '_Forgive me Jenn, for I am about to sin. But you should know that you cannot protect me from everything_.'

~*~

In a cave on a remote island to the north of Pummelo, Lu was sitting there fuming. Jenn escaping from his clutches was the biggest blow to his plans, and one from which he might never recover. Doubtless she had told her friends which explained why he now had no control over either Drake or Jaime.

The red-haired Fae's fury rose over the thought of the American blonde who had taunted him. That meddling mortal could ruin all. He was startled by the splintering of glass and glanced down to see he had broken the glass he was holding. As the blood trickled from the wounds he vowed his revenge. Someone was going to pay and this time he would demand nothing less than the _ultimate_ price. 

Lu smiled coldly. "The time for playing games is now over. This is the beginning of the end."

~*~

Evening had settled over Pummelo and Jenn was sitting on her bed reading a book when Espeon trotted in and sat down, waving her long tail. _'Esp!'___

Jenn blinked at her friend's Pokémon. "Uh, what do you want?"

The red jewel in the Psychic Pokémon's forehead began to glow whereupon the blonde found her eyelids grow heavy with sleep. She sank back against her pillows with a muttered "I'll just take a little nap." Soon she was sound asleep and Espeon looked very pleased with herself.

'_What are you doing?_' Espeon turned to see her twin Umbreon trot into the room. The Dark Pokémon glanced at the slumbering human then her sibling. '_Did you hypnotise her into a deep sleep?_'

'_Yep_.'

'_Not that I'm complaining, but why?_'

Espeon grinned at her sister's comment. Umbreon still did not have a high opinion of her owner. '_Because otherwise my human would not be allowed out of the house to meet her mate.'_

'_Trish has a mate?_' Umbreon blinked. '_I thought she was like Jenn and didn't have one.'_

_'They were fighting for a bit but now they're back together.' _Espeon explained_. 'But Jenn won't allow Trish out of the house at night.'_

_'That sucks.' _Umbreon wrinkled her nose. '_How can I help?_' While she didn't have much respect for her human that didn't extend to the others. And anything she could do to play pranks on Jenn, she was in on. Umbreon still had not forgiven her owner for the 'Undieon' comment.

Espeon patted her sibling on the back. '_You're the greatest! Just make sure that she stays in a deep sleep okay? Hopefully it will last until I teleport Trish back_.'

_'What about the other humans?'_

_'It's okay. Both Shannon and Mia are out with their respective mates._'

'_Why does everyone else except my human have mates?_'

_'She did for a time but the jackass dumped her. Unfortunately she has the tendency to pick either the real jerks or ones that are unattainable_.'

The two Pokémon left and went into the bedroom next door. Trish was there and ready in a halter neck black dress and heels and the two creatures trotted up and sat at her feet. 

'_Esp!_'

'_Umb_'

The dark-haired girl smiled and leant over to give her Pokémon a gentle scratch behind her ears. "Good girl!"

'_Esp Espe Espeon._'

"Oh?" Trish looked over at Umbreon. "So Umbreon wants to help?" 

'_Umbreon!_' The Pokémon yapped happily.

The Australian girl chuckled as she gave Umbreon a scratch behind her ears. "You really don't think much of Jenn do you? But I assure you that you couldn't find a better person in the world."

The response was a snort.

"Hey, I've known her longer than you have!"

Trish went to wash her hands then misted on some of her favourite perfume when her cell phone rang. It had been agreed that Drake would ring her when he had arrived. She answered and listened for a bit before hanging up. Grabbing her evening bag, she faced the Pokémon. "Okay, let's go. He's waiting outside."  Espeon was recalled into her Poké Ball which was placed inside the purse. 

Trish crept quietly down the stairs with Umbreon on her heels and opened the front door. She turned and smiled at the Pokémon. "Don't wait up for me." 

Umbreon rolled her eyes as the door shut with a gentle click. Humans.

~*~

Drake had arranged for a nice, quiet, candlelight dinner back at his villa and had retained the services of only his chief butler and chef for the night. They were the closest and most trusted of all his household stuff and could be relied upon to be utterly discreet. The Orange Crew Leader wanted to keep this dinner as private as possible.

Which suited Trish just fine as they were able to talk about what had gone wrong as they ate. The explanations from both sides helped to iron out any remaining misunderstandings they may have had.

"Just one more thing," she smiled as Drake squeezed her hand gently. "Why on earth would you think something was going on between Danny and me?"

Drake reddened slightly and gave a sheepish laugh. "Well it was mostly due to Lu's spell but part of me was rather resentful that he could spend so much time with you while I couldn't."

"You were jealous?" Trish was amused.

"Ah, I guess you could say that." The Orange Crew Leader admitted. "You two were together so much that I thought that you had decided that he was the better man."

She shook her head with a smile and squeezed his hand. "The thought never even crossed my mind. In fact, if you ask Danny, I complained most of the time that you weren't there instead!

"Really?"

"Really. And most of the time I was feeling so sick that the only thing I did was sleep."

Drake looked hopeful. "So can you ever forgive me for what happened?"

"I already have."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that," the dark-haired Gym Leader took a sip of his wine. "I was afraid I might have lost you for good."

"I did toy with the idea of leaving the Archipelago for good and never coming back," the Australian girl conceded.

"Just as well you didn't! When I apologised to Bec, she demanded that I get you back or else she'd never speak to me again. Liana threatened the same."

Trish chuckled. "Oh I love those sisters of yours."

"They're okay," Drake grumbled good-naturedly, earning himself a light thwack on the arm.

"That is such a typical older brother comment."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I should know, I have two of them." Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "You're lucky they don't know what happened here otherwise you would have been in _huge_ trouble."

Drake gulped. "Say no more. I know how protective your brothers are." He understood perfectly as it was the same with his family. Liana, being the youngest was fiercely protected by her siblings. He rose from the table and held out his hand. "Shall we go inside?"

The Orange Crew Leader led Trish into the living room where the lights had been dimmed and lit candles were scattered around the room. A large vase of roses on the coffee table spiced the air with a delicate perfume.

The dark-haired girl smiled. "You've really gone all out tonight.."

Drake grinned as he pressed the 'play' button on the remote, taking his girlfriend into his arms as the music began to play. "You deserve it."

Swaying in time to the music, Trish rested her head against his chest and sighed in contentment. He held her close and the two stayed that way for a while.

The second song began and she recognised the opening bars to LeAnn Rimes' _Can't Fight the Moonlight_. 

_Under a lover's sky gonna be with you_

_And no one's gonna be around_

_If you don't think you won't fall_

_Well just wait until the sun goes down_

_Underneath the starlight star bright_

_There's a magical feeling so right_

_Feel it steal your heart tonight_

She raised her head and met his gaze. "You trying to tell me something?" 

"What do you think?" Drake smiled as he began to kiss her. 

~*~

Shannon yawned and glanced with bleary eyes at the glowing display on her alarm clock. 3am. _My stomach would have to decide it needed an early morning snack._ The brunette stretched then stumbled slowly out of bed and padded quietly down the stairs and into the kitchen.

~*~

"Are you going to be okay?" Drake asked Trish as he dropped her off at the front of the house. 

She leaned over and kissed him. "I'll be fine, I'll just get Espeon to teleport me into my room. Though I really should have been back hours ago, why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"You looked so peaceful and I didn't want to disturb you, especially after the long night we had," the Orange Crew Leader protested.

"That's very sweet of you, but a few hours more and Jenn would have woken up!"

He smiled. "It was worth it, though."

"Every single minute," Trish gave him a tight hug. "See you later?"  
  


"Definitely."   
  
She watched as he drove off before pulling out a minimized Poke ball and releasing Espeon. The fox-like Pokémon yawned and greeted her mistress happily. '_Espeon!_'

"You know what to do," Trish scratched her gently behind her ears. The Pokémon nodded and the surroundings blurred and reformed to outside her bedroom door. The Australian girl gave the creature a pat and had just recalled it when a familiar voice made her freeze.

"Trish?" Shannon squeaked in surprise. The brunette had just come back upstairs with a sandwich on a plate when she saw her eldest friend suddenly appear before her. "Where have you been? We thought you were asleep…"

Trish shook her head with a smile and placed one finger against her lips.

Her younger friend blinked then understood. "Ooooh!"

"Now you won't tell, will you?" Trish warned.

"Oooh never!!!" Shannon promised. "Cross my heart."

"Good," the dark-haired girl smiled as she stepped into her room. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." Shannon grinned and shook her head as she went back into her own room. Eating her sandwich she chuckled over the thought of her eldest friend having to sneak out of the house like some teenager. She wouldn't tell on her, no siree, not  when she could tell her friend was very happy. The secret was safe with her.

~*~

Jenn finally came downstairs at 10 in the morning. 

"Morning Sleepyhead," Trish greeted as she sipped her usual cup of coffee. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Mhmmm," the blonde stretched. "Never had such a good long sleep before! Great dreams too."

"Well it's a lovely day today," her best friend noted. "The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and as long as I have coffee all is right with the world!"

Jenn gave her an odd glance. "This is a change from yesterday. Someone seems to be totally chipper this morning. It's not natural."

"Nothing wrong with that," the Australian defended herself.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that either someone got lucky last night or had too much coffee!" Jenn declared.

Shannon leaned forward. "It's the coffee as usual, Jenn. Besides, this time I accidentally gave her too much sugar."

The blonde gave the younger girl a withering glance. "You should know better than to do that, Shannon. Honestly, she's bad enough on just pure coffee!"

~*~

Later that afternoon, Trish wandered into her bedroom with a mug of freshly brewed coffee, Ophelia on her heels. Placing the mug on her bedside table, she knelt down in front of her bookcase. "Which one shall I read?" she mused to the Pokémon before selecting one rather well-worn volume.

Settling herself on the bed with Ophelia curled up on the floor, she took a sip of coffee before opening the novel. So quickly engrossed was she, that she failed to notice her surroundings blur and change.

The book fell with a soft thump on the bed, startling the small Growlithe. Ophelia leapt up onto the bed and pawed the book frantically, wondering where her mistress had vanished to. The Fire Puppy lifted her nose and began to howl as if her heart would break.

_To be continued…_

_Author's Note: I've noticed that each successive chapter becomes bigger and bigger. I also hereby wash my hands of any responsibility for embarrassment suffered by the real life peeps who appear within. They did after all give me permission to use them and for me to quote one of them 'to do my worst to them.'_


	16. Chapter Fifteen: The Hours of Darkness

_Midsummer Nights_

_By __Trish___

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, Puck, William Shakespeare, or anything written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Mushuu belongs to Disney. Ashura the Mew belongs to Dragoness. Lucius is co-owned with Mia. Callie, Flory, Poppy, Poptart and any other unfamiliar characters belong to me as does the storyline.

_Chapter Fifteen__: The Hours of Darkness_

_If a great wave shall fall, and fall upon us all_

_Then I hope there's someone out there_

_Who can bring me back to you_

_Wherever You Will Go – The Calling_

Jenn sighed as the howling continued unabated from her friend's room. To add to her annoyance, Pepita had suddenly burst into tears while playing with Satochu and the tiny creature would not stop despite her brother's best efforts to comfort her.

The blonde shoved her chair back from the computer, scooped up the crying Pichu and stomped towards Trish's room, Satochu at her heels. Pushing open the door with her free hand, she growled out, "Honestly T, you gotta control your Pokémon better! I don't know how you can read with that commotion going on around you and…"

She trailed off as she saw there was no oblivious Australian with her nose buried in a book as she had expected. Just a book lying open on the bed and a forlorn looking Growlithe who stopped howling when she noticed the blonde, only to whimper pathetically.

"Well, Ophie, you have my attention," Jenn sighed as she sat down on her friend's bed. Pepita immediately leapt from her arms and clung to Ophelia for comfort, whereupon Satochu took the opportunity to take over Jenn's lap. "Typical, whenever I have something dramatic to say, Trish is never around…" She patted Ophelia on the head and the Fire Pokémon snuggled against her.

A Poké Ball left on the dresser began to shake and wobble violently before bursting open and forming into Espeon. The Psychic Pokémon whimpered in distress before huddling with Ophie and Pepita.

Now Jenn was really puzzled. Why were Trish's Pokémon acting so distressed all of a sudden? And where was Trish? Jenn was positive she hadn't left her bedroom because she would have seen her.

_'Could she possibly have snuck out to see __Drake_' Jenn pondered. '_Nah…she never would have gotten away with it. Not with yours truly, the ever observant Dragon Goddess around.'_

Just then Shannon was dragged into the room at top speed by a distressed and single minded Hamlet. The Growlithe crashed into Jenn's side, causing the unobservant Dragon Goddess to tumble onto the carpeted floor.

The brunette dropped the leash and managed to gasp out a, "Hi."

Jenn stood up and dusted herself off, and raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you?"

Hamlet sat at Shannon's feet, panting. The three other Pokémon jumped off the bed and gathered around him, nuzzling each other gently.

Shannon brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "Oh, Trish had asked me to walk Hamlet. We had only gone a block and a half, when suddenly he got all excited then just turned and bolted for home. He wouldn't stop." She glanced at Ophelia, Espeon and Pepita. "What's up with them?"

Jenn shrugged. "I dunno. All of a sudden Ophelia started howling like crazy and Pepita broke down and wouldn't stop crying. I came in to see why Trish wasn't doing anything about it, but she's not here."

"Hmm…"

"Did you see her on your way home?"

"What, you mean as I was being dragged by Sir Speedy here?" Shannon shot a mock glare at the Fire Puppy, who had the grace to look sheepish. "No, I didn't. Do you think she's out in the garden?"

"Nah, she would have come in by now to see what all the howling was about. You know how Trish is."

"True."

Jenn cocked an eyebrow. "Do you think she's with Drake?"

"Nooo," Shannon went to pick something up from the dresser. "Her keys are still here, right next to her wallet, cell phone and asthma medication. She would never leave any of these things behind."

The blonde's eyes wandered over to the bedside table and she frowned. "She left a mug here too."

Shannon picked it up to look at it and her eyes widened. "It's still half full and still hot."

"I'd say it's half empty," Jenn joked.

"How can you joke about something like this?" the younger girl scowled. "Trish would never _ever_ leave behind a cup of hot coffee unfinished. Plus all her Pokémon are upset, her stuff is still here and she's nowhere to be found!"

"You're right," Jenn said sombrely. "I think we should call the others." All jokes aside, the blonde was starting to feel uneasy. Shannon was right, it was _most_ out of character for the Australian to leave her favourite beverage unfinished, her personal belongings and her medication behind. A nagging feeling gnawed away at the back of her brain as if there was something about this that Jenn should remember. She couldn't.

A tremendous pounding on the front door was heard and Mia's voice floated back. "I'll get it!"

Seconds later, Drake came charging into the room with a worried-looking Mia close behind. "Where's Trish??"

Jenn felt the blood drain from her face when she saw the frantic look in the Orange Crew Leader's eyes. "You…you mean you don't know where she is either?" she managed to choke out.

His dark eyes widened. "Either? What do you mean by that?"

"What the frell is going on?" Mia demanded, looking pale. "Where is Trish and why don't either of you know where she is?"

The blonde shifted uncomfortably under their gazes, and unconsciously drew one of Trish's teddy bears to her chest. "Well…Trish was in here reading, and now we don't know where she is," she explained. "I thought she might be with you, Drake."

The dark-haired man shook his head. "No, I've been in meetings all day, and the arrangement was for me to come over here for dinner. The reason why I rushed over was because I found this on my desk." He handed a folded note to Mia.

"What does it say?" Shannon asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Mia opened the note and began reading. '_To those who dare to prevent me from fulfilling my destiny, let this be a warning. For revenge I have taken, and in revenge I will now exact the ultimate price. Someone you love is about to pay with her life. Lucius.'_ The teenager folded the note back up with trembling fingers. "I really hope that this is only someone's idea of a sick joke..."

"I don't know about that." Drake fished something out of his pant pocket. "This was left with the note." A delicate sterling silver Celtic knot pendant on a matching chain hung from his fingertips.

Jenn gulped as she recognised the necklace as one of Trish's favourites. "Trish was wearing that this morning."

"Could it be a fake?" Mia asked. "Maybe she took it off for some reason and Lu's just teasing us."

The blonde looked in the jewellery box on the bedside table. "No, it isn't here. I…" She sat back down on the bed abruptly as a severe dizzy spell swept over her. She blinked, for quite unexpectedly she was gazing upon a desolate landscape at night. The moonlight casting eerie shadows through the huge craggy boulders that were scattered over the land. A thick bank of fog rolled over the ground, and Jenn shivered.

A long drawn out agonising moan rumbled through the air, turning the blood in her veins to ice before her eyes widened at the sight of what appeared through the fog. A huge spectral hound with eyes of fire and body outlined with the flames of Hell itself, advanced towards her menacingly.

Jenn was rooted to the spot. She couldn't move, she was that petrified, and knew she wouldn't make it without help by her side.

A smooth and silky male voice she recognised as Lu's echoed in her mind. '_Now that you are suitably petrified, know then, my dear, that this is how your best friend shall die_.'

The Hound leapt straight for her and Jenn screamed.

She came to, to find her head nestled on Drake's lap and Mia and Shannon hovering over her. She blinked up at Drake and smiled slyly, "We should do this again sometime."

Drake stood up at that, letting the blonde fall onto the bed. "Be serious!"

"Sorry," Jenn said with a shrug. "When I get nervous, I joke."

"Then you need to stop being nervous," Mia shuddered. "That was too Chris-like of a joke."

Shannon sat on the bed by Jenn, "What did you see?"

Jenn sat up carefully, one hand to her head, "This totally huge dog, like a Houndoom on steroids, came out of this thick fog and…Well first there was this barren, no, empty wasteland of a place. Sort of like Mars, only at night and with fog, cause there were all these boulders and stuff and…"

Drake interrupted the blonde, "Can we get the _condensed_ version?"

"I was shredded by some damned dog." Jenn glared at Drake. "Happy?"

"Not really," Drake sighed, then looked ill. "…Trish…"

"Oh, that too!" Jenn's eyes widened, "Lu's discombobulated voice said that, uhm, something like now that I'm scared stiff that I know how my best friend will…"

"Will what?" Shannon encouraged.

Jenn paled. "Die. I'll know how she feels when she dies."

ooo

Trish sat up on the bed and blinked groggily. "I must have fallen asleep," she muttered before becoming fully alert with a start. For she was no longer in her light and airy bedroom, rather she found herself on a large four poster bed and rich dark oak panels lined the four walls with pastoral landscapes hung in gilded frames here and there. Heavy curtains in a dark red framed the windows and a full-length mirror stood in one corner.

"Where am I?" the dark-haired girl whispered as she raised one hand to her throat, only to stop and look down in astonishment. Gone were the t-shirt and jeans that she had on earlier, instead she was attired in a burgundy evening gown from the Victorian era.

Trish quickly scrambled off the bed and stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection in complete shock. She had to admit the gown was beautiful, slightly off the shoulder with a fitted bodice and sleeves, the skirt falling to the floor and a small bustle at the back. A pearl choker sat snugly around her neck and her long tresses had been swept up in a becoming style from that era with a white rose fixed into place with a hair pin.

"I must be dreaming…" she pinched herself hard. But her reflection remained the same. She looked like a Victorian lady, complete with…and she winced at the tightness…the torture garment known as a corset. "What was that line from that movie again? Want to know real pain, try wearing a corset," she gave a wry smile. "No wonder women fainted easily, I can hardly breathe."

Trish wished that her best friend was with her. She was sure Jenn would be poking sly fun at anything and everything. "Then again, she would be complaining about having to wear a bustle. She'd say that her butt totally didn't need any more enhancement." The Australian girl sighed. "May as well see where I am."

She made her way down a long carpeted corridor before descending a wide staircase into a large marble foyer. Trish was pondering her next move when a smooth, male voice came from behind her.

"Welcome, my dear."

She spun around to see a tall-red haired man, dressed impeccably in a dark evening suit and matching cravat. "Who are you?!" she gasped.

"The name's Lucius or Lu," the Fae walked closer. "I'm sure you've heard a lot about me recently."

Trish's eyes widened. "What is the meaning of all this? Where are we and why are we dressed like this? I take it that we're not here to attend some fancy dress party."

"No, but you must be dressed appropriately to fit in," Lu smiled. "As for the meaning of all this…you and your friends have been a festering thorn in my side for too long. That Puck and Callie have thwarted my grand ambitions for domination from the very beginning. Then that meddlesome bitch of a blonde friend of yours escapes my clutches and tells all." His eyes flashed angrily. "They have messed with me one time too many and they shall learn their lesson when they have to bury your body."

Trish stumbled back in horror and grabbed on the wall for support. "No!" Lu smiled coldly.

"What have I ever done to you?" she whispered.

"Oh, nothing personally," the Fae shrugged. "You are merely a means to an end, my dear. By using you, I shall achieve my ultimate goal. Everything I've done to you, your illness, your relationship break-up, was designed to hurt you and therefore hurt Mia, then Puck."

"You _monster_!"

"Why thank you," Lu beamed then walked up to the frightened girl, and leaned over her, pinning her against the wall. He leered at her. "I must say, you are nothing like your friend, Jenn. She was _most_ undignified and rude."

"I would expect nothing less from Jenn if she was kidnapped," Trish managed nervously as he trailed a hand along her neck. She didn't like the way he was looking her and wished that she had one of her Growlithe handy.

"Of course," Lu continued. "I might be persuaded to spare your life, if you agree to join me in the Fae world as my mistress…" He doubled over in pain as Trish kneed him viciously in the lower groin. Freed from his grasp, she ran for the door and wrenched it open and fled.

Lu managed to smile to himself despite the pain. "You can run but you can't hide my sweet. One down, many more to go."

ooo

_Back in Pummelo...___

A horrified silence followed Jenn's last statement and Drake looked positively ill, as did Jenn herself.

"You sure about that?" Mia breathed.

"Of course, I'm sure!" the blonde snapped. She shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "Owie...something's sticking in my back." Reaching behind her, she withdrew the book that the missing girl had been reading and glanced at the cover. Her blue-grey eyes widened.

"What is it?" Drake asked eagerly, then frowned. "_The Hound of the __Baskervilles_? Could Trish have been reading that when she disappeared?"

"This explains everything!" Jenn held up the book. "It's about some huge dog thing that eats people!"

"No, Jenn, that's not it!" Shannon protested. "The Hound from that book roams the moors at night and attacks people."

"That's what I get for reading those _Cliff__'s Notes_," Jenn bit at her lower lip. "This must be what my vision was trying to tell me. Lu's sent her to be hunted down by the dog thing!"

The Orange Crew Leader closed his eyes. "Oh God no...and Trish doesn't have her asthma medication with her."

"So if the Hound doesn't get her first..." Shannon trailed off.

"A severe asthma attack will," he finished for her.

"I'm gonna call Puck," Mia whispered before rushing off to the phone.

"Don't forget to ask for Callie too," Jenn called after the retreating figure. "We're gonna need all the Fae power we can get!"

She sank back against the decorative pillows and hugged a teddy to her. "I can't believe Lu managed to snatch Trish right from underneath our noses. Not to sound too conceited, well, maybe just a little, but I thought for sure that he wouldn't be able to get past me."

"There was nothing any of us could have done to prevent it," Drake sighed as he ran one hand through his thick locks. "How were we to know that the book, especially _that_ particular book, would be the key to it all?"

"But I had that vision from Lu," Jenn sat up and shook her head. "If only I could have realised that it was a hound and not a big cat, maybe I could have made the connection and stopped her from reading it."

"Yes, but how could you have known it would have come from a book?" Mia asked, coming back into the room. "You expected the threat to be..."

"It doesn't matter!" Jenn snapped, gripping the bear hard.

Drake sighed, "Jenn..."

"No, Drake, I could have stopped this from happening," she protested. "I promised myself that I wouldn't let Lu harm any of my friends and I've failed. My bestest friend is out there, about to become a meal for some demon dog!"

Shannon hugged the older girl tightly. "Jenn, you shouldn't go beating yourself up over this. How were you to know that it was a hound? You said yourself it was near cliffs and the night was so foggy you thought it was a large cat. And how were you to know that Trish would decide to read that book, out of all the other ones in her room?"

"I know but..."

"As much as we would like to, we cannot protect our family and friends from everything."

"All we can do," Drake said, sitting on the other side of the blonde, "is to hope and pray that Callie and Puck can figure out the spell in time to save Trish before it's too late."

Jenn glared down at the stuffed bear she held, a determined look in her eyes.

ooo

After storming out of the mansion, Trish continued on until she left the grounds, figuring she could hail down some passing horse and carriage or whatever they had in this dimension she was in. Anything to get away from the crazy within the house.  
  
However, she found no such thing outside the gate. Just a stone path leading away from the house over a desolate and barren landscape, dotted here and there with cairns and boulders that cast eerie shadows in the moonlight. A thick fog lay over the terrain obscuring the path and what lay beyond.  
  
The dark-haired girl rubbed her arms as the cool night air swept over her, raising goose bumps. At least, she told herself it was only the slight chill. But in truth she was feeling rather uneasy. She was in some god-forsaken place, taken there by some evil Fae who wanted to kill her, no idea of where she was, and how to get back home. She couldn't go back to the mansion, no telling what Lu would do to her.  
  
"The only way is forward," she whispered to herself. Trish started walking swiftly along the path, hoping fervently for some sign of civilisation.  
  
She soon found herself in amongst the fog, unable to see what lay ahead or behind her. The dark-haired girl couldn't shake the feeling that this whole setting seemed all-too-familiar.  
  
A long drawn out howl reverberated in the still night air, rising in intensity before dying away in a whisper.  
  
A terrible chill ran down her spine as she remembered the line, _'Avoid the moor in the hours of darkness when the powers of evil are exalted._'  
  
Trish felt her mouth go dry and she licked her lips nervously. "This _can't_ be..."  
  
The eerie cry echoed over the moor again and confirmed her worst fears. She gathered up her skirts as best she could and ran. _Dear God, this is how I'm going to die..._

ooo

It seemed like an eternity to Jenn before the rest of their group assembled at the villa. Puck and Callie looked as magical as ever while Chris kept sneaking looks at the female Fae. Jaime seemed to find something under her fingernails to be _very_ interesting. Danny was also on his way from Navel Island after being informed of the news.

_'Figures it would take someone disappearing to get him off his island_,' the blonde thought from her spot on the couch. She kept a stranglehold on the stuffed bear she had taken hostage earlier. Shannon sat beside her, cradling a sleeping Ophelia in her lap.

Drake sat on the couch opposite, resting his head in both hands; his brother offering silent comfort.

"So, let me get this straight," Callie began. "Trish was reading the _Hound of the Baskervilles_ when she disappeared from the room, then you got a vision from Lu."

"Yeah," Jenn shivered. "This huge, totally petrifying dog thing comes out of the mist and attacks me. Then Lu's voice says that now I'll know how Trish feels when she dies."

"Now about this hound?"

"The novel is about this family legend about a hound from hell, who roams the moors at night and hunts down anyone who crosses its path," Shannon explained. "In the book, the Hound is revealed as a fake, but I'm not so sure about this one."

"Right," Callie frowned. "What we need to do is break the spell so that Trish is brought back from wherever she is. Are there any small clearings around here that are still accessible by road?"

"Yeah," Ben spoke up quietly. "There's one not far from the Stadium."

ooo

_Back in __Dartmoor__  
_  
Trish leant against a large boulder and clutched her sides, chest heaving. She had no need to look behind her to see if the dreaded beast was behind her. She knew what it looked like and the blood-curdling howls seemed to grow closer with every passing minute.  
  
Her heart was hammering wildly and she knew that if help did not come soon, she would be in terrible strife. Her breathing was already restricted by the corset and a familiar and uncomfortable tightness was beginning to form in her chest.  
  
The dark-haired girl knew that was a sign her asthma was beginning to trouble her. Running fast and asthma never mixed well at the best of times and she did not have her medication with her. The moor stretched endlessly before her, with not a dwelling in sight.  
  
Trish brushed away a strand of hair that had come loose in her terrified flight with an unsteady hand. She gasped as the dreadful cry echoed again over the moor, picked up her skirts again and fled, trying to shake the feeling that she was going to her doom.

ooo

Ben rubbed his arms as a chill breeze blew, raising goose bumps as they waited in the forest clearing. The Stadium rose majestically in the distance, creating a picture perfect scene for a moment that was anything but that.

The young man looked over to where his older brother was standing somewhat apart from the others, a strained look on his face and fists clenched by his side. Ben walked over to Drake and put one hand on his brother's arm. "She's going to be okay..."  
  
"Is she?" the Pummelo Gym Leader asked in a hoarse voice. "Trish's being chased to death by a demon hound and she doesn't have her medication with her. How can she be okay?" The tall man ran a hand through his hair. "I already lost her once, I won't lose her again." Ben didn't say anything except to give his brother a gentle clap on the shoulder.

Jenn also shivered in the cool night air, as she glanced around anxiously at the clearing, hoping that there were no spiders or arachnid type Pokémon lurking about. The last thing she needed at this moment, was to walk into spider webbing.

She hoped that Callie and Puck would be able to break the spell in time to save Trish. While she knew that the female Fae was far more powerful than Lu, as was Puck; she also knew that her friend would have no hope of outrunning that demon dog she had seen. A tiny part of the blonde's mind nagged that while the Australian may be brought back, would she be brought back alive or dead? Jenn quickly pushed that thought away. _We're as close as sisters, even more so. I would know if she wasn't alive…wouldn't I?_

ooo

Trish dashed around the side of a large cairn and sagged against its mossy, worn surface, chest heaving with every breath and wheezing like mad. Her heart was beating furiously to compensate, and she fought desperately to quell her ever escalating panic. Her mind was shouting at her to run, but her body was screaming for her to stop, being in the midst of a severe asthma attack. Her asthma was making her panic, and her panic was making her asthma worse. It was the same old vicious cycle. What she needed, and needed desperately, was her asthma medication and for this ordeal to end. For she did not know if she could last very much longer. _I'm gonna die, I'm soo gonna die_….Then the howl came from a few metres behind her.

ooo

Shannon felt rather helpless as she sat on a boulder in between Ben and Chris. One of the nicest friends she had ever known was in mortal danger and there was nothing that she could do about. Danny was trying to keep a terrified Mia calmed down while Puck and Callie were busy focusing all their energy into breaking the spell.

Jenn paced back and forth restlessly across the clearing, like a caged tiger. The blonde was beside herself with worry and Shannon could see that she clutched something small and blue in her hand. It was Trish's asthma inhaler.

Drake was just as worried as Jenn was, though he managed to cover it somewhat better than she did. The dark-haired Crew Leader watched as she made her umpteenth lap before him, and noticed a slight glimmer of tears in her blue-grey eyes. When she passed him on her way back, he reached out and enveloped her in a tight hug. The blonde objected a bit before laying her head on his chest as he rocked her gently in his arms.

Jaime was sitting slightly apart from the others. For one thing it was her fault that Trish was gone and they were all here in the darkness. All because she had told Lucius how much the girl loved reading that book and that she was an asthmatic.

She hugged her knees to her chest. She hadn't meant for Trish to be sent to her death, she would never wish something like that on any friend. The teen prayed rapidly that the Australian girl would be found safe and well. For if she didn't make it, Jaime would have to live with the fact that she was partly responsible for her death.

ooo

Puck felt beads of perspiration dot his forehead as he concentrated in a joint effort with his sister to break the spell. They had almost decoded the last few remnants, just a little bit more was needed. Finally he 'felt' the spell break and he opened his eyes at the same time as his sister. "We did it!"

Callie gave a small smile. "Now you remember what we have to do as soon as we see the Hound?"

Puck nodded, a grim look on his face. "We kill it."

His sister held his hand tightly. There was no need to impress on Puck the importance that he not mess up this particular spell. While he did have a tendency to fluff things, when it came to the crunch - he would always come through.

ooo

_Back in __Dartmoor_...

Trish started in terror at the baying of the hound, and she glanced around frantically, at a loss to know in what direction to flee next. A speck of light appeared a short distance before her, and grew in size to become a large shimmering portal. Summoning what remained of her strength, she made a frantic dash for it, not really caring where it went, as long as it was away from the hellish nightmare she was in.

ooo

The small group also saw the portal open, and the demonic howl of the Hound floated through, chilling everyone to the core.

Jenn clutched tightly onto Drake's arm, as the seconds ticked by. When a dishevelled young woman in a evening dress came tearing through, Jenn's spirits lifted as she recognised her best friend but that was soon short-lived. For Trish was in a very bad way; and neither Jenn nor anyone else there was fully prepared for the sight of what came after the petrified girl.

Such a beast their eyes had never seen before. An enormous coal black hound had burst through the hole. Its entire body glowed with an unearthly flickering flame, its eyes glowed red and sharp teeth were bared in a savage snarl.

Trish was not aware that she was back in familiar surroundings, nor was she aware that her friends were there at all. She was too busy running for her life as the savage beast drew closer on her heels. What she was very much aware of – was the fact that she had come to the very end of her strength. She had no more left to give. Her heart felt like it was being crushed in a steel vice, and she just could not breathe at all. She was not going to make it, and as the darkness overwhelmed her, the last thing she heard was the Hound.

Mia screamed as her friend suddenly crumpled to the ground. Just as the Hound was about to leap onto its victim, Callie shouted out "NOW" to her brother, and the two Fae sent a huge ball of crackling energy which trapped the creature within.

It struggled wildly as the Faes intensified their magic, writhing about in agony. A few minutes later it became completely still. Only then did the two dare to lower the body to the forest floor some distance away.

Ben was on the cell phone to the ambulance as the group rushed to their fallen friend. Jenn and Drake were the first to reach Trish, and they rolled her over onto her back gently. She neither moved or opened her eyes and Jenn grabbed her hand as Drake checked for a pulse. There was none.

Drake shouted at his brother. "We have to do CPR!" Ben immediately joined his brother, performing the chest compressions as Drake breathed air into the girl's lungs.

Shannon and Jenn stood together as they watched the Thayers work on their friend. The younger girl had her arm around Jenn's shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze every now and then.

The blonde's eyes were fixated on the still form of her best friend, silently willing the girl to start breathing. _C'mon Trishy, you gotta make it. You can't leave me behind, we're a team._

The wailing of sirens announced the arrival of the paramedics on the scene, just as Drake and Ben managed to get a faint pulse. Trish was loaded quickly onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. Jenn climbed in with her – the two girls had promised long ago that they would always be there for each other, and the blonde was going to keep her side of the bargain.

Danny saw his best friend weave slightly on his feet. "I'll drive you to the hospital, Bro," the lanky Navel Island Gym Leader said firmly as he snatched the keys off Drake. "You are in no condition to do so. Trish needs you there in one piece."

ooo

_At __Pummelo__Memorial__Hospital___

Jenn paced the floor of the waiting room in the emergency ward, glancing every few minutes at the double doors behind which a team of doctors were working on her friend. A nurse came up to her with a clipboard and pen. "Excuse me, are you with the patient that was just brought in?"

The blonde blinked then nodded. "Yes."

"Are you related in any way?"

"No," Jenn shook her head. "Her family's in Sydney. I'm her best friend."

"Well if you could fill out these admission forms and leave some contact numbers for her folks in Sydney so that we can notify them for any reason."

"Sure," Jenn took the clipboard and sat down in one of the chairs and began to fill the form as best she could.

Just then the rest of the group arrived, and to their questioning looks, she indicated the operating room doors. "They're working on her right now." Mia gave a slight hiccup where she was leaning against Puck, and it was obvious she had been crying on the way over.

"Shouldn't someone ring Trish's parents?" Shannon asked quietly. "Just so they can make arrangements to fly out to be with their daughter?"

Drake unhooked his cell phone from his belt. "I'll call them now and send the League jet to collect them, so they can be here as quickly as possible." Jenn flashed him a grateful smile, he knew about her phone phobia, and understood that there was no way in the world that she could have ever made this phone call. He moved off to the side and Danny went with him to provide moral support.

Jenn turned her attention back to the paperwork, and a few minutes later she had come to the end of the forms. Her pen hesitated at the last question, which she quickly skipped and signed her name on the dotted line. For the last question asked whether or not the 'Do Not Resuscitate' clause was to be invoked. Jenn didn't want to answer such a question, let alone contemplate it. _Best to leave that decision to her parents,_ she thought. _Because I wouldn't have the courage or the authority to do it.___

The blonde glanced around at her friends as the nurse returned to collect the clipboard. Shannon was sitting with her hands clasped together in a silent prayer. Ben sat next to her with one hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. Jaime looked like she wanted the earth to swallow her up whole, and Mia was being comforted by Puck and Callie.

"How are you feeling?"

Jenn looked up to see the Grand Master standing there, concern in his dark brown eyes. She smiled faintly. "I'd feel much better if you tell me that this is all one huge nightmare and that I'm gonna wake up any second and Trish will be back home safe."

"I wish I could," Ash answered honestly.

Drake and Danny walked back over and the Orange Crew Leader looked tired and pale. "That is not a phone call I'd ever like to make again," he said as he sat down next to the blonde.

"You get onto her parents?" Jenn asked

"Yeah, they're going to see if any of her siblings want to come and they'll fly straight over." He ran a hand through his dark hair. "It was one of the most difficult phone calls I've ever had to make. How do you tell someone that their daughter may be dying?"

"What did you tell them?"

"Just that she collapsed with a severe asthma attack. They wouldn't believe me if I mentioned the truth."

"That's true," Ash murmured.

Jenn swung her legs up in the seat next to her and leaned her back against Drake. "I just want this to be over," she sighed, then added hastily, "With a happy ending, of course."

Ash went to sit in the chair that Jenn had put her feet on, but the blonde flashed him a warning look that said, "_Don't even think about it_." He sat in the seat next to the one with her feet on it. "What now?" he asked.

"For now," Drake said, looking towards the double doors, "we wait."

ooo

For the small group of friends, the minutes passed by at an agonisingly slow pace before the double doors finally opened. A team of doctors and nurses rushed the trolley bearing the unconscious patient toward the lifts, one nurse was mechanically pushing air into the lungs through a small external bag device as they went.

A doctor in his mid-forties walked over to them and they all sat up expectantly. He gave a tired smile. "It was touch and go there for a while, but she's still with us." Sighs of relief.

"However, she's in a coma. She's suffered some massive trauma, sending her whole system into a deep shock. Add a near fatal asthma attack and you can see why we're very lucky to have her at all."

Jenn gripped Ash's hand tightly as the doctor continued. "The next twenty-four hours will be crucial. If her condition remains stable then she has a good chance of getting through this."

"You must be prepared though for the possibility that your friend may never wake up. Or that she may have suffered irreversible brain damage as a result. Keyword - _may_," he added hastily, seeing their faces drop. "But we won't know this until Trish comes out of the coma."

_'Oh no, oh no, oh god no_,' Jaime's mind kept on repeating over and over as the news sunk in. The Canadian girl had never felt so mortified in her life. A good friend was fighting for her life - and it was totally her fault.

"She'll be monitored around the clock by staff, so I would suggest you all go home and get some rest. We'll make sure to inform you if there's any change in her condition," the doctor advised.

Jenn bit her lower lip nervously. "Wait, can't one of us stay overnight?"

The doctor nodded. "We do have spare beds in the adjoining rooms upstairs. One of you can stay if you like."

"I will," the blonde jumped up quickly.

"Wouldn't it be better if you went home?" Danny asked.

"Wouldn't it be better if you ditched that gawd awful sweater?" Jenn scowled at the gym leader. "I'm not leaving Trish alone."

"But you can't do anything for her..."

"That's not the point!" Jenn insisted angrily, lifting her chin and folding her arms across her chest. "I need to be here for Trish. In case you haven't noticed, she's in a coma because of Lu. Because I screwed up Lu's plans, he took it out on her."

"Maybe Callie and Puck could set up magical wards around Trish's room." Shannon suggested.

"Sorry, Shannon, but I don't think so," Jenn gritted her teeth. "It's because of magic in the first place that Trish, or any of us, were targeted by Lu." Jenn pointed over at Puck and Callie, "As a matter of fact, it's because of _those_ two that Trish was hurt."

"Hey, that's not fair and totally uncalled for," Mia stood up in front of Puck, "We're doing all we can and..."

"Excuse you," Jenn interrupted, "but when did you turn magical?"

Mia clenched her jaw tight, and turned back to sit next to Puck.

"I understand that you're upset," Callie said soothingly, "But we will get Lu for this."

"And again, that's not the point." Jenn said calmly, though she was still clearly angry, "Trish is in a coma because of magic, because of _your_ war with Lu." She shrugged. "Until her parents arrive, I'm the closest thing to family that she's got! I'm not leaving and that's that."

The Navel Island Gym Leader was about to renew his protests when Drake shook his head. "Give it up, Dan. There is no way in hell that you'll get Jenn to change her mind."

"But…"

Drake placed his hand on his best friend's shoulders. "Trust me on this. And if you know what's good for you, you'll give in."

Jenn looked triumphant. "See Danny? You should always listen to Drake. Now there's a guy who knows to fear and respect the Dragon Goddess!"

The Orange Crew Leader rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Yes, I've learnt my lessons well." He paused. "But I do think the rest of us need to go home and get some rest. We're obviously all upset and on edge, resulting in everyone going for each other's throats. That is the _last_ thing we need at the moment, and I think we all know how Trish would feel about this if she knew. She'd tell us to sit down and shut up. So I suggest we all go and get some sleep and come back here in the morning, and perhaps we can act more _civilised_ towards one another?"

The blonde nodded. "I promise to call immediately if there's any change."

"You do that."

ooo

Jenn followed the nurse down the quiet corridors of the Intensive Care Unit until they reached the room where Trish was lying. The blonde could see another nurse checking the various machines through the glass window. "Trish's condition will be monitored around the clock," the lady explained then opened the door to a room on the left. "This is where you can sleep for the night."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
The nurse smiled. "You can go in and see her for a few minutes if you like."  
  
The blonde nodded and entered the room with some unease. The nurse that was on duty in the room, nodded at her and left the room. Jenn winced as she looked at the vast array of medical equipment that surrounded Trish's bed. She hated hospitals and the sight of her best friend, lying so pale and still with tubes from various machines sticking in her, did not help.  
  
The slow but steady beep of the heart monitor was the only sound that punctuated the silence of the room, apart from the hissing and clicking of the ventilator which forced air into the girl's lungs; in essence 'breathing' for her.  
  
Jenn sat down in the chair next to the bed and held her friend's limp hand. "Hey T," she said softly. "Just to let you know that I'm right here and I'm not gonna be going anywhere until you leave here. Um, on your own power, I mean. Your parents are on their way over, but until then you're stuck with me." She sighed as she reflected on the unfairness of the whole situation. Trish had been through a lot in the past two months, and just when things were looking up for her, something like this had to happen. Jenn couldn't help but think that her own escape from Lu had something to do with his swift attack on Trish.

"And when you wake up, you won't be able to say that I'm a good friend to you. Cause I'm not. If only I had realised it was a dog in my vision and not a lion or whatever, I could've prevented this. That's what a _really_ good friend would've done." The blonde glanced towards the still figure and bit her lip. "Notice I didn't say _if_ but _when _you wake up. Because you're gonna get better and walk out of here. You leave us all alone and I'll have no choice but to kill Lu myself."

ooo

The early morning sunlight streamed in softly through the stained glass windows as Jaime hesitantly pushed open the wooden doors of the hospital chapel. The place was empty, but a few candles burned brightly on a side table which told of recent visitors.  
  
The redhead wiped her eyes as she walked up to the front pew and knelt down on the padded kneeler. She had hardly slept at all during the night, too full of wild remorse for what her actions had caused, and too afraid of what news the morning might bring. Huddled in her bed, she had vowed to visit the hospital every day until her friend was discharged. _If she ever makes it to that stage_, a small voice whispered inside her head.

Jaime prayed earnestly that Trish would make a full recovery from this ordeal. She vowed to take it on the chin if the older girl never spoke to her again. When she had finished, she rose from her pew and made ready to leave when the flickering candles on the side altar caught the corner of her eye.  
  
The Canadian sniffled a bit. A burning candle was both a symbol of life and hope, perhaps she could light a candle for Trish. Placing a fresh candle in one of the holders, she lit it with a match, watching as the small flame sprang to life. As it grew in size and strength she willed her comatose friend to do the same.

ooo

The sun woke Jenn up early to unfamiliar surroundings. She sat up groggily to discover she was still dressed in the same clothes from yesterday, but then she remembered everything.

Hurriedly, the blonde scrambled off the bed and into the next room. She hoped fervently that the unthinkable had not happened during the night – that is, Lu sneaking in and finishing the job. Or that Trish had no more strength left to fight on. But surely the nurses would have woken her if that had happened.

A nurse glanced up from making some notes on the clipboard. "Good morning. Her condition never altered at all during the night. Due to that, we didn't disturb to you."

"That's a good thing, right?" Jenn asked hesitantly.

"It is and it isn't. While it's good that her condition hasn't deteriorated at all, we would be much happier if it had improved. But it hasn't."

"So…it could still go either way?"

"I'm afraid so," the nurse said in a soft voice. "And the final decision is all up to the patient herself. All the best medicine and doctors in the world won't be able to save her if she doesn't have the will to fight."

She left the room, and Jenn went to sit by her friend. "Come on, Trishy," she pleaded. "You heard what the nurse said. It's all up to you now. You just gotta fight this and fight hard. If you don't, then Lu's won and we totally can't have that!"

Her brows knitted together in frustration. "You've got so much to live for, Tah! You've got great family, you've got great friends in Mia, Shannon, Chris, and even Jaime. You've got _me_ - no smart assed remarks, thank you very much! And what's more you have something that I don't have - Drake. He's tall, dark, handsome, talented, wealthy, and great guy who's crazy about you. Plus he's got a totally sexy butt, and if you don't like me saying that, then you can just sit up and tell me that yourself." She held her breath at that, but there was no response, not even an arched eyebrow. She sighed and rested her head against the cool metal railing of the bed. "You can do this, I know you can. You just can't leave us all alone."

ooo

Half an hour later, a nurse came to give the blonde a message that her friends, along with Trish's parents and older sister, were waiting down in the cafeteria for her. Somewhat reluctant to leave her friend and yet anxious to satisfy her growling stomach, Jenn made her way downstairs.

There were hugs all round, before the Australians were met by the doctor who had taken Trish's case, and taken upstairs to discuss the girl's condition and to see her as well.

Chris waited until they were well out of sight before speaking. "Do you think...Trish is going to pull through?"

Jenn slumped in her seat, staring at the bagel and Pepsi Drake had ordered for her and sighed. "I hope so. I just feel so helpless. I just wish there was something else I could do to help her. You know, like kill some..." She broke off at the confused stares Drake's parents were giving her, and at the unspoken cries of "SHUT UP!!!" from her friends, and weakly finished with, "...time. Nothing but time."

Mr Thayer smiled at the girl, but still looked a bit confused. "You are doing something to help Trish. Just by being there for her, and that is perhaps the most important thing of all. She may be in a coma, but I'm sure she knows in some way that you stayed with her last night."  
  
"Sometimes faith can play a big role in a person's recovery," Mrs Thayer added. "A little faith can go a long way and we often need to draw on the strength of others."  
  
"And Trish's inner strength is a lot greater than she thinks it is," Shannon said confidently. "I wonder if we can give that a helpful push along. We can be strong for her."

"But will it be enough?" Mia whispered as she clutched tightly onto Puck's hand.

Jenn sat up straight and her blue-grey eyes flashed. "It just has to be, Mia. We're not gonna let Trish leave us without a good fight."

ooo

At Drake's suggestion, the group headed back to the girls' villa for a while. It was only the proper thing to do to give Trish's family some time alone with their daughter and sister. Not even Jenn would argue against that, and so had joined them.

The blonde freshened up with a shower and a change of clothes, before padding over to her friend's room.

Ophelia and Hamlet lifted their heads from where they were curled up in two miserable balls on the bed, and whimpered when they saw the girl.

Jenn walked over and sat beside the Growlithe, scratching them gently behind their ears. "Poor pups. I know that you were hoping I was your mistress, but I'm not."

"They've been there all night," Shannon said as she entered the room and sat down beside Jenn. "The only time they move from the bed is when they need to go outside for personal needs."  
  
"Have any of them eaten at all?" Jenn asked as Ophie crawled onto her lap for comforting, and Hamlet burrowed into Shannon's lap.

The younger girl sighed. "They refused to last night. This morning I managed to coax them all to have a little something."

"Where's Pepita and Satochu?"

"Oh Ash offered to take the two baby mice home for Pikachu to look after," Shannon explained. Jenn nodded. It made sense for Pepita to be with her mother, as it would provide some measure of comfort to the Baby Pokémon. And little Satochu would not have wanted to be separated from his sister.

"You feeling a little refreshed now?" a male voice came from the doorway. The two girls looked up as Drake came in and sat on a chair.

"Yeah, the shower sure helped," Jenn nodded. "So how long before I can go back and resume watch over the Sleeping Tiger?"

The Orange Crew Leader gave a slight frown. "I thought _I_ was going to sit by her for a while, Crouching Rabbit."

"First of all, it's been changed to _dragon_. Crouching dragon."

"Go on," Shannon teased, "do the tongue thing."

Jenn just gave a withering look, to which Shannon laughed.

"Yeah, well you can," Jenn said, looking back at Drake. "But I promised Trish I wouldn't budge until she gets all better and this is one promise that I'm not gonna break!"

"But I haven't sat with her at all. You rode in the ambulance and you spent all last night at the hospital. It's only fair we should take turns."

"Do not make me hurt you!" Jenn said. "For one thing, Trish would be pissed and for another, I just got my nails done. I mean other than her family, I know T the best."

"Well, I'm her boyfriend."

"That's not as good as best friend status," she smirked. "You are easily replaced, while best friends stick forever," she paused, frowning, "or until I do something really wrong against her. So again with the not as good as."

Drake folded his arms. "Maybe so, but I _should _be allowed to spend time with the girl I'm going to marry..." He trailed off to see both girls staring at him with wide eyes. The two Growlithe looked at each other with mirrored looks of confusion. "Oh...bugger."

"The hell you say!" Jenn gasped. "We really have to get that girl to wake up now!"

They were interrupted by the doorbell. Jenn gently placed Ophelia off her lap and went to answer it. She swung open the door and her eyes widened in shock. "Rudy!"

"Jenn," Rudy said snidely, running a hand through his hair. "Is Trish here?"

"No, and..." she drew her hand back and punched the Trovita Island Gym Leader in the nose. Rudy fell back, landing on his back on the front walk. The others ran into the room behind Jenn.

"What's going on?!" Drake demanded, then shoved past Jenn when he saw Rudy sprawled out on the front walk.

The blonde sighed contentedly. "Oh, that felt _so_ good!"

"But I'm Trish's boyfriend," Drake sputtered. "_I _should have punched him!"

"Too late, Romeo."

Shannon blinked. "Remind me to never get Jenn mad at me." Jenn grinned.

"I thought you said you just got your nails done," Drake said dryly.

"Son of a gun," Jenn examined her nails, then sighed in relief. "They're okay! I didn't break any of 'em!"

"The world is safe once again," Shannon rolled her eyes.

"You'd better believe it." Jenn said sombrely.

"So what did he want?" the younger girl asked.

Jenn shrugged. "I dunno, all he asked was if Trish was here, then I punched the sucker."

"You're the punch first, ask questions later kinda girl," Drake sighed.

"Hey, I resemble that," the blonde folded her arms. "You would've done the same, Mister 'Aren't I so cool because I run a League'."

"True."

"What do we do with him?" Shannon gestured towards Rudy, who was slowly picking himself up off the ground.

"Nothing, it's garbage collection day. Let them get rid of the trash," Jenn shrugged as she turned to go back inside. "I heard there's a nice recycling place. Maybe he can come back with a new attitude or at least better hair."

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Jenn," the Trovita Gym Leader growled as he staggered to his feet. His eyes widened as he noticed Drake standing beside her. "Drake…what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the very same question of you," the Orange Crew Leader said, coolly.

"But I thought that you and Trish were…" Rudy trailed off, confused.

"Shows how much you know," Shannon smirked. "They're back together."

"So can I see her?"

Drake walked slowly up to his colleague, and the chestnut-haired man cringed at the menacing look in his dark eyes as he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt. "For your information, Trish is lying in a coma in hospital, thanks to your friend, Lu. If she dies, I'm gonna hurt both you and him, very very badly. And if I find out that you've taken your slimy self _anywhere _near her room, you are going to regret that you were ever born."

"Not that Trish would want anything to do with you after what you tried to do," Jenn sneered. "Time for you to go." She leant in the doorway and called out, "Ophie! Hamlet!"

Two Growlithe came running and sat by her feet. Jenn smiled sweetly at the Trovita Island Gym Leader. "These two sweeties are Trish's Pokémon. And I'm sure they would be only too happy to show you the way out, once they learn that you are responsible for hurting their beloved mistress."

The two Fire Pokémon snarled and bared their teeth as she said this, and advanced towards Rudy menacingly. The man broke into a cold sweat as he started to inch slowly backwards. Ophelia opened her mouth to reveal a small glowing ball of fire forming.

Rudy turned tail and ran, the two growlithes hot on his heels. The group heard him shriek in pain as Ophelia's Flame Thrower scored a direct hit on his bottom.

"Oooh Ophie's such a good widdle puppy!" Jenn clapped her hands. "Both of them are gonna get extra Pokétreats for this."

"And again, with the reminder to never get you mad at me," Shannon muttered.

"That's right, be terrified of the Dragon Goddess!" the blonde crowed.

"Oh, don't worry, we are!"

ooo

Puck found Mia out in the backyard, sitting in a miserable heap on a garden bench. "Hey there," he said carefully as he sat down beside her.

Her only response was to fling her arms around him and bury her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her slender frame and they sat in silence.

After a few minutes, Mia broke it. "Tell me everything's going to be all right. Tell me that Trish is going to pull through this, because I don't think I can take much more."

Puck hugged her tightly. "What do you mean?"

She pulled back slightly and he saw a hint of tears in her emerald green eyes. "It's all _my_fault that this happened. Remember how Trish made that 'Six Degrees of Mia' quip? Everything bad that's happened is because of me, and because Lu is hurting me to get to you. Trish would never have been sick, would never have fought with Drake, and wouldn't be on her deathbed at the moment if she hadn't been my friend!" She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. "There's just no other explanation for it. Why else would Lu want to kill her? If she dies, I am never gonna forgive myself…"

"She won't die," Puck tried to reassure his girlfriend, hoping that what he said would turn out to be the truth.

"Maybe I should go home…"

"What?"

"Maybe I should go home before anyone else gets hurt. I mean the longer I stay here, the more danger I'm putting everyone in!"

Puck gripped the brunette by the shoulders. "Listen to me, Mia. You are not going to go home, you are going to stay right here. Trish would get pissed at us and you if she found out you went home because of what happened to her. The first thing she is going to do after she wakes up, okay maybe _second _after she demands her coffee, is to know where her Mini-Mi is."

The teen sighed. "You're right. I'll stay."

ooo

Two days passed and to everyone's dismay, Trish's condition slowly deteriorated. The doctors had managed to stabilise her and not let it go any further, but things were looking grim.

Trish's parents had rung Jenn that night to tell her that the doctors had advised them that the longer the girl remained in a coma, the longer she went without showing any signs of improvement; the less likely she would make a full recovery.

In that case, the question of when to turn off the life support needed to be considered. The blonde felt sick to her stomach. They couldn't do that to Trish! Jenn stepped out into the backyard and looked up at the night sky. She had told the others the news and wanted to have a few minutes alone. She had never felt so frustrated and so helpless before. Trish was her best friend and the one person who knew her best apart from her own family. The dark-haired girl was always there when Jenn needed her. Now when the situations were reversed, there was nothing Jenn could do to help except sit there.

The back door opened and footsteps sounded behind her. She turned to see the Orange Crew Leader approaching her and she guessed he was feeling as crappy as she was.

"How're you feeling?" he asked gently.

"Sick, scared, frustrated, helpless," she sighed. "I just don't want think about turning the machines off."

"Yeah, I feel the same way," Drake looked down and dug his hands deep in his pockets. "Nothing we can do about it though. It's not our decision to make."

"I know that! It's just that _why_ is T getting worse and not better? Doesn't she know how much we need her here? Doesn't she realise how lost we'd all be without her?"

He looked up at her with a sad smile. "I think she does, but maybe…maybe it's her time to go."

"No," Jenn turned away from Drake and crossed her arms across her stomach. She frowned at the night sky. "No, maybe it's _your_ time to go."

"Excuse me?" Drake sounded shocked. "For your information, I..."

"...Haven't been there enough."

"What?" He was confused. "What are you saying?"

The blonde spun around, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "You're right. I've been there too much. I think that..._you_ have to be there."

"Jenn, I..."

The tears vanished and the blonde shook her head. "Don't argue with me, okay? Just for once, listen to me." Drake fell silent.

"You're her Prince Charming, you know. Even when she was pissed at you, you were always in her thoughts," Jenn grinned. "Even when those thoughts were of torturing and maiming you, keep in mind that it was thought of with love."

The Orange Crew Leader chuckled at that, "But..."

Jenn walked by him towards the open patio doors. "Nuh uh, you just get down there ASAP. Even if you have to get her Espeon to teleport you in." She sighed. "True love always conquers over evil." She slapped him on his bare arm before going back indoors. "Remember that, Romeo."

The door shut behind her and Drake leaned against the cool wall of the villa. "Maybe she's right," the Orange Crew Leader mused as he turned to go inside. He shrugged and grasped the door knob. "Maybe she's..." He frowned and tried the knob again. "...locked me out." He pounded on the door. "JENN!!!"

He heard her voice float back. "Just get your butt to where it belongs – at Trish's bedside!"

The dark-haired man sighed, and unhooked a Poké Ball from his belt. It contained Espeon whom he had offered to look after while her mistress was in hospital. "We'd better do as she says."

ooo

Jaime arrived at the hospital bright and early, she had found out when the visiting hours for non family members were with the ICU, and she was determined to see Trish. Clutching a small teddy bear and a small posy of flowers, the girl asked the reception the directions to the room.

"I'm not sure if she already has family there at the moment, I'll just ring the nurses desk and see first," the nurse advised her as she picked up the phone.

Jaime hoped desperately that no one was there with Trish. She really didn't think she could face the girl's family when she had been partly responsible for the crisis. "Hi, I kinda helped to put your daughter in a coma," was not the best way to introduce yourself to people.

"Her family have gone for a late breakfast with her boyfriend," the nurse told her. "I can take you up for twenty minutes maximum."

The redhead nodded gratefully and followed the older woman to the elevator. Once there, she felt a little nervous about entering the room. Hospitals gave her the creeps at the best of times, but especially so when she saw all the machines that her friend was hooked up to. She approached the bed slowly, cautiously, half-expecting Trish to suddenly sit up and bite her head off. Jaime shook her head and reproached herself. _'Don't be such an ass __Jaime__. She's in a **coma**, she's not about to move anywhere!_' That was immediately followed by a fresh wave of guilt as she remembered the reason _why_ Trish was in a coma.

The girl sat down in the chair beside the bed and looked around. Flowers and soft toys dotted the shelf behind the bed. A medium size bear sat on the table beside the bed, with a small heart shaped helium balloon on a stick attached. '_Love You Always_,' was written in cursive script across the balloon and Jaime guessed that it had come from Drake.

She summoned up her courage and faced the still figure in the bed. "Hi…Trish. It's me, Jaime. I brought you this teddy cuz I know you like them and a small posy. I really hope you get better soon and that you can forgive me. I never wanted this to happen, honest."

Jaime sighed and rose to place her little gifts amongst the others. At the door to the room she paused and looked back. "If I could turn back time, I would never have agreed to help them in the first place."

ooo

On an island north of Pummelo, someone else was playing the waiting game. Lucius had returned there as soon as his victim had left him in Dartmoor; and it took all of his self-control to restrain himself from immediately going to see the results of his 'handiwork.' For it wouldn't do for him to walk into a trap laid by Callie and Puck. Oh no, he intended to see this thing through to the end, and he intended to win at all costs.

He sat down in his recliner and felt out with his magic. If things had gone to plan, then there would be no life force to be found. His smile faded after a minute, for he still felt it. Faint but still there. The red-haired Fae gritted his teeth. "How can this be?! How could she have survived such an ordeal? How can she still be living!!" He would have to wait until the night came to finish the job.

ooo

Joanne watched her blue Mew as he ate. The little Pokémon had been coming and going at all hours and slept on and off throughout the day ever since he had told her that strange things were afoot. "Can I ask you just where you go every night?"

Ashura blinked. '_Sure. I've been keeping watch at the hospital over __Trish__ through the night. Just in case the Evil One tries to do something.'_

Joanne nodded. She had heard all about it from Jenn. "But isn't there always someone there overnight? Surely you don't need to be there."

Her Pokémon waved a little paw. '_I do need to be there__. The Evil One is magic remember? At least I have some powers to counteract any attacks he might try. The night hours will be when __Trish__ is most vulnerable, especially since she can't defend herself._

"I see." She hesitated before asking the next question. "Do you think he's going to hurt someone else?"

ooo

The hospital room was silent save for the constant beeping and hissing of the life support equipment as they kept the patient alive. The curtains were shut against the moonlight and rustled slightly as a pinprick of light appeared in the room, and grew until it formed into a tall red-haired man.

Lucius glowered at the still figure in the bed. "You should have been dead by now. In fact you should have died that night on the moors. Never mind, you soon will be once I have finished here."

He walked to the window and parted the curtains with magic, the moonlight turning everything to silver. A red orb of fiery energy formed and hovered above his right palm. "I may not be on the side of good, but the moon does empower my magick." The orb flared with renewed strength and crackled intensely.

"It would have been much better for you if your little blonde friend had just stayed put. If she had just let me deal with her, you wouldn't be the one to appease my wrath. Nothing like a sacrificial offering I always say." The Fae smiled coldly. "You did say you would do anything for your best friend, and so you shall die." His smile grew even more sinister. "And if you think your death might save your friend, you are very much mistaken. For I have plans for her, and you will not be able to stop me."

The orb seemed to fling itself from his palm, streaking towards the vulnerable figure. Lucius's eyes glowed with glee, but his joy was short-lived as the orb crashed into an invisible barrier surrounding the comatose girl, shattering into a million pieces, all of which disintegrated before they hit the ground.

"WHAT?!" Lucius growled out. He stalked over and hovered his hand around the girl, "Puck!" The name was spat out with pure venom and the Fae glanced around quickly. "I don't have time to unravel this now, I'll have to come back later or else choose a new target. But rest assured that you will not live for long, not when you know too much." With that, he vanished.

A small stuffed blue bear sitting on Trish's pillow suddenly moved and shimmered until it had resumed its natural form. Mew gave a frightened squeak before vanishing.

Ashura reappeared in the next room, where the Orange Crew Leader was sleeping for the night. He poked the sleeping man incessantly with one paw. '_Wake up_!!!!'

Drake mumbled a bit before opening his eyes to find two large blue ones staring into his.

_"Mew?"_

He yelped in alarm, and nearly fell out of the bed. "Don't wake me like that!"

Mew looked sombre. '_This was an emergency._'

The dark-haired man sat up, and rubbed his eyes. "There's only one blue Mew that I've heard about, so you must be Ashura. What's wrong?"

Frightened blue eyes gazed at him. '_You must go to your mate. The Evil One just tried to kill her but I managed to stop him_.'

Drake's eyes widened in horror before he leapt out of bed and ran into the next room, with Mew flying close behind. The Orange Crew Leader sighed with relief when he saw the jagged lines on the heart monitor still going steadily across the screen, as the respirator clicked away.

He sat down beside the bed and held Trish's hand tightly. "What did he try to do?"

'_He tried to kill her with an orb of magical energy, but I managed to erect a psychic barrier around her in time,'_ Ashura informed him, before the little Pokémon found himself wrapped in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much for saving Trish," Drake said softly before letting go. "If you hadn't been here...by the time I'd have found out, it would have been too late. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

Ashura giggled. _'Oh I was glad to help. There is no way we can let the Evil One win. Besides, I like your mate, she's nice._'

"My...mate?" the Orange Crew Leader blushed.

The little Mew giggled again. _'I **am** a Psychic Pokémon, so I know these things.'_

"Do you think Lu will try again tonight?"

_'I don't know.'_

"Just to be on the safe side, maybe I'd better stay here and we both keep watch the rest of the night."

'_Gotcha._'

ooo

_Meanwhile, back at the villa_...

Jenn placed a small portable CD player on the floor near the door of her friend's room, and glanced around the room. A small stuffed toy caught her eye and she picked it up.

The cream and brown dog was missing half of its fur and the paint on its eyes was half faded. This was Trish's favourite and oldest toy, having received it for her first birthday. Jenn decided to take it to the hospital, so that when the girl awoke, she would see something familiar.

When Shannon walked in a few minutes later, Jenn was rummaging through Trish's CD collection. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for music to wake Trishy by," came the answer. The older girl pulled some discs out and handed them to Shannon to hold.

"Do you think it will work?"

Jenn sighed deeply. "I really hope so, Shan. I really do."

ooo

She arrived at the hospital room with Shannon, Ben, Mia, Puck, Chris and Callie in tow. The Orange Crew Leader was sitting beside the bed, holding Trish's limp hand in his. Chris noted that his friend looked tired and careworn; Ben had told him earlier that his brother had hardly slept one wink since the "accident."

Jenn was in not much better shape either. The Scot knew from Shannon that the blonde girl hardly slept, and paced the floors at night. She held the old toy dog in one hand as she sat down on the side opposite Drake.

"Heard the latest?" the Orange Crew Leader asked in a husky voice.

"No," Jenn unconsciously gripped the toy dog tighter.

"Lu tried to finish her off last night with magic. Luckily, Joanne's little Ashura was here to stop him."

"Did he manage to hurt her at all?" Mia was pale.

Drake shook his head. "No, however it seems that Trish's condition is still deteriorating. If she continues to go downhill, the doctors don't hold much hope of bringing her back."

Jenn groaned in frustration. "Why the hell can't something go right for once? Why can't things be easy like in the stories we used to read as kids?"

"What do you mean?" Ben was puzzled.

"What does it take to get Trish to wake up? Sleeping Beauty only needed a kiss from her Prince Charming and voilá, she was awake and everyone lived happily ever after. Drake is _her_ Prince Charming, so why won't she wake up and cure us of our misery?"

"Sleeping Beauty is a _fairy_ tale, Jenn," Shannon said with a wry smile. "They're not based on real life events."

"Gee thanks, Shan," Jenn replied sourly. "Just go and shatter all my childhood illusions." A chuckle from Puck caught her attention, and she brightened. "Wait a sec, _Puck_ is a fairy!"

"That's Fae," the guy in question corrected. "Not fairy. Fairy sounds so gay." Before he could say another word, he found himself grabbed by both arms.****

"You're a fairy," the blonde shook him before gesturing towards Trish and Drake. "_There's_ your tale, so make like a good Fae and give us our happy ending!!!"

Puck shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, no can do."

Much like everyone else, Shannon could sense the growing tension and she quickly set up the CD player.

"What's that for?" Chris asked with some confusion.

"We brought some music for Trish to listen to," Shannon said. "Sometimes hearing something familiar, like favourite music, or a loved one's' voice," she glanced towards Drake and then back down, "can bring people out of comas. We thought it would be worth a try."

Ben picked up the cd case and arched an eyebrow at the cover. "Savage Garden?"

"Yes, Savage Garden," Jenn snapped the case out of Ben's hand. "Don't knock it if you haven't tried it."

Ben's lips twitched, "I'm sorry, really, it's just that I heard something that Trish had said you said. Something about how you wouldn't mind one of these guys savaging..."

"Okay and that's enough," Jenn covered Ben's mouth with her hand. "Shut up or pull up a bed."

Chris choked on the drink he was sipping and Mia snickered at the Scot's reaction.

Drake patted Trish's hand. "I can't believe you're missing this."

Jenn ignored them and sat in a chair by Trish's bed. She tried to sound more cheerful than she obviously was. "Hey Sis, I brought you some of your favourite music to hear." She glared over at Ben, who was snickering again, "And if that doesn't work, then I've got _Achy Breaky_ _Heart_ to play and I know that you, much like 99 of the world's population, hate that horrible song with a passion!"

"Amen," Shannon said.

"Achy breaky heart?" Puck looked confused. "I thought she was in a coma!"

Mia groaned. "It's a song title, Puck. A really, really _bad _song."

"But why would you want to play a bad song?" Puck's eyebrows knitted together. "Wouldn't that just scare her into a deeper coma?"

"No it won't," Jenn said confidently. "T hates that song so much, I'm hoping she'll wake up just to tell me to turn it off!" She looked over at Shannon, who was staring at the cd in her hands. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah, Shan, afraid they might _savage_ your _garden_?" Ben laughed out, then stared at the mix of confused and amused faces. "Okay so it isn't as funny when you're talking about your girlfriend, but...it..." he sighed and shook his head. "Forget about it."

"Gladly!" Mia rolled her eyes. "That was too disturbing."

"Um, no, guys...It's just that this isn't the right cd," Shannon held up the disc in question and it wasn't the orange labelled cd that it should have been.

"A blue mystery cd?" Ben scratched at his chin. "Could it be Lu's doing?"

"What?" Jenn snapped, "Destroying our sanity by switching cds from their proper cases?" She took the cd from Shannon and studied it. "Hmm," she said, raising an eyebrow. "This could work in our favour."

"More than her achy breaky heart?" Puck asked, still looking quite confused.

Mia went over to Puck and sat down beside him. "Later, honey baby sweetie pie poop cakes! Momma Mia will explain everything."

"Poop cakes?" Chris asked, "I think I'd rather see people pulling up beds, as that would lead to people getting into them, drawing the sheets around us..."

"You're drooling into your drink," Ben said wryly.

Jenn peeked at said beverage. "Do they even serve that sort of stuff at a hospital?"

"What?" Chris snapped out of his reverie. "Nah, there's a pub down the street."

"Somehow it disturbs me that a statement like that _doesn't_ disturb me." Jenn nodded. "Yup, quite disturbing." The blonde addressed her unconscious friend again. "Okay, so the original intention was for you to listen to your favourite music, but it's the wrong disc so we gotta make do. So this group will never compare with a dark-haired Darren Hayes but I know you like this song anyway. And if you can hear us, you can take heed of these words, cuz they're true." She inserted the cd into the player and pressed the button. Shannon leaned back against Ben and prepared to listen. A lump grew in her throat as she recognised the words.  
  
_How will I start _

_Tomorrow without you here_

_Whose heart will guide me_

_Will all the answers disappear?_

_Is it too late?_

_Are you too far gone to stay_

_Best friends forever_

_Should never have to go away_

_What will I do?_

_You know I'm only half without you_

_How will I make it through?_

_If only tears could bring you back to me_

_If only love could find a way_

Drake's eyes were moist as he smoothed back Trish's hair before dropping a gentle kiss on her forehead.

_What I would do, what I would give if you_

_Returned to me _

_Someday, somehow, someway_

_If my tears could bring you back to me.___

Shannon closed her eyes and prayed that wherever Trish was, that she could hear them, and to see how badly her loss would affect those around her.

ooo

Meanwhile, the girl in question was sitting on a smooth boulder in a grassy meadow, deep in thought. When she had regained consciousness here, she was informed by a bodiless voice that this was the place between life and death. She was brought here to make possibly the most important decision of her life. Continue living or to die. To be or not to be.

To her surprise she was really torn. Before she would have laughed at the notion that death was preferable to life, but now she was not so sure. The past few days in this limbo had given her a glimpse into what it would be like if she chose not to be. No asthma, everything that she had felt imperfect about herself was perfect. The best thing of all was how completely at peace she felt, a welcome change after the emotional turmoil of the last few months. _So what do I do?_

"What you do girl, is to get yourself back down there in your body and resume living! You don't belong here," came a male voice from beside her.

Trish started slightly and glanced down to see a tiny red dragon sitting on the boulder next to her. "It's a talking lizard?"

The dragon pouted and folded his arms. "Hey I thought you saw this movie! I'm no lizard. I'm a dragon. Drag-_on_."

"Okay, I must be hallucinating, Mushuu is a Disney character and this is so not Disneyland" the dark-haired girl muttered to herself. "So who _are_ you?"

The mini dragon puffed out his chest proudly and put one claw over his heart. "I am your guardian spirit. I…"

But he got no further for he was suddenly grabbed and shaken violently. "Guardian spirit, huh? So WHERE were you a few days ago??!! I nearly got torn into Trishy strips by some demon dog and you only turn up NOW when I'm almost dead? Some guardian you are!"

"Whoa there!!!" the dragon said with his claws in a submissive gesture. "I thought you were the _non_-violent one."

"You try nearly meeting a violent death and being all calm about it," the Australian girl huffed. "Besides you should have read my profile more thoroughly!"

"I'm sorry," the dragon drooped. "But it's not the easiest job in the world being a guardian spirit ya know! Especially when your assigned human does the exact opposite of what you want them to do."

"Kind of like in the _Sims_," Trish nodded. Her eyes widened momentarily at the thought that life as she knew it might only be one huge simulation game for the Big Guy. She dismissed it with a shake of her head. Not only was the thought unsettling but she'd rather not live with the feeling that someone else was controlling her every movement. She made a mental note to be more lenient towards her virtual people if she ever went back.

"Exactly! While I may have been slightly lax in my guardian duties lately…" the critter trailed off at the Look he received. "Okay, terribly lax, only because you're very easy to watch over. You don't do anything reckless or crazy."

"I'm very boring," the dark-haired girl sighed.

The mini dragon wagged a claw at her. "Hey, I'm not complaining! My job of getting you back to where you belong should be easy."

"Wait a second, who said that I wanted to go back, Mr…"

"Eddie. My name's Eddie." As he spoke he morphed into a Pikachu.

Trish's eyes widened. "How did you do that?!"

Eddie grinned. "I can be whoever or whatever you want me to be." He again changed form to become _Queer Eye's_ Kyan Douglas.

"Are you gay?"

"No. Why?"

She shook her head. "If you want me to go back, then don't present me with a straight version of a cute gay guy!"

"Oh. I knew that," and he turned back into Mushuu. "Drag-on right along…"

"Oy."

"Anyhow the point is, that you have to go back. This ain't your time to go, girl."

"Didn't you hear me? What if I _don't_ wanna go back?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"What I said. I'm not sure that I want to go back," Trish sighed.

Eddie blinked and made a sweeping motion with one claw. "But nothing happens here!"

"It makes a very nice change from what I've been through the past few months," the girl folded her arms across her chest. "It's peaceful, it's quiet, no crazy and evil Faes trying to kill me. Just how I like it."

"You do realise that once you make the choice, it's irreversible."

"I know that! I like reading about these life after death experiences! Think of all the interesting historical figures I could talk to," a gleam came into the Australian's eyes.

Eddie shook his head. "A true dyed in the wool history buff. Even when almost dead." The guardian spirit tried another tack. "You would never see your family again."

"But I'd have my grandparents."

The mini dragon blew out a puff of smoke. "Must you always argue with me?"

"Yeah."

"You girl, are coming with me. And I'm gonna show you why you're not meant to be pushing up daisies at your age!"

Their surroundings blurred and reformed to reveal the girls' villa. Eddie lifted up a small claw in warning. "Now we will be able to see and hear everything but your friends won't be able to see or hear us."

"Cool!"

The guardian spirit gave her a dry look. "Methinks you are enjoying this a tad too much."

Jenn was sitting on her bed, with one of Trish's hapless teddies in a stranglehold. The tall blonde was writing in her journal and muttering away to herself. "I just don't get why you won't come out of that coma, T. You promised me that we were going to travel to all these places."

"See how this is affecting her?" Eddie gestured. "And if you go, you won't be there to prevent Lu from hurting your best friend."

Trish gasped. "He wouldn't…would he?"

"Look what he did to you."

"Do you know what he has planned for her?"

"I know all these things," the mini dragon stated, and made a grand gesture with one claw. "Take a look."

The surroundings blurred and reformed to reveal a ballroom scene with people dressed in elegant evening clothes. Waiters were circulating with trays of champagne glasses and an small string quartet was playing in one corner.

"You sure this is it?" Trish looked around dubiously. "I mean, this doesn't look so bad. I got chased over the moors in a corset and dress by some demon dog. This is _civilised._ What's Lu going to do? Humiliate Jenn to death because she can't dance?"

"Patience," Eddie counselled.

Suddenly the room shuddered violently, catapulting people and furniture forward as a huge wrenching noise was heard. Trish grabbed onto a column with one hand and the mini dragon with the other before she lost her balance. "Okay, what was that? Was that an earthquake or something?"

Slowly people began to pick themselves up off the floor and check on those that were injured. From outside the room, shouts and screams began to be heard and Trish noted the floor began a subtle list to the right. Before she could mention it to her guardian spirit, their surroundings blurred and reformed back into Jenn's room.

"Now why did you do that?" Trish turned on Eddie. "I didn't find out what he was going to do to her!"

The mini dragon shrugged helplessly. "It wasn't me! Some things are out of our control."

"But Lu is going to try to KILL Jenn like he tried to kill me!" the dark-haired Australian gritted her teeth. "And I won't let him do that to my best friend in the whole world. How can I warn her if I don't know what the danger is?"

Eddie allowed himself a private grin. Finally his charge was beginning to come round to the decision that the Big Guy wanted her to make. It was a known fact that Trish would do almost anything to help her friends and family. He hoped that the person they would visit next would do the trick.

Next stop on the Magical Mystery Tour," the guardian spirit announced in a cheery voice as the surroundings blurred yet again. The two found themselves in the hospital room, where Drake was sitting beside the bed, holding Trish's limp hand.

Trish took an involuntary step back at the sight of herself lying so still in the hospital bed. "Can I just say that this is really freaky? I'm here and my body is over _there_."

"That's a very normal reaction. Most people freak out when we show them their bodies," Eddie soothed before waving a claw towards Drake. "I don't mean that in a buried sort of way as you still have a choice. We're not here to freak you out, we're here to look at him."

Trish noted that her boyfriend looked very tired and pale, his clothes and hair rather rumpled as if he had slept in them.

"He's been there almost every single day," the mini dragon whispered in her ear. "The last few days, he's hardly left your side."

"Aww that's so sweet," Trish sighed. "He is just the greatest guy."

"And you're seriously thinking of leaving _him_ behind?!" Eddie waved his claws so wildly that he tumbled off her shoulder. Trish knelt down and picked up the little critter off the floor and dusted him off.

"For a guardian spirit, you are rather clumsy."

"Hey, I resemble that," he pouted as he clambered back onto her shoulder. "Anyway, you know what Jenn would say about this."

"I know, I know," Trish rolled her eyes. "She'd say 'Are you TOTALLY out of your mind?!"

"Well you are!!"

"Gee, thanks," she said with a sour smile. "Some supportive guardian you are."

"I try."

ooo

Drake shifted uncomfortably in the hard plastic chair as he kept watch over the silent form of his girlfriend. This seemed to be the pattern of his life at the moment, alternating with Jenn every second day for a little break.

He sighed and squeezed Trish's limp hand. "Oh why won't you come back to me? Don't you realise how much everyone misses you, how much I miss you? If you die, I don't know what I'll do. I've always dreamt about us spending the rest of our lives together, that I don't think I could ever love someone else."

The Orange Crew Leader fished a small black velvet box out of his pocket. "I was planning to give you this, as well as ask you a certain question after a nice romantic dinner. But that may never happen now."

ooo

Eddie glanced sideways at Trish. The dark-haired girl was speechless over what she had just heard, and her eyes glistened. "Soooo, do you still want to go on?" the guardian spirit said slyly.

Trish shook her head. "No, no. I want to go back."

"And that's just what I wanna hear!" Eddie cheered. "So get back in your body, girl and put that poor man out of his misery."

"Wait a sec. Just how do I do that?" Trish questioned. "I don't know how I even got out of it in the first place!!!"

"Easy," the mini dragon smirked before he gave her one almighty shove which sent her tumbling onto the bed and back into her body.

Trish struggled up through the black depths to open her eyes. She was going to give that guardian spirit of hers a thing or two. "Hey, watch it!!! Guardian spirit or not, I'm gonna shake you so bad…" She trailed off when she saw Drake staring at her with wide eyes. She smiled weakly. "Uh…hello."

ooo

Jenn was having a nice dream about herself living in some grand mansion with a few pool boys when her cell phone rang beside her bed.

Groggily she felt around with one hand until she found it and placed it against her ear. "Hullo? This better be good waking me up at this time," she growled.

"You told me to call you as soon as something happened," Drake told her calmly. "And something just happened. Trish's awake."

Yeah sure," Jenn yawned once before it registered. "She's awake??"

"Yes, she woke up a few minutes ago. The doctors have been in and out ever since."

"How is she?"

"Tired, groggy and rather pissed off at someone."

ooo

Jenn broke the good news to their group of friends the next morning and they headed over to the hospital straight after breakfast.

When they arrived, the patient was awake and supported in a more upright position by the top half of the bed. Drake was sitting beside the bed as usual, holding her hand tightly.

"You _are_ awake!!!" Jenn laughed before rushing over and grabbing her best friend in a hug.

"I soon _won't_ be if you keep on hugging me too tight," a startled Trish managed to wheeze out.

The blonde let go with a sheepish grin. "Sorry."

Her lungs heaving to get the right amount of air, the dark-haired girl sank back against her pillows. When she was able to speak properly, she flashed Jenn a weak grin. "S'okay. The state I'm currently in, a kid could kill me with a popsicle stick."

"How do you feel?" Mia asked eagerly.

"Like I've been run over by a semi-trailer," she said wearily. "I'm sore all over, I have no energy, and am completely buggered."

"What do the doctors say?" Shannon piped up.

"She won't be going anywhere for a while," Drake spoke up, squeezing Trish's hand. "She's extremely weak and she needs to build up her strength again. Plus they need to make sure that her lungs are functioning as normal, as well as checking that no psychological damage was caused by the coma."

Jenn held up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up, Trishy?"

Trish stared at her. "Three. I'm not brain damaged, Sis."

"Just checking. After all we did play _Achy Breaky Heart_ quite a few times to you while you were asleep."

Her friend's eyes widened in horror. "_Achy Breaky Heart_??? Were you NUTS??? That could have killed me! I HATE that song!!!"

"Plus Drake and I did the wild thing," Jenn added mischievously.

"You WHAT?!" Trish nearly had a fit before she saw the twinkle in her friend's eyes. "You are _so_ mean."

"I know," the blonde grinned, especially at the scowl she got from the Orange Crew Leader.

"Have pity on the sick Tiger," Trish pouted before a sly look came into her eyes. "Or else I won't introduce to you this super cute doctor that I have."  
  
"Now look who's being mean," Jenn retorted.

"I know," the Australian smirked as she tossed her words right back at her.

"Do you remember anything about what happened?" Callie asked, deciding that they'd better get back to the business at hand. "Or would you rather not talk about it at the moment?"

Trish's eyes darkened. "No…I do remember what happened. While it's something that I would rather forget…it needs to be discussed now."

"You sure?" Drake asked, concerned.

"I'm positive," she took a deep breath before continuing. "Since Lu's already chosen his next victim."

_To be continued…_

ooo

_Author's Notes__: The Hound of the __Baskervilles__ by __Sir__Arthur__Conan__Doyle__ is the main basis for this chapter. I have inserted a few quotes from the novel in here. The other corset quote comes from the movie – Pirates of the __Caribbean_

_Sorry for the delay in posting. I had completed this chapter about two months ago, but decided to sit on it. Plus for the past 6 months of this year and the last 6 weeks, I have been heavily involved in a federal election campaign with my job. But it's over and we've won and my job is safe. I can relax and get back into the writing._

_Let me say again to those who go "But it doesn't follow the anime/magna!!" Hey, this is fanfiction. You write what you want to see. Deal with it. _


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Save Me From The Dark

_Midsummer Nights_

_By __Trish_

Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me. Nor does the song _'Bring Me To Life'_ by Evanescence.

_A/N: Thanks to Pikajenn for all her help!_

_Chapter Sixteen: Save Me From the Dark_.

_Wake me up inside_

_Wake me up inside_

_Call my name and save me from the dark_

_Bid my blood to run before I come undone_

_Save me from the nothing I've become_

_Bring Me To Life_ – Evanesecence

OoO

"What do you mean he's chosen his next victim?" Mia breathed out, clutching Puck's hand tightly.

Trish picked at her hospital blanket with her free hand, "When I was in a coma, I had a premonition of what was going to happen next."

Jenn felt a cold shiver run down her spine as those dark eyes rested on her. "_You_ were the victim this time."

"What's…he got planned?" she asked nervously. She hoped desperately that it didn't involve spiders. _Though if it's Spiderman, I don't think I'd mind_, Jenn grinned, then sobered up when she saw Trish giving her a solemn look. As it was, she missed seeing a look of irritation pass over Puck's face. Callie shook her head at her brother.

_Mortals,_ Puck thought, _Always thinking with their…_

_'Puck!'_ Callie chastised, '_Just listen to __Trish__. This is more important!'_

"That's the thing," Trish continued, sighing in frustration. "I don't really know what he has planned. I only saw a little bit and what little I did see, didn't really make sense."

"And what was that?" Callie prompted gently. "The more we know, the better prepared we can be to counter Lu."

Drake gave Trish's hand a gentle squeeze of encouragement. A slight frown creased her forehead as she tried to recall. "It was in some grand ballroom, with lots of dancing couples in elegant evening wear…"

"Oh then that's not likely to ever be more than a bad dream," Jenn snorted, feeling relieved. "Since when have I ever gone dancing? And successfully at that."

"Then suddenly, there was a huge cracking sound, and the room was tilting with people and furniture going everywhere. The screaming was so loud…so frightened." Trish shook her head. "I think it was some sort of earthquake."

"But we don't get earthquakes here," Ben spoke up.

"Not as if Lu would let a little technicality like that stop him," Puck said dryly. "He'd move heaven and earth to get what he wants."

"But what's that got to do with me?" Jenn asked.

Trish looked at her pointedly, "Must I remind you just _who_ escaped from that insane Fae?"

"Right," Jenn said, gulping. "Well…if you have to put it _that _way."

"I think Trish is right," Drake said. "How do you think we should deal with this?"

"Send me to Bora Bora?" Jenn ventured. "I hear it's a lovely…I mean, remote place."

"For now," Trish laid back on the bed. "I think I need to get a little more rest."

"We'll work something out," Puck promised, standing up with the others.

"You got that right," Mia said, gripping on to Puck's hand like a lifeline.

OoO

_Forty eight_, Jenn mentally counted as she continued her crunches. _Forty nine…_

The door to the villa's gym opened and closed and Jenn paused momentarily until she saw Danny walking towards her. Panic surged for a second, then Jenn resumed her crunches, saying, "Ninety nine, one hundred." She stood up, taking time to stretch and then grabbed her water bottle for a sip.

"Jenn," Danny said, coming up behind her.

She turned around, "Yeah?"

"About Lu…" He paused then, as if unsure of what to say.

"Well?" she asked, arching one eyebrow.

"It's just…" He frowned and sighed. "You're going to be careful, right?"

The blonde tried to hide her surprise, since when had Danny ever shown concern for her wellbeing before? "Of course I'll be careful," she reassured him. "After what happened to Trish, I'd be crazy not to."

"Good, good," Danny nodded then turned to leave. "I'll see you later then."

Jenn watched the tall gym leader leave then sighed. What an odd encounter, she'd make a note to speak to her best friend tomorrow when she visited. Maybe T would know why Danny was acting rather strangely.

OoO

The next morning, Drake drove Jenn to the hospital to visit Trish. The blonde gazed out the window before breaking the silence. "Do you think Trish is going to fully recover?"

"The doctors say that all tests show that there is no permanent damage done, so she should be fine."

"That's great, but it's not what I meant," she shook her head. "I meant do you think she'll recover from the psychological trauma."

The Orange Crew Leader sighed. "I don't know. She seems to be coping okay at the moment but we don't really know what Lu did to her. Until she's ready to talk, we can't force her."

Jenn hoped that Trish was willing to talk. She wanted to know as much about the premonition as possible, and if Lu had told her friend anything while she was in Dartmoor.

The dark-haired girl was dozing when they entered the room, but woke up when Jenn pulled a chair over to the bed.

"Morning Sleepyhead," the blonde grinned.

"If you were in my place, you would be a sleepyhead too," Trish grumbled good-naturedly as Drake held her hand.

"So how are you feeling?" the Orange Crew Leader asked.

"Still feeling like I've been hit by a truck. Who would have thought that being in a coma would be so exhausting?"

"You have been through quite an ordeal," Jenn said.

"Tell me about it." Trish stared out the window for a few minutes before continuing. "I really thought I was going to die that night. Lu told me all these things, that I just knew he wasn't going to let me live." She paused.

Drake and Jenn were silent, hoping that she would continue her story. The hospital psychiatrist had advised them that the more Trish talked about her ordeal, the quicker she would recover mentally. But they weren't about to force her if she wasn't ready.

With a distant look in her eyes, the Australian continued. "He wanted to teach everyone a lesson, especially Jenn for escaping his clutches and telling all. He told me that he had nothing against me personally, that I was just a means to an end. By hurting me, he hurts Mia, therefore Puck gets hurt. And that is all that matters to him – that Puck gets destroyed by any means possible."

Jenn shifted in her seat as she felt waves of anger begin to rise inside. How dare that Fae target her friends!! And once again, she felt incredibly guilty for not being able to stop Trish from being hurt.

"So after kneeing him in his privates, I stormed out of the house…"

"Excuse me??" Jenn interrupted her best friend with a laugh. "Did I hear correctly? _You_ kneed him in the balls?"

"Yeah."

"What for? Not that I'm complaining…in fact I'm jealous! _I_ should have done that to him!"

"He offered not to kill me if I became his mistress," Trish snorted. "As if, and besides, he's such a gay Fae." She resumed her narrative. "As I was saying, I left the house and had no idea where I was at first. The whole place was barren, desolate and a blanket of fog lay over the ground. A few minutes after I started walking, that's when I heard it."

"The Hound of the Baskervilles," Drake said softly.

"Yeah," her voice was barely above a whisper. "I knew then where I was and I remembered the line from the book '_Avoid the moor in the hours of darkness when the power of evil is exalted._' Then I ran until I just could not run anymore."

Jenn awkwardly patted her friend on the arm. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Trish was feeling at the moment. "You don't have to go on if you don't want to."

"I've never been so terrified in my life," the girl was shaking even as she said it. "The Hound was _the_ most frightening creature I've ever seen. As if it really had come from the fiery depths of Hell itself. I had nowhere to run, and I could not afford to stop running even though I was having an asthma attack."

Drake sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around her in a gentle embrace. He made a mental note to have a good workout when he returned home, so he could release the immense rage he was feeling inside. Trish had undergone such a horrific ordeal, and he had been unable to protect her from it. Nor was he one hundred percent certain that she would fully recover from the psychological trauma. She was strong but would she be strong enough?

OoO

When Jenn returned to the villa, she gathered all the girls' Pokémon together in the living room. Four pairs of brown puppy eyes gave her their rapt attention. "Okay, gals and boys, listen up. As you know, an evil Fae tried to kill Trish a few weeks ago. When she eventually comes home from the hospital, I want you to stand guard over her when she goes outside or out to the shops. Trish is not allowed to go anywhere by herself without either myself, Drake, Shannon or one of you pups. Lu may try to strike again, we can't take any chances."

OoO

Trish became aware of another presence as she walked along the street. Turning around she spied a largish dog-like creature stalking towards her. Her heart hammered in her ears at the terrifying thought that the Hound had come back for her.

As it drew nearer though, she began to relax just a little. It was about the size of a Great Dane but with a shaggy white mane like a lion and short white fur. Red eyes peered out of a coal black face and a strange sickle-like appendage stuck straight up on the left side of its head. Trish recognised it as being an Absol, a Dark Pokémon said to only appear before a great disaster or tragedy was to occur. The Pokémon fixed its red eyes on her and growled low, sending a chill down her spine. _'Absooooooool.'_

The dark-haired girl woke up with a start, breathing a sigh of relief as she realised she was still in her hospital room. Placing her free hand over her heart, she took a few deep breaths in order to calm herself down. The doctors had told her that any severe stress or overexcitement could set her recovery back quite a bit. When her breathing had returned to normal she lay back down on her pillows, cuddling her stuffy puppy tight for comfort. She had seen the Disaster Pokémon in her dreams…what did it mean? Did this mean trouble for her or for someone else?

OoO

Someone else was having trouble sleeping that night. Ash Ketchum slid quietly out of bed, taking care not to disturb a slumbering Misty. Pulling a robe over his pyjamas, he went downstairs and out into the backyard. Gazing up at the night sky, he wished he could get rid of this feeling of impending trouble. _Of course Misty would say that I'm **always **troubl_e, the dark-haired Grand Master smiled to himself.

_'Pikapi_?'

He looked down at his feet to see his first and favourite Pokémon tugging on his pant leg. He scooped Pikachu into his arms and scratched her behind her ears as she liked best. "What are you doing up? I'm sorry if I woke you."

'_I heard you getting up so I thought I'd follow you if you needed to talk.'_

"I'm just having trouble sleeping," Ash said. "There's this feeling that I can't seem to shake…"

_'Like something big is brewing?_'

"Yeah, and I don't know what it is."

A small blue bubble materialised before them before bursting to reveal a familiar blue Mew. '_There's trouble afoot, Chosen One_,'

"I know that!" Ash put Pikachu back down on the ground before straightening up. "What I would like to know is _what_ it is!"

_'The Evil One, Lucius, is displeased that __Trish__ still lives.'_

"I think that 'displeased' would be the understatement of the year," the dark-haired man said with a wry smile. "Who will bear the brunt of his wrath next?"

'_What should we do?_'

Ash blinked. "We? There's nothing _I _can do to stop him. I'm just a mere mortal, you on the other hand, have powers beyond belief. What can I do?"

'_You are the Chosen One_,' blue eyes bored into his. '_It is your destiny to protect both your world and ours from evil.'_

The Grand Master sighed as he ran a hand through his dark locks. "Why must it _always_ be me? Why can't I be the Overlooked One for once in my life? I can't take the chance of being killed this time…I have a wife and unborn baby to think of."

_'It is your destiny,_' Flower Mew said softly. '_You have never baulked before_.'

"But I've never had so much to _live_ for. I was single back then, now I have a family of my own. Misty would never forgive me if I left her all alone."

_'True_,' the Pokémon conceded. '_But if Lu succeeds in killing one of your friends, would you be able to forgive yourself?'_

Ash sighed inwardly, then shook his head. The sneaky little Pokémon knew where his soft spot was. Ash's problem was that he was unable to stand by and watch someone or something get hurt. Never could and never would. Ashura the Mew knew that too. "No, you know I wouldn't. You know that I can't stand by and see people or Pokémon hurt."

_'So you will help us fight this Evil One?_'

"Sure, if I can do anything," the Grand Master shrugged. "But as I said, I'm a mere mortal. I don't have any powers."

_'Your power comes from the heart, Pikapi'_ Pikachu patted his leg with a tiny paw. '_We Pokémon gain strength from you, from your love and faith in what we can do. Together we are almost invincible.'_

Ash smiled fondly down at his first Pokémon. "That's true, and we've proved that time and again, haven't we, Pik."

'_We have_.'

"The only thing needed for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing," the dark-haired trainer quoted softly. "We can't let that happen."

OoO

_The next day…_

Mia frowned at Trish as the girl sat up in bed, listlessly stabbing a fork at her lunch tray. "Aren't you going to eat _anything_?"

"It's _hospital_ food, Mia," Jenn laughed. "'Nuff said."

"But she's gotta eat _something_!" the brunette protested. "The nurse said that Trish didn't eat any of her breakfast this morning."

Jenn raised an eyebrow at her best friend who gave a meek smile. "Oh?"

"I just don't have any appetite, that's all," Trish said. "I don't feel that good at the moment."

The blonde peered closer with a slight frown. "You don't look too well. Did you sleep well last night?"

"No," the Australian admitted. "I had a nightmare last night and Absol was in it."

Jenn raised an eyebrow. Trish was afraid of an Absol?? But they were sooo cute! Of course after what her best friend went through, she might have issues with large dog-like creatures. "You serious?"

"Of course I'm serious," the dark-haired girl frowned. "Absol is rumoured only to appear before a great disaster and it appeared in my dream and looked straight at me."

"So something else that's bad is gonna happen to you?" the blonde quipped only to see Trish and the rest blanch. "Er…just kidding," she smiled feebly.

"Next time, keep your kidding to yourself," Mia said dryly. Jenn pouted.

"Maybe, it's a belated appearance," Shannon ventured. "You know, maybe your bad thing has already happened."

"The Hound was bad enough," Trish shuddered. "I don't know if I could survive another ordeal like that!"

"I don't think we could either," Jenn agreed, remembering all the sleepless nights, the constant worrying, the tears and the fears. It wasn't something that she wanted to experience again anytime in the near future. She only hoped that Lu wasn't stupid or deluded enough to try again. He'd be ripped to shreds if he tried.

"How about we change the subject to something nicer?" Mia suggested. Jenn nodded.

"Good idea. Like whether Trish has any totally hot male doctors or interns looking after her?"

Puck rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised that you said that?"

"Surely you know the answer to that yourself, Jenn," Trish smirked. "I was in a coma for how many weeks, and you were almost a permanent fixture here. You can't tell me you didn't notice any cute doctors the whole time?"

"Hey, I was too busy worrying about a certain person to notice!" Jenn defended herself. "I'm not a heartless flirt you know."

Her friend just grinned. "I know."

"So…are there any cuties?"

"Well, my psychiatrist is a nice piece of man candy," Trish said slyly. "And his bedside manner is first rate." At Drake's raised eyebrow, she chuckled. "Not like that! He's only gets inside my head, not my bed – so get your mind outta the gutter." Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Chris looking rather interested so she turned on him with a "And you too, mister!"

A few minutes later, everyone had gone down to the cafeteria except for Jenn. She wanted to take the opportunity to ask Trish about something that had been puzzling her for a while. Fiddling with the hem of her shirt, Jenn broke the silence. "Say, T?"

"Yeah?" her friend's voice had a slight drowsiness to it and the blonde knew that Trish was almost ready for a short nap.

"Danny came by the other day to tell me to be careful with Lu on the loose."

"That's nice of him."

"Yeah, but…thing is, he's never paid me much attention before. Has he said anything to you about me?"

"Nothing much, except that he's worried about you."

"See, that doesn't make sense. Why would he worry about me when he doesn't even act like I exist?" Jenn threw up her hands in frustration.

Trish grinned sleepily. "Sounds to me like a certain someone is jealous…"

Jenn sent her friend a withering glare, "Sounds to _me_ like someone's reading _too_ much between the lines."

Trish wasn't put off by her friend's reaction, "Just keep telling yourself that."

Jenn's mouth gaped, "Are you saying you think I actually like Danny?!"

"No," Trish yawned, "I'm saying I think you actually _really_ like Danny."

Jenn rolled her eyes, "Puh-leze, I wouldn't rebound from Gary with Danny."

Trish only arched one eyebrow.

"I wouldn't!" Jenn protested, then looked to the side where a bouquet of flowers sat. "I mean...I don't think I would. Would I?"

"Why not? Danny's a much better choice than that wanker Gary."

"He wasn't a wanker," Jenn defended her ex. "He was just...independent."

Trish glared at the blonde, "He was a wanker and you know it. Why, he was horrible towards you till the end. Dating girls behind your back, not sending you gifts on your birthday..."

"Dating other girls..." Jenn's eye twitched. "And I didn't know this because..."

"Because you were blinded by love," Trish said gently, taking the sting from her words. "Face it, Sis, he was just too high maintenance for you and he'd never be held down by one girl."

"But...but I'm a Goddess!" Jenn sighed. "How dare he."

"He's Gary Oak, class A wanker," Trish said. "He dares much."

Jenn opened her mouth to say something, shut it, then said, "You're right." The blonde stood up. "You get some rest. I have some stuff to do."

"You're not going to go hunt him down are you?"

"And do what? Get myself arrested for beating the tar out of him because everyone but me knew he was dissing me?" Jenn shook her head, "Naw...tempting as it is, I have to get some chow for the little critters we all have. I am the zookeeper!"

As Jenn walked out of the room, Trish surmised that her friend was being falsely cheerful. _'I really hope she doesn't do anything irrational_,' Trish thought with a heavy sigh, _'But I thought she knew __Gary__ was going behind her back_.'

With one last sleepy sigh, Trish fell asleep. For once, it was a peaceful sigh that escaped her lips.

Later that night, Jenn sat down on the garden bench in the backyard of the girls' villa and sighed. The earlier conversation with Trish had been replaying itself in her mind over and over again.

"_He was a wanker and you know it. Why, he was horrible towards you till the end. Dating girls behind your back, not sending you gifts on your birthday..."_

The part about dating girls behind her back was what really hurt most. How could Gary do such a thing to her? She was supposed to be his steady girlfriend, which in her books, in fact most people's books, meant that he wasn't supposed to love anyone else. How could she have not noticed?? How come everyone else _but_ her seemed to know?

"Hey, there," a male voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see Drake standing there with a lopsided smile.

"Hey."

"You've been pretty quiet all afternoon," the dark-haired man sat down beside her. "Something bothering you?"

"Yeah…"

"Want to talk about it?"

Jenn was about to say no, but then hesitated. It might be good to get another point of view on the whole Gary debacle. While she knew that Trish was right about him, the Australian also was a little biased, being Jenn's best friend. Drake, on the other hand, dealt with him more on a purely professional basis as fellow Gym Leaders. "Yeah, T & I had a little talk after you guys had left."

"It wasn't a Sag Frank talk was it?" the Orange Crew Leader raised an eyebrow.

"Yah, it was. Anywayz T said that Gary Oak was a Class A Wanker and that he'd been seeing girls behind my back the whole two years." She winced. "Is…was…that true?"

Drake was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "It was. Sorry about that"

The blonde slumped dejectedly. "And here I was hoping that T was just being melodramatic."

"Gary had a bad habit of boasting about his latest conquests at the League meetings. Still does. He used to say that he was a love god."

"So everyone knew but me?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't someone _tell_ me??"

"I seem to remember that Trish did try to tell you but you wouldn't listen," Drake stated softly. "Love is blind as they say. Plus you probably thought that you would be the one girl who could change him."

"Well I am a Goddess," Jenn grumbled. "And everyone bows down to the Goddess. Besides I don't want to change him."

"Oh?

"Just gonna rearrange his face, that's all."

"Jenn!" Drake's eyes widened. "You can't do that!"

"And why not? Gary's a putz and an unfaithful bastard!" the blonde retorted. "He deserves to rot in hell! Plus I know that you wouldn't stop me because you think the same."

"That's where you're wrong, Jenn," the Orange Crew Leader said firmly. "I _would_ stop you. Oak may be a wanker but he's also the Viridian Gym Leader and very high in the Pokémon League."

"So? Just because he's a Gym Leader doesn't mean he should be allowed to get away with everything!"

"No, but it does mean that hurting Gary will come with certain repercussions."

"Like what?"

"Bad publicity, and even criminal charges if Gary calls the police."

"If it's bad publicity for Gary, then I'm all for it," Jenn declared. "Public humiliation is the ultimate revenge! As for getting caught, that's never gonna happen."

"Oh really?" Drake raised one eyebrow.

"Yes, really," the blonde stretched lazily. "After all, Gary wouldn't want the world to know that he got beaten to a pulp by a woman now, would he?"

"That is true," the Orange Crew Leader admitted. "But could you promise me one thing. That you'll at least think _carefully_ about it before you go and do anything rash? The last thing Trish needs at the moment is to hear that her best friend is in jail for assault. It could set back her recovery, you know how she worries about you."

Jenn sighed. "Okay, I promise that I won't do anything that would send her back into the safety of her coma."

"That's not funny," Drake fixed his dark gaze on her. "Promise me that you will look before you leap."

Jenn sighed and rolled her eyes, "Fine I promise to look before I leap."

Drake gave her another look.

The blonde spread her hands in surrender. "I promise to not do anything to Gary that would send Trish rushing back to the safety of her coma."

Nodding his head in satisfaction, the Orange Crew Leader turned and walked back towards the villa. Jenn watched the door close behind him before sitting back against the low wall. She narrowed her blue-grey eyes and let a smirk play across her face. 

"Of course, what Trish doesn't know won't hurt her," Jenn said softly. "Though it may hurt Gary."

Unbeknownst to her, a small Psychic Pokémon was stretched out among the bushes in the garden. Espeon silently yawned and waved her long spiky tail about, she had overheard the whole conversation between her mistress's best friend and mate. _'I wonder if I should go and tell __Trish__ straight away that __Jenn__ is up to no good.__'_ She wrinkled her tiny black nose. _'Nah, __Trish__ is probably asleep and I don't want to disturb her. I'll just quietly follow __Jenn__ and if she gets into any bother, then I can step in with my powers_.' Espeon nodded to herself then teleported back inside to sleep.

OoO

The next morning, Jenn made a discreet enquiry through the Orange League Headquarters receptionist of the whereabouts of one Gary Oak. The young woman informed her that he had gone for some training on Hamlin Island, to the north of Kumquat. Jenn thanked her and then went to see Drake for a special request. As she left the building, she failed to see a small rose bush shiver once before a small lilac head peeped out. Espeon blinked once and vanished.

The blonde found the Orange Crew Leader at his usual place, at Trish's hospital bedside. She walked in just as the dark-haired Australian was complaining about the hospital food. "Hey T Byrd, hey Drayake!"

Drake raised one eyebrow. "Someone's awfully chirpy this morning."

Trish nodded. "I agree. Jenn, what did I tell you about having too much Pepsi again?"

The American flopped on the nearest chair and pouted. "You chu are _so _mean! For your information I am not on a Pepsi high this morning. I just had a bootylicious dream last night."

"Oh?"

"Uh-huh," Jenn nodded. "Anywayz, I came to ask a favour of Mr Crew Leader here."

"What do you want?" the man in question replied, just a little suspiciously.

"I wanted to know if I could borrow one of your lower level Dragonairs for the day. I've heard there's been sightings of Satanic Chickens on Kumquat Island, and someone from the ITEO totally needs to take care of it. Like me."

"Satanic Chickens? Togetics?" a frown creased Trish's forehead. "Do you want some back up? If so, I could call..."

"Of course not!" Jenn interrupted quickly, waving off her friend's concern. "I'm the Co Vice President of the organization and one of the senior slayers. Not only am I totally one of the best there is, but I need to blow off some steam."

"True," Trish conceded. "But I'd feel safer if someone went with you."

"I'm not ten, T, I'll be fine," Jenn hugged her gently. "I absolutely promise to come back safe and sound."

But the Australian was still frowning. "How come I haven't heard about the Togetic sightings? I'm supposed to be in the know, I'm the _senior_ Vice President!"

"And just who has been in the hospital for centuries?" the blonde soothed her. "No need to get the blood pressure all up. Remember you've been in the hospital for some time now."

"Apparently for centuries," was the dry remark. Trish sighed and lay back on the pillow. "As long as you're not sneaking off and doing something illegal."

"Me?" Jenn blinked innocently. "Would I ever do something like that?"

Drake chuckled. "Do you really want me to answer that? Yeah, I guess you can take one of my Dragonair. Go to my head foreman, Sam, and ask him to give you Merlin."

The blonde jumped to her feet and gave the man a quick hug. "Thanks, Drake. You're the best!"

"Like totally?" Drake didn't even bother to hide the smirk.

Jenn stuck her tongue out and sauntered toward the door.

"And get back here when you're done!" Trish called after her friend.

The blonde didn't turn around and only raised a hand and waved. As she left the room, a small lilac Pokémon hiding behind the door teleported away.

Trish gaped as the door closed. "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"What she did!"

Drake's brows furrowed in confusion, "Sorry, I seemed to have missed the neon lit signs pointing out what she did."

"She did the Gary Wave! That's not a good sign!"

"Are you sure you're just not reading too much into this?" Drake asked gently, "Sure she just found out that Gary saw other women behind her back in addition to being dumped, but I doubt she'd go out and do something stupid."

Trish gave him a look.

"She just doesn't seem to be the type to go and do..something..." Drake sighed. "Yeah she does seem the type to do something stupid."

"She might say, irrational," Trish sighed, "but she did the Gary Wave and that in combination with hurt feelings. That's never a good thing."

"Yes, that sounds like a combination attack to bring down even the biggest of egos." Drake grinned. "Jennimon attacks Garymon with a one hit K.O. attack and the crowd goes wild!"

Trish raised an eyebrow. "That's not funny."

"Yea, mon!" Drake coughed, then said in a serious tone, "You want me to follow her?"

Trish narrowed her eyes, "No, I don't want it obvious that we suspect her of something."

OoO

Twenty minutes later, Jenn arrived at Pummelo Stadium, only to be greeted by Ben Thayer. "Ben, what are you doing here?"

"I do _work_ here as Drake's third in command at the Gym," Ben grinned. "Drake rang a few minutes ago about your request. Sam is just finishing up with Merlin's preparations. I'm to take you there."

"I just bet you will," Jenn winked as Ben rolled his eyes and smiled good-naturedly.

She was led by Ben to the 'small' complex behind Pummelo Stadium where Drake and his gym subordinates kept and raised their Pokémon. The blonde's eyes widened as she walked down the long rows of concrete sheds, it was the size of an airport hangar! _These Orange Islanders and their definition of small_, she thought with a wry grin. _I'll never understand that._

"The sheds are all air-conditioned and set to the optimum temperature for each special type of Pokémon," the younger brother informed her. "The barns to the left house Fire, Electric, Water, Grass, Ground, Normal, Psychic and Ghost Pokémon. The barns to the right are purely for our specialty here. Dragon Pokémon."

"You mean all those sheds are full of Dragon Types?" Jenn almost squeaked in disbelief.

"Sure, after all, Pummelo is known for its Dragonites. They are the guardians of this island. There are a number of nursery sheds for newly hatched Dratini, a number of sheds for Dragonairs, and of course the rest are for Dragonite."

"All dragon types? Not just Dragonite and its evolutions?"

"We have a few of the other dragon types," Ben nodded. "It's Drake's belief that dragon types raised by hand from birth are not only easier to train and handle, but more loyal."

Jenn tried not to gape at what surrounded her, but failed. She had never seen so many Pokémon in the one place. "So what does Drake do with all of these?"

"Oh, he keeps some for himself of course, the rest are sold to Gym Leaders like Claire from the Blackthorn Gym, Pokémon breeders, or select members of the public...it's sort of like a Pokémon stud."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Ben grinned. "How else do you think most Gym Leaders make their extra money? You wouldn't believe how many people would pay good money to have the progeny of a Gym Leader's champion Pokémon."

"Like Pikachu?"

"Yeah, like Pikachu. Many people would pay top dollar for one of her offspring."

"I never knew...It never would have occurred to me that there would be places for stuff like this." She shook her head, "But I guess it makes sense. Do any other Gym Leaders do this?"

Ben led the way to one of the Dragonair sheds. "Erika from Celadon breeds Grass Pokémon as well as sells perfume, Surge breeds Electric type, Sabrina breeds Psychic types. Most of the Gym Leaders run studs...except for Rudy. _He_ gives dance lessons."

Jenn pulled a face. "Is anyone desperate enough to take him up on those?"

"Some are," the younger man pushed open the door and the two stepped in to feel a blast of balmy air. A dark-haired man in his early thirties was coming towards them, leading a large Dragonair by a halter lead. "Jenn, this is Sam, and that is Merlin."

The long lithe Pokémon blinked in a slow motion and pulled restlessly at its lead.

Jenn gulped and thought, _Oh goodie. They always give me the feisty ones_. "Uh, are you sure there isn't any other Dragonair I can use?"

"Well, sure there are, but there's no need to worry, not only is he faster than the others, Merlin's really tame." Ben stepped forward and stroked the Dragonair on its delicately tapered snout. The Pokémon cooed and licked him on the cheek. "See what I mean?"

"Yeah," Jenn shifted the straps of the large backpack she was wearing. It contained her ITEO weapon, cell phone, and a traveller's medical kit for those just in case times. After all she had to stick to her cover story. What she didn't know was that she was also carrying one small furry stowaway. The diminutive Pokémon used telekinesis to make sure her weight, light as it was, was kept from adding to the backpack. Espeon peered out through the open gap of the zipper before sinking down into the depths and making herself comfortable for the trip.

Soon Jenn was aboard Merlin and airborne, with the turquoise blue of the tropical ocean skimming below her. Twenty minutes later she had arrived on Hamlin Island and recalled Merlin into the Pokéball she was given. "And so the hunt begins."

OoO

Jenn made her way along the dirt path through the tropical rainforest. An elderly inhabitant of the small village a mile back had informed her that recently a 'young whippersnapper' had made his way towards the Pied Piper Lake area with an Umbreon at his heels. The blonde had thanked him and started along the worn trail he had shown her.

Fingers of sunlight streamed down through the leafy canopy, and the sounds of native birds echoed in the silence. Now and then, Jenn would stop to admire a beautiful red hibiscus growing on the side; or watch a small butterfly dart and weave among the trees.

Jenn felt as if she had entered some forgotten piece of paradise, untouched and untainted by mankind. She remembered what Drake had told her and Trish, upon their first visit to the archipelago.

_Orange Islanders believe that nature and mankind should co-exist in harmony. We rely upon nature to provide us with water, food, and materials to survive, therefore we should treat our surroundings with respect and learn not to abuse it._

As such, vast tracts of land on each island were placed under national park listing, to preserve them for future generations.

The blonde heartily agreed with his sentiment and was enjoying her walk, despite her inner turmoil. The dense foliage of the rainforest gave the whole place a decidedly primeval feeling.

She could easily imagine a velociraptor stalking through the undergrowth, taking care not to be heard as it stalked its unsuspecting prey. Or a stegosaurus munching on some tasty shrub. She shook her head and muttered. "Jenn, you've been watching _Jurassic__Park_ too many times."

The faint sounds of a Pokémon battle reached her ears and she quickened her pace. "He must be close." A few moments later, she emerged from the forest into a vast clearing. A sheer volcanic wall in the shape of a half-moon rose before her in the distance. Green trees and grass dotted the lower slopes before ending in a large lake of crystal clear water. Jenn guessed that this was the remnants of an ancient volcano crater which had collapsed millions of years ago. "It's so beautiful…" she breathed.

Gary Oak stood a few metres away, issuing commands to both his Umbreon and Rhydon, who were battling each other. Jenn's heart skipped a beat at the mere sight of him. _He_ _looks so good_… she thought to herself, before her friend's words floated back to haunt her. '_Dating other girls behind your back..._'

Fresh waves of anger and disgust swept over her and she clenched her fists. Gary was going down…but not before she got a good explanation from him first.

The blonde unclipped Merlin's pokéball from her belt and held it in her right hand. Sure she knew that it was illegal to use a Pokémon against humans, but it was nice to know that she had one high-level kick ass Pokémon to use against anything Gary threw at her. Should things come to exchanging blows, she'd be ready. Or so long as Merlin would help her.

Silent as a ghost, she approached the man from behind until she was a mere metre away. "Gary."

The Viridian Gym Leader spun around at the sound of her voice and his eyes widened. "You!"

"Excuse you," Jenn spat out. "We dated for two years and you don't even have the decency to call me by my name?" This was not off to a good start.

_Stay relaxed, __Jenn__, and remember to get an explanation from him **before** you thrash him_. Silently, Jenn agreed with the calm voice in her mind, then frowned. Her mental voice didn't usually talk with a slight English accent. _Maybe it's a __Lara__Croft__ voice. Huh._

Gary quickly recovered his composure and ran a hand through his chestnut spikes. "Jenn. What brings you here? Thought you would be too busy at the bedside of your weakling friend."

"We need to talk."

"Yeah, well, make it snappy." He checked his watch. "I've got a date with Chantelle in about half an hour."

"Your latest conquest?" Jenn gritted her teeth. "How much of her is real and how much of her is silicon? Does she float well when thrown in water or does she melt?"

"Come now, Jenn. Don't be spiteful." The famous Oak smirk.

"Spiteful? I totally have every damn right to be _spiteful_ since I found out you had been dating other girls behind my back the entire two years we were dating. I was your **_girlfriend_**, dammit! That means you're not supposed to even **_look_** at anyone else! What part of that didn't you understand?!"

"You mean you only _just_ found out?" Gary was incredulous. He shook his head. "Then again, you always were a few tacos short of a combo meal."

"You asshole!" Jenn clenched her fists. "Didn't our relationship mean **_anything _**to you? Didn't **_I_** mean anything to you? I want to know _why_ you cheated."

_Another jilted woman_, Gary sighed with the patience of a saint. "Sure you meant a lot to me at first, but then I guess I got bored with our 'relationship,'" he made air quotes. "Being with the same person all the time, things get a little stale after a while. Being the star trainer that I am, why – there were plenty of other women willing to do anything for a date with the great Gary Oak."

Jenn tilted her head to the side, "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of your ego. Did you say something?"

From behind their Trainer, Gary's Rhydon and Umbreon exchanged amused looks. They knew all too well about their Trainer's ego. Umbreon trotted over to Gary and bumped the man's leg with his head. '_Breon!_' the dark creature barked out.

He ignored his Pokémon and cocked his head to look at his ex. "You're persistent. You never were this fixed on getting an answer when we dated."

"I never had questions," Jenn smiled thinly. "I never questioned the strength of our relationship. Apparently it was as strong as your fidelity."

"Aren't you calling the kettle black," Gary shot back. "You were no better than me."

"I may have looked, or even touched, but nothing went any further than teasing or flirting."

"Just why are you here?" Gary arched an eyebrow, "I do have things to do."

Jenn stared at him for a moment, "Forget about it. You're not worth wasting my time."

"Babe, I'm _always_ worth the time," he smirked. "You wanna…kiss and make up?"

The blonde's eyes widened, "What are you smoking?! If I remember correctly, and of course I do, you were banging some girl in a nightclub because you said I was too frigid. Why would I want you now?"

"Face it, Jenn," Gary smirked. "You know I was the best you've had and you want me back."

Jenn smirked right back, "I've had better."

Gary floundered, "Like who?! You haven't even been with anyone!"

Jenn nodded, "It's true you were my first boyfriend and, goddess that I am, I thought I'd want you for my one and only – and I'm talking marriage type of one and only, but I need someone more mature. Someone who's able to see beyond their ego. You are not that type of person."

"Whoa! You are not one to talk!" Gary laughed harshly. "Your ego is nearly as big as mine."

"I guess it takes one to know one," Jenn shrugged and turned to walk away.

Gary grabbed her backpack to make her stop. With a twist of her body, Jenn pulled out of the pack, leaving it dangling in Gary's hands. "You're such an ass," the blonde snarled. "Give me back my pack."

"Make me."

"That is so childish!" Jenn shook her head, "Just give me my stuff back!"

"Not until you admit that I'm better than you," Gary said.

"I really can't get over how big your ego is."

"That's what all the girls say," Gary smirked.

Jenn just rolled her eyes, one hand out in silent demand for her property. Gary didn't give it back.

"There's only one way to settle this," Gary narrowed his eyes. "A battle, right here, right now. One on one, winner takes all."

"And winner takes what?" Jenn tossed her hair back.

Gary said, "Bragging rights, which of course, will be mine since I'll run you down."

"Just before you make roadkill of me," Jenn reached for her pack, snagging it off of Gary. She took out a red and white sphere, zipped up the bag, and tossed it at a tree. It settled at the base with a heavy thwap. "I really should warn you that you'll lose."

Gary spread his hands, "Have you not seen my arsenal lately? They're not weak like _your_ little puppies are."

Jenn maximized the sphere, "I left the puppies at home. They tend to get nauseous when they see you."

"Get on with it," Gary stepped off the trail and back into the wide meadow. "After I beat you, I'm going to have a lot of fun with Chantelle."

"Is that what you're calling it now," Jenn said in a blasé tone, "Fun? And is she the same girl from the nightclub?"

"Why do you want to know," Gary said, walking to the center of the meadow, recalling his Rhydon as he walked. The blonde followed him and the two were standing face to face. "Not had enough of knowing what a _loser_ you really are?"

"Isn't that what you always called Ash? A loser?" She tilted her head to the side and tapped at her chin. "And now he's what? Grand Master? Boy if that's what being a loser is like, sign me up."

"Umbreon!" Gary barked out. The ebony canine leapt in front of its Trainer, red eyes blazing in preparation for the fight. "Well, what are you going to send out? That pathetic Houndour? You sure have a thing for canine Pokémon."

"I _liked_ you, didn't I?" Jenn tossed the sphere, "Come on out, Merlin!" A white light appeared and the sphere minimized and flew back to Jenn's waiting hand. "Let's show little Gary how to play with the big girls."

The white light faded, revealing the long, sinuous Pokémon. Its blue scales shimmered in the sunlight, making the Dragonair appear to glow. It looked at Gary with its black eyes and made a low sound. It wasn't friendly sounding.

Gary gaped at the sight. "Wh…when did you get _that_?"

"Scared much?" Jenn grinned. "He's a…special pokémon, isn't he? If you spent more time with me, maybe you'd know where I got him."

"You're not…you don't even have enough badges to handle a pokémon of that caliber!" Gary stuttered out.

"Like I said," Jenn shrugged, "He was a gift."

"What did you do to get a gift like that?" Gary sneered. "Sleep with…" His eyes widened. "Drake's the only one who has pokémon like that at his disposal. Trish won't like that you got a 'gift' like that from her boyfriend."

"Merlin, get him!" Jenn snapped. "I mean, his Umbreon."

The sapphire Pokémon hovered, but didn't move.

Gary burst out howling. "Oh that's _rich_! You don't even know what moves a Dragonair does!"

Jenn's nostrils flared, "Slam that Umbreon to the ground!"

Gary laughed again, only to gasp as the Dragonair moved so fast that it flashed and left an afterimage. Suddenly his Umbreon was face down on the meadow, completely unconscious.

Jenn blinked, "I guess I said a magic word or something."

"Dragonairs know Body Slam you blonde twit!" Gary recalled his Umbreon, "And if Umbreon wasn't so tired from training, we would have beaten you!"

Jenn recalled Merlin, "I so seriously doubt it, Oak! Merlin is totally at a higher level than your poor, pathetic puppy!"

Gary snorted, "If I weren't such a gentleman, you'd be eating dirt right now!"

"What? You can't hit a woman?" Jenn taunted. "You couldn't lay a finger on me. Like Merlin, I'm too quick for you."

"I do have some morals," Gary actually sounded insulted. "While you seem to have none."

"Oh I have some, just not where you're concerned."

"You bitch!" Gary ran at Jenn and she got into a defensive stance, but just when Gary just about reached her, he froze.

Jenn's eyes widened in surprise. Everytime Gary struggled in his Matrix style mid-air leap and freeze, a green aura flared around him. "The hell…"

"Now, child, is that any way to talk?" A sensuous voice swirled around the two.

Jenn looked around with eyes now widened in fright. "Who's there?"

"Now, now, I think you know who." A man was suddenly standing ten feet away from her. A breeze played with his long red hair, strands twisting around like writhing snakes. He was dressed in black and the colour made his emerald eyes stand out.

"Lucius!" Jenn gasped, backing away. "You…"

"I am here, and so are you," The sharpness in his gaze belied his lazy tone. "And now you will _pay_ for ruining my plans for torturing Puck."

A whimper caught in Jenn's throat and she stumbled back, falling into the grass. Lu walked closer and she crab walked backwards. The Fae passed Gary and the Viridian City Gym Leader could only follow the tall creature with his blue eyes.

Lu held out his hand to Jenn, a mocking gesture as if he would help her to her feet. Only instead of helping her to her feet, his magic caught her and held her aloft five feet above the ground. "You. Will. Pay!" Each word was punctuated by an energy blast. Each blast hit the blonde dead on.

Gary realized that while each blast hit his ex, whatever power held her up also refused to let her scream. Despite his current anger towards Jenn, he knew that what was happening to her was wrong. _Let her go!_ he hollered in his mind.

The red-haired man tossed his head and seemed to calm. He looked at his victim, saw how dazed she was, and he was pleased. "Now for some fun."

_From nightmares come truth and truth take form_

_Your form a nightmare to those you love_

_Unable to speak the language you know_

_All those you love will see you as foe_"

A white light surrounded the blonde, a twisting light so bright Gary wanted to shut his eyes, but couldn't. Just as suddenly as it happened, it faded and instead of Jenn being held aloft by some strange magic, there was a small white furry lump.

For a second, she hovered there, then not only did the red-haired man vanish, but both Jenn and Gary were released and both fell to the ground. A feeling filled the air, like a thunderstorm about to break. A red and pearl white sphere appeared in Gary's hand and he felt himself standing up.

Instead of being as shaky as he felt, Gary felt himself walking over to where Jenn had fallen. It was as if he wasn't in control of his body. Closer and closer he got to where Jenn had fallen and with every step, a feeling gnawed in his stomach.

Then he was there, standing above her, or so he thought. His arm tensed and the sphere maximized and was suddenly being thrown at the white creature in front of him. Red light engulfed the creature at his feet and then just the sphere was there, rocking once, twice, and then dinging in a mockery of a normal pokéball's capture chime.

The ominous feeling was abruptly gone and it was as if someone had thrown a switch. Sounds of the forest surrounding him came back to life, the gentle breeze came back, and Gary blinked. Had it all been a dream? He looked around and walked forward, kicking something.

Looking down, he blanched. It was a red and pearl white pokéball.

Crouching down, he picked up the ball. He rolled it in his hands and stood up. It looked like a normal pokéball, only the white was a pearly hue. A feeling of dread grew in his stomach and he looked around. Sure enough, he saw Jenn's backpack. He swore softly and walked over to it, picked it up. He frowned and knelt down and opened it.

Lying among an ITEO neutralizer, a pack of gum, and a cell phone was a lilac coloured furball. Gary frowned again. "An Espeon?"

The Pokémon in question looked up at him with an almost sheepish look. "You were in her backpack?"

Espeon nodded, and then saw who it was nodding to and leapt out of the backpack. It looked around almost frantically, then nosed the pokéball on the ground. It looked at Gary almost accusingly.

"Hey, not my fault," Gary said defensively. "I'm not the one that did that. Some tall red haired man did."

Gary would've laughed if the situation wasn't so grave. The Espeon's eyes grew large and looked from Gary to the sphere and back again. It tapped the orb with one tapered paw and stood back as a flash of white light escaped the confines.

Standing on four very shaky legs was an Absol. As tall as a Houndoom, the white fur gleamed in a pearlescent hue that Gary hadn't ever seen on an Absol. When she looked at him, it was with blue eyes, not red. She opened her mouth to say something, but promptly fell over in a faint. Instinctively, he caught her and felt the weight in his hands.

Gary winced. "Trish will kill me if she sees Jenn like this." He shook his head, "but I don't know what to do. What do I do?"

_Take her to Puck_. A light English accented voice chimed in his mind.

"You?" Gary queried the pokémon. He looked at the now pokémon in his hands. "What's more _she_ will kill me once she recovers."

_No she won't_, the lilac pokémon shook its head, _and Puck can reverse this before __Trish__ even knows what happens. __Jenn__ will be too embarrassed to let her best friend know what happened._

There was a popping sound, and suddenly the Dragonair was hovering above him, ebony eyes taking in the scene. It nosed the Absol and a low rumbling could suddenly be felt. A sharp wind started to blow.

"Oh hell," Gary sighed, "It wasn't me, Dragonair, I didn't do this."

The Espeon glanced at the Dragonair and the wind died down. The large dragon snorted ominously, but settled down.

Gary sighed again, this time in relief. "Now all we need to do is find Puck. I at least remember him. Strange fellow."

"What's so strange about me?" A male voice asked.

Gary whirled around, letting the Absol fall to the ground. "You…"

Puck looked around Gary at what the Espeon and Dragonair were looking at. "Oh my," his eyes widened. "Oh, Trish will _not_ be happy about this."

"Really?" Gary asked dryly.

"Yes, really, especially since this is your entire fault."

The Dragonair snorted menacingly.

"It was not!" Gary huffed. "I most certainly didn't do this."

"No, but you pissed off Jenn enough that she followed you." Puck said nonchalantly. "And as this is the result of her anger, ergo it _is_ your fault."

"Whatever," Gary shook his head. "I'll leave you to take it from here. I have a date." He tossed the red and pearl white sphere to Puck, only to have it spin right back to his palm. "The hell!"

Puck laughed, "Sorry, pal, but it looks like you'll have to cancel your date."

"The great Gary Oak does not cancel his dates!"

OoO

"Sorry, babe, I have to cancel," Gary said into the cell phone in his most apologetic tone, "Gramps is feeling a bit ill."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Chantelle said in her breathy tone.

"You bet!" Gary said, "Ciao."

He hung up and turned to the Fae. "This had better be good."

At Puck's feet sat Jenn, who was staring at the ground in shock. She seemed stuck to Puck's side and whimpered whenever he tried to leave. She seemed most frightened of Gary.

"She is hurt, you know," Puck said, holding his hands over Jenn's sides. His hands glowed orange, then faded. "I healed her, as they were injuries made by Fae magic, but these other wounds go deep through her emotions."

"Why's she just sitting there like that?" Gary asked disdainfully.

"She's in shock, you ass." Puck said simply. "If you want, I can help you to see what it feels like."

"You couldn't _possibly_ do anything to me," the spikey-haired man sneered. "I'm Gary Oak, Viridian City Gym Leader, whereas you are merely a path…" He never got to finish, for a ghost of a smile had passed across Puck's face, before a flash of light enveloped the man, and died away to reveal a small Pokémon with large green flaps covering its head with two red half-moons on either side, what looked like a white skirt flared out to reveal two very spindly legs.

Espeon gently nudged the Absol, who finally looked up and burst out laughing when she saw what Gary had become. '_What is THAT?_'

'_Gary's now a Kirlia_,' Espeon explained. '_It is known as the Emotion Pokémon_.'

Jenn snorted. '_As if __Gary__'s capable of feeling any emotion, except arrogance_.'

Puck grinned. "Oh but he soon will be feeling a whole lot of emotions that he's never felt before."

'_How so?_'

'_Kirlia is a Psychic Pokémon,_' Espeon smirked. '_And Psychic Pokémon are **weak** against Dark Pokémon, which is what you now are…_'

Jenn broke into a wide smile. _'Awwwyeah, that's right! I can still give him the_ _smackdown._' She hesitated. '_Uh…what moves do I have?_'

'_You have Bite_,' a deep voice boomed from above them. The three looked up to see the Dragonair hovering above them. '_That is a Dark Type move, or you have Faint Attack. That move is guaranteed not to fail.'_

The human-turned-Absol wagged her tail at the Dragonair. _'Thanks, Merlin. You're a real peach.'_

"Hang on there, Jenn," Puck said warningly. "You can't go ordering yourself around."

'_Says who?_'

"Think of it as a helping hand," Puck winked, then looked over at Gary and narrowed his eyes, "Jenn, use Faint Attack now!"

The Absol rushed towards the Kirlia that was Gary. She disappeared as if into thin air and the Kirlia blinked.

Gary tried to rack his brains as to Kirlia's moves. He had never really bothered to study it since it seemed such a pathetic pokémon. It was a Psychic Pokémon so…he decided to use Calm Mind. It didn't work.

Suddenly he felt 104 pounds of Absol slam against him, knocking him to the ground. As he lay there seeing tiny staryus, he heard Puck yell out, "Bite Attack, now!" The last thing he was aware was of sharp fangs sinking into his legs, then nothing.

"And Jennimon wins the battle!" Puck announced triumphantly as the Absol stepped back from the fainted Kirlia.

Espeon rolled her eyes. '_You're so witty.'_

"I try."

Jenn cheered but then spent a few minutes spitting fur out of her mouth. '_Bleah!__ He needs a wash or something. He tastes totally disgusting.'_

Puck turned Gary back into his human form, before picking up Jenn's backpack and recalling the various Pokémon into their pokéballs. Espeon had to get back into the pack. "He'll be feeling rather lousy when he comes to, but it's more important to get you back to where you're safe."

_'Yep, that's right,' _Jenn nodded, then got wide eyed when Puck aimed a pokéball at her. '_What are you going to do with that?'_

"Well I can't very well carry you back," Puck said gently, "And it'll be not only easier to transport you, but you'll be safer as well. If Lu tried to get to you, he'd have a harder time at it if you were in your…I mean, this pokéball."

_'I am so going to be nicer to my pokémon when I get back to normal.'_ Jenn vowed.

OoO

When Puck walked into Trish's hospital room, just Drake and Shannon were there. "Hey guys," he greeted.

"Hey Puck," the Australian smiled. "What brings you here? We're still waiting for Jenn to get back."

The Fae looked a bit uncomfortable. "Actually there's a slight problem with that," he withdrew a red and pearl white sphere which was then maximised and opened to reveal a shaggy white form.

Jenn shook herself vigorously. '_Hey, give me a bit of warning next time…_' she trailed off as she noticed they were in Trish's hospital room. However, the expression on her best friend's face was not what she expected – it was one of pure terror. In fact, Trish scuttled back against the bed so fast that she nearly hit the back of her head on the wall.

"Get…that..._thing_ away from me!" her voice came out in a squeak. Drake snatched Dragonite's Pokéball from its neck cord and looked prepared to call his most trusted companion in a heartbeat.

Jenn froze and her eyes widened. That wasn't a good sign. There was no way she could compete against Dragonite! And besides, Trish had no reason to be terrified of her best friend! _I'd sooner chew off my own arm than hurt you, __Trish__! As a matter of fact, I probably could now, heh heh…_

She trotted towards the bed and placed her two front paws on the bed rail. Trish practically leapt out of the bed, and latched onto Drake like a lifeline. '_Hey T, it's just me. __Jenn__ Your bestest bud remember?_' Jenn tried to plead.

'_She can't understand you now that you're a Pokémon_.' Espeon's now familiar light English accent echoed in her head. '_Only Pokémon will be able to understand what you're saying._'

The human-turned-Absol backed away and cocked her head to the side. '_Is there anyone who can understand me?_'

_'Only those born of Fae, or the __Chosen__ One.__ For the __Chosen__ One to be able to control all the world's Pokémon, he must be able to understand the language of all Pokémon.'_

'_Ash_…' Jenn breathed. '_I'll know that he'll be able to help me. He, of all people, will understand what I'm going through. There was that time he was a Pikachu.'_

"Relax, Trish," Puck tried to soothe the terrified girl, who was still clinging to Drake for dear life. "That's just Jenn."

Drake settled back and reattached Dragonite's pokéball to its place on the cord around his neck.

Her eyes widened. "Jenn?!? What _happened_…" Trish gave the Fae a glare. "Were you drunk again?"

"Hey now, do I look as if I'm drunk?" Puck protested. "It wasn't me, it was Lu!"

"Lu!"

Puck shrugged, "He must have tracked her down on Hamlin."

"Hamlin?!? What was she doing on _Hamlin_?" Trish looked confused. "Why wasn't she on Kumquat?"

Jenn winced. She was so thoroughly busted that it gave new meaning to the term, not to mention she'd completely gotten caught in her own lie. No tangled web weaving here, the whole spider was in a proverbial knot.

"So can you turn her back like right _now_?" Trish was still pale, and Drake wasn't sure if it was due to shock at seeing a nightmare come to life, or the knowledge that the nightmare was a transfigured Jenn.

"Why are you so afraid of Absols?" the Fae wanted to know.

"Because I've been seeing them in my nightmares," Trish finally said. "Always an Absol, and its always stalking me, pinning me down with those red eyes. It's known as the Disaster Pokémon so it can only mean bad things." She paused. "Besides after the Hound, I have issues with any canine that's larger than a mop."

"Much as I don't mind having Trish on my lap," Drake then spoke up. "Maybe it would be better if you could turn Jenn back into human form this instant. This may set Trish's recovery back some."

"Which sounds like something Lu'd enjoy," Trish said, closing her eyes as if willing away the nightmare before her. She opened her eyes and rested against Drake when she saw it was still true.

_Well it's not all fun and frolicking in meadows for me either, _Jenn thought sourly, resisting the urge to nibble at her foreleg. Something was itching and she'd kill Lu if he gave her fleas to go along with her temporary form. _At least, I hope it's temporary. Sigh._

Alas, Puck being the mischievous prankster he was, couldn't let anything go without having a bit of fun. He pretended to study the Absol for a moment before giving a big sigh. "Unfortunately, I can't. I need a certain rare flowering plant that grows in a remote area of the Archipelago. Until then, she has to stay as a Pokémon." He smiled inwardly at the whimper from Jenn.

"Well, even though she is my best friend, she can't stay here, not in that form," Trish sighed. Jenn snorted at that.

Trish forced herself to calm down and managed a genuine smile, albeit a tiny one, "Sorry, Jenn, but I'm sure you understand."

_'Not really,' _Jenn rolled her eyes in irritation.

"How about Puck and I pay a visit to Ash?" Drake suggested. "He'd be able to keep her safe."

Jenn brightened at that, _'Ooh la la! Time for ye olde Ashe to return the favor!'_

"I can only guess she likes that idea," Trish grinned wryly.

Jenn gave her a pointed look that plainly said, "Duh!"

"Go on and get out of here," Trish said gently, trying to take any sting out of her words with another small smile. "Try to _not_ get yourself in any more trouble."

OoO

Ten minutes later, Puck knocked on the door to the Grand Master's villa. Jenn, who was being nursed in Drake's arms, noted that like all the other villas in the Islands, it was 'small'. Ash had bought this place as a retreat from his hectic and very public life on the Plateau. Soon the door opened to reveal the Grand Master, clad in a navy blue t-shirt and black pants. "Hey guys, come on in."

"Where's Misty?" Drake enquired as they entered the large marble foyer. A skittering of claws on the tiles preceded the entrance of three small electric mice. "Heya Pikachu, Poppy, and Poptart."

'_Piiiiiiiiika!_' Came a chorus of hello's.

"Misty's flown back to Indigo Plateau for her obstetrician appointment," Ash explained as he led the way into the living room. "And so she decided that while she's there, she might as well spend a month with her sisters in Cerulean before the baby comes."

"A month?" Puck asked. "Isn't that a bit long?"

_'Not when it comes to __Misty__,'_ Jenn said wickedly.

"Jenn?" Ash looked around, confused, then laughed. "For a second, I thought I heard her!"

Drake and Puck exchanged looks, while Jenn adopted a completely innocent look.

"Well, you see, Ash," Drake hesitated, "There's something about Jenn that you should know."

_'Yes, I speak the Pokémon language Absol-utely fluently,' _Jenn snickered.

"He _can_ understand you, you know," Puck shot back at Jenn, who seemed to flush and pale in the same instant and muttered something low. "That wasn't very nice," Puck admonished.

"No, it really wasn't," Ash winced. The electric mice at his feet seemed to agree and Pikachu leapt nimbly to her best friend's shoulders. The Grand Master walked closer and with each step, Jenn withdrew closer to Drake.

"Uh, Jenn, he won't bite," Drake laughed as she tried to burrow under his arm. "And FYI, you're getting more than a bit heavy with all that squirming."

A low growl was his answer, to which everyone laughed at. "Why don't you set her down?" Ash said, trying to keep a straight face. "Let's see how she's doing."

Drake did and the now fluffy Jenn looked up at the faces around her. She looked away, _'I'm not really used to looking up at people. This just doesn't suit me at all.'_

Ash and Puck laughed, and Drake frowned, "What did she say?"

"Oh she's just being a diva," Puck snickered, "I should get looking for that cure. I'll check back in later on." With that he vanished.

Jenn blinked. _'Hey, wait a sec…'_

"He'll be back later, Jenn" Drake reassured the Pokémon. "You'll be back to human again before you know it."

_'Yeah but how long is he gonna take?'_ Jenn thought sourly. _'I don't wanna stay a Pokémon for the rest of my life.'_

"That time he turned me into a Pikachu, it took about two weeks before I turned back," Ash remembered.

Jenn turned and glared at the Grand Master. _'You are not helping.'_

He smiled sheepishly. "So how _can_ I help?"

"Well, we were wondering if you could look after Jenn for a while," Drake explained.

"But why can't Trish look after her?" Ash was mystified. "Aren't they best friends?"

"They are, and normally she would, but at the moment she has a huge phobia of anything that's large and dog-like. And she's been having nightmares about Absols."

Ash frowned, "I don't know. This was supposed to be a vacation of sorts." He almost laughed at the stricken look Jenn gave him. "Don't look so worried, Jenn! After all, you looked after me in my time of need."

_'Yeah but I didn't know you were you. There's a difference here! I have no anonymity!'_

"You do have a point, Ash," Drake said, "but I have to get back to Trish. You two going to be okay?"

_'Yes, Dad,'_ Jenn flopped onto the floor and looked sullenly at her front paws.

Ash took a breath in, "Ah...we'll be fine. Thanks, Drake."

The door closed behind Drake, leaving the Grand Master alone with one _very_ unhappy Disaster Pokémon.

_This is juuuust peachy, _Jenn thought. This time she did nibble at that flea.

OoO

Back in the hospital, Trish rubbed at her eyes. _This just can't be happening. My best friend looks like...my nightmare come true!_

"It won't be forever," Puck said gently, his voice preceding the rest of him. The Fae shimmered into the room and smiled at Trish. "Trust me, she'll be human in no time."

"You have the flower?"

"Trish, there is no flower."

Trish stepped back, stunned, "What!?"

Puck shrugged, "I don't need a flower. It's a simple transformation spell. Those were never Lucius's strong point. Heck, I can cast one of those drunk!"

Trish glared, "You're not helping."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Puck said gently. "But thanks to Lu, you now have Jenn, pardon the pun, under a tight leash. She won't be able to get hurt due to her quick...emotions."

She shook her head, 't you just accidentally turn her into something else?"

"Gentle Trish, were that it to be so simple!" The slender Fae stood near her. "I could very well do that, and easily, but I doubt that dear Jenn would be able to handle it. Her mental stability or her body. It's not an easy thing for you mere mortals to accept."

"So we're that fragile, hmm?"

"I'd answer that carefully, if I were you!" Shannon walked into the room. She was alone.

"Shannon! It's good to see you," Trish said. "We were just trying to figure out Jenn's situation."

"That's a doozy," Shannon nodded, "Did she say why she was on Hamlin and not Kumquat?"

"No, and it makes me more than a little angry that she thought she could handle that on her own. The whole Gary thing," Trish shook her head, "She knows she can trust us to help her and be there for her…" And now she couldn't even understand her best friend! The one person she knew she could confide in, and vice versa, could not be understood.

She caught Puck staring at her, "Something on your mind?"

"I was just thinking that I haven't been completely understanding of this whole thing."

"Trish!" Shannon exclaimed, "Don't expect to be completely understanding. This was a shock to all of us, especially to you. You've been having those nightmares. It's understandable that you would be terrified to see your nightmare put its front paws on the edge of your hospital bed!"

"I'm just torn between being mad at her, and being worried for her, then I'm scared of her," she said, "Does that make any sense?"

"In every way," Shannon said. "If only you could understand what she's saying!"

Trish brightened. "Puck, can't you make it so that I can at least understand what Jenn is saying?"

Puck looked a little surprised, "I hadn't thought of that. I think that can be arranged."

"Just don't accidentally do to me what Lu did to Jenn. That would **really** piss me off."

"I'll go converse with Callie," Puck shimmered out of the room, vanishing with a, "Farewell."

"He's not one to linger, is he?" Shannon sat on the bed by her friend.

"Nope," Trish frowned. "He sure isn't."

"I wonder how Mia copes with that," the brunette mused. "Imagine having a boyfriend who can appear and disappear in the blink of an eye."

"I'd say it would have its advantages and disadvantages. One good thing is that he could give you anything you wanted, instantly." The Australian pondered some more. "The bad thing would be is that you would never know when he was gonna turn up!" Just then Drake walked into the room. "Speak of the devil!"

"Miss me?" the Orange Crew Leader asked as he sat down next to his girlfriend.

"Not really," Trish teased. "You weren't gone long enough." Drake pouted and she gave him a hug.

"So how did things go with Ash?" Shannon asked.

"Oh, fine. He wasn't as shocked as we thought he'd be at finding out that Jenn was a Pokémon. Anyway, he agreed to look after her until Puck gets the cure, though Jenn wasn't too happy at being left in Absol form. Just as well Misty is away for a month."

"Actually, Puck came by here a few minutes ago," Trish informed him.

"Oh? I thought he was on his way to get the flower…"

"There is no flower," Trish said wryly. "Puck can change her back whenever he wants."

Drake's eyebrows shot up. "So he's just gonna _leave _her like that?"

"He assures me that the spell isn't permanent," Trish reassured her boyfriend. "And while he is playing around with her, he _does_ have a good point. Jenn as a Pokémon means that she's under tight control and she can't do anything foolish. With that Pokéball, it will be easier to keep an eye on her."

"True. But that means she is going to have to stay with Ash for at least two weeks or more."

"I don't think she's really gonna mind," Trish chuckled. "Spending a fortnight in the Grand Master's house would be a dream of hers come true."

"Somehow, though, I don't think being a _Pokémon_ ever figured into it," Shannon grinned. "I mean, that really puts a damper on the things she could do with him."

"Oh I dunno, remember when Ash changed back from Satochu?" Drake quipped. "He was nekkid, she was in her chemise, things were getting rather heated between them."

"That's right!" Trish's eyes widened. "I wonder if either of them will remember that when she changes back, it's a possibility that she'll have no clothes on?"

"I hope so!"

OoO

_At the Ketchum villa_

Jenn was still nibbling away at her foreleg. That damn flea was still making her itchy, and she couldn't manage to locate the minute bug. _'Nibbling seems to work for normal dogs and dog Pokémon, so why doesn't it work for me?' _she raged away inwardly. She felt a gentle touch to her head and she looked up to see Ash kneeling before her, concern in his dark brown eyes.

"If you've got fleas, the best thing to do is to give you a bath with a special flea shampoo." He laughed when Jenn wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"It doesn't smell horrible, if that's what you're thinking," Ash said patiently. "And it's much better than you trying to gnaw half your leg off trying to get a bug the size of a pinhead."

Jenn sighed. '_You're right_.' She then felt something tickle near her left ear. Was it the flea? She sat up and raised her left hind leg to scratch behind her ear, as she had seen her Growlithe and normal dogs do – and promptly lost her balance and fell over. _'This totally sucks,_' the lump of white fur growled.

Ash stifled a grin and scooped up the Jenn lump in his arms. "How about I get some of my canine Pokémon to instruct you on how to do things? Until Puck comes back with that cure, I'm afraid you're gonna have to live like a Pokémon."

_'How hard can being a Pokémon be?_' the human-turned-Absol muttered. '_You managed okay! In fact you had me, had **everyone** completely fooled until you changed back. How did you do it?'_

The Grand Master carried her into a large bathroom to the rear of the villa and placed her on the floor. "Yeah but you forget, I was turned into a Pokémon that I trained and knew very well. Pikachu's a pretty good teacher, and it wasn't the first time I was turned into one either."

Jenn looked around and admired the large marble bathtub and gold fixtures, the marble bench top and large vanity mirror. '_Nice bathroom_.'

"Thanks, but I don't get to use it," Ash chuckled. "This is mainly used for the canine Pokémon or any other Pokémon that likes to keep clean."

'_Your Pokémon have their own bathroom??_' Jenn squeaked. '_Man, do **they** live in the lap of luxury!'_

The dark-haired man opened one of the cupboards and drew out a small bottle and two fluffy white towels. "Yeah, but they deserve it, they work so hard to keep me where I am." He placed the items next to the bath, before putting the plug in, and began filling it with water. "One of the nice things about being Grand Master is that you can reward your Pokémon with the best of care."

Jenn sat on her haunches and watched as Ash filled the tub halfway, periodically checking the temperature wasn't too hot before turning off the taps. She eyed the steaming water, it sure looked inviting. _I am so lucky I'm not a fire type cause I do love water._

"Okay, sweetie, in you go," and with that he lifted and placed her gently in the bath. Soaking a small soft washcloth, he proceeded to wet her coat all over until her fur was plastered to her skin.

'_Great, I probably look like a drowned rat,_' Jenn groaned before giving a little shiver at the cold feel of the shampoo being squirted down her back.

"You're much bigger than a rat," Ash grinned as he began to work the shampoo into the Pokémon's coat. "So, tell me, was this a result of one of Puck's pranks?"

'_Unfortunately no_. _It was Lu.'_

The massaging stopped for a moment. "Lu? So he's still determined to take revenge…"

'_Yeah, and his timing totally sucked. Just when I was about to beat the living daylights out of __Gary_'

"Oh?" Jenn couldn't see the man with all the wet fur in front of her eyes but she guessed that one of the dark eyebrows was just raised.

'_I wanted to find out why he was cheating on me the whole time we were dating._'

"Did he give a good reason?" As he worked the shampoo into her coat, Ash managed to tickle a nerve which sent her right hind leg thumping up and down involuntarily.

Trying to suppress a smidge of embarrassment at that reaction, Jenn stretched as the tingles went up her spine. _Awww, that__ felt good. Being bathed was sort of like getting an all over body massage. Maybe dogs didn't have it so bad_…

'_No, he said he got bored with our relationship and decided to sample all the favors his fans could give him._'

"Gary is a first class asshole," Ash agreed as he began to rinse the suds off her.

'_You won't hear me arguing that one down,' _Jenn jiggled her shoulder blades, '_I had him right where I wanted him and then Lu does this. Talk about a monkey wrench being thrown at your glass house.'_

"Uh…yeah," Ash shook his head, trying not to figure out what she was talking about.

_'And it's a pickled monkey, too. Lu changed me and then vanished, and then Puck changed Gary and we fought that way,' _She cocked her head as Ash gently ran some clean water over her head '_Don't get me wrong, that did feel good. It got some of that pent up anger and resentment out, but __Gary__ got to change back right away. Me, I'm stuck like this for Lugia only knows how long.'_

The dirty water drained out, complete – to Jenn's chagrin – with some dead fleas, and then Ash ran more warm clean water over her back. _"Not to mention that right now I'm a Pokémon, and not just any Pokémon but the one Pokémon my best friend can't stand to be in the same room with. Not to mention that I had fleas.' _She glared at the drain, _'At least, they'd better be gone. This is the exemplification of total suckage_.'

"You can't really blame Trish after what she went through. That Hound was Hell itself. And you can look at things this way, some good might come out of this transformation."

'_Like what?_'

"You could help Trish overcome her phobia of Absols and large dogs. It's something that has to be addressed otherwise she'll never set foot outside the house again. Plus this will give you a better understanding of Pokémon, as you'll know what it's like to be one."

_'Yeah, but…this is **embarrassing**!'_

Ash stopped mopping excess water from her coat. "How so?"

Jenn rolled her eyes, _'You are the Grand Master and you're asking me that? At least __Gary__ got to change back right away.' _

"Look at it as a learning experience." Ash suggested. "You'll get to experience different cultures and how your pokémon live."

_'If I wanted to experience different cultures, I'd hop on a plane to __Timbuktu__.' _Then she narrowed her eyes and to Ash they seemed to glow for a second. _'On second thought, let me stay like this and I'll do to Lu what he wanted the Hound to do to __Trish__.'_

"Atta girl!" Ash cheered, "That's a much better attitude."

_'Ash?'_

"Yeah?"

_'If I stay like this, permanently, due to you cheering like that, and say the Fates hear and agree with you, I'm gonna seriously hurt you.'_

Ash laughed, and tossed the damp towel at what Jenn assumed was a laundry chute. It went right in, of course, and Ash stood up. "Let's get you into the blower!"

_'The huh?' _She baulked, but Ash easily picked her up and walked towards a marble topped grooming table. _'You are so lucky Lu didn't make me a Rapidash. A Rapidash doesn't move if it doesn't want to.'_

After ten minutes under a powerful fur dryer, Ash ran a brush through Jenn's silky white fur. The coat gleamed a pearlescent hue. Stepping back to admire his handiwork, Ash tapped his chin. "Missing one thing."

Jenn watched warily as he walked to a cabinet and pulled open a drawer. To her horror, there was a large array of colourful bows and ribbons.

Ash pulled something out and walked towards her. Jenn growled out, _'If you want to keep your hands intact, not to mention to keep on breathing, you will **not** put any bows or ribbons on me. Ash? Ash! I **mean** it!'_

The Grand Master just ignored her and fastened something around her neck. "Oh, I think you'll like _this_." He held up a small mirror.

Jenn looked and saw that she was wearing a diamond encrusted velvet and leather collar. '_Ooooh diamonds…_'

Ash smiled. "Knew you'd like it. After all, diamonds are a girl's best friend."

'_You're a smart man, Ashy Boy_,' Jenn admired herself in the mirror. A loud rumbling came from her stomach area.

"Sounds like someone's ready for some dinner," the dark-haired man chuckled. "Follow me."

Jenn padded by the man's side. '_You're not gonna give me Pokéchow are you?_'

"Of course not! I _do_ like living after all. Besides, I wouldn't eat the stuff myself when I was a pikachu!"

A few minutes later, Ash placed a dinner plate down on the coffee table filled with cut chicken pieces, potato, beans and gravy. "There you go, tuck in."

The human-turned-Absol looked at the plate then up at the Grand Master. '_Just **how** am I supposed to eat this? I can't use cutlery with these paws!_'

"I cut it all up into bite-sized pieces so it's easier for you to pick up with your mouth," Ash explained.

Jenn sighed. '_This is gonna be so embarrassing…_'

Pikachu looked up from her bowl that was next to Jenn's. '_Aww, don't worry about making a mess, Pichapi.__ It takes time to get used to being a Pokémon.'_

Twenty minutes later, the Absol backed away from the table, potato and gravy smeared all over her black face. '_I think I need professional help.'_

"You're not wrong there," Ash murmured as he used a damp washcloth to wipe her face.

_'Hey, you try eating a meal using only your mouth,_' Jenn growled.

"I have." He rose and threw the cloth into a nearby laundry chute. "If you want, you can play around with Pik and the rest for a little while, then we're all going to bed. You've had one heck of a long day."

'_Yeah, tell me about it._'

OoO

Back at the hospital, Trish lay awake in the darkness, waiting for sleep to come. Reflecting on the day's events, she wondered on how long it would be before Jenn was back to normal. She felt a little bit guilty for not looking after the now pokémon, after all they were best friends and best friends stood by each other through thick or thin.

_If only __Jenn__ wasn't an Absol…_ The Disaster Pokémon not only haunted her nightmares but it also brought back paralysing memories of the Hound. If Puck was able to cast a spell so she could understand Jenn, things _might_ not be so bad. She had to protect her best friend from sharing the same fate of being Lu's next potential murder victim.

_At least I know that she's safe with Ash_, the dark-haired Australian thought drowsily. _He would **never** let anything bad happen to her_. As she drifted off to sleep, her last thought was of how Fate had a habit of throwing those two together.

OoO

Around one a.m, Jenn managed to work out how to trigger the release mechanism from inside her pokéball and let herself out. What sleep she had, had been erratic and full of nightmares of red-haired Faes. She was terrified that Lu might come back in the middle of the night and finish the job. He tried to do that with Trish, and he had even more reason to do that to her!

Not wanting to spend the night alone, the Absol ran softly up the stairs to the first floor to where Pikachu had told her that Ash and Misty's bedroom was. _I really have no right to do this. It's all my fault I'm here in the first place_. She looked down at all four black paws and clenched her jaws tight. _But I don't feel safe all alone like that._

The door was slightly ajar and she pushed it gently with her forepaw. It swung open silently and Jenn peered into the darkness. _If there's one good thing about being a Pokémon, it's the excellent night vision,_ she thought to herself as she looked around and then spied the king-sized bed and the Grand Master's slumbering form.

A tiny shape came up to her and an inquisitive '_Pichapi_?' was heard.

Getting used to the nickname the little mouse used, she said, '_Yeah, it's me, Pikachu_.'

'_Having nightmares about the Evil One_?'

Jenn blinked. '_How did you know? Oh maybe I don't want to know, but, yeah, I don't want to be alone, at least not tonight._'

The mouse patted the Absol's forepaw. '_Pikapi would never let anything happen to you._'

Jenn smiled. '_Yeah, I know. Um, what I don't know is where I can sleep in here, if I'm allowed to_.'

_'Of **course** you can! Pikapi wouldn't have known you'd be uncomfortable being alone.' _Pikachu gently ran a current of electricity through the Absol, causing the canine to shiver, _'Just follow me.' _She trotted over to the foot of the bed and curled up on the plush carpet. Jenn lay down and snuggled beside her, and the scythe-like appendage draped around her neck like a blanket of sorts.

As the human-turned-Absol listened to the peaceful and steady breathing around her, she reflected on the very different approaches to Pokémon as shown by Gary and Ash. Gary trained his Pokémon hard and kept the relationship strictly to a working one.

Even though Ash trained his Pokémon just as hard, he considered them to be his friends as well as family. He treated them more like equals and gave them the respect they deserved. And now, Jenn had experienced first hand, or paw, just how the Grand Master treated his Pokémon. _He really is the greatest master of them all,_ she thought to herself. _The way he treats all Pokémon, regardless of type, it's no wonder they all seem to follow him so easily. Gary was wrong about Ash being a loser, Ash is a winner. __Gary__ is the real loser._

Pillowing her head on her stretched out forelegs, Jenn finally fell into a deep sleep.

Hovering in a corner of the room was a softly shimmering ball of blue energy. It giggled quietly and vanished in a flury of glittery sparkles.

OoO

_'I FOUND HER!'_

Startled out of a deep sleep, Jenn flung her head up at the noise, slammed it off of something , saw stars, and groaned at the pain. She opened her eyes to see a pair of glowing eyes seemingly hovering in front of her.

Letting out a surprised scream, Jenn scuttled backwards. The eyes blinked and a high pitched laugh was followed by a, _'She looks a little scared.'_

_'Leave her alone!' _Jenn recognized that voice as Pikachu's and the momma mouse came to her rescue, shooing away a…

Light filtered in and embarrassment seemed to flood Jenn as she realized she was under someone's bed. Pikachu cocked her head and asked, _'Will you be eating brunch with us?'_

_'Brunch?'_Jenn rubbed at her eyes with a paw, then glared down at it as if forgetting it was there. _'And here I was hoping I'd just been out drinking and had a huge hallucination. Since that's apparently not the case, I think I want to hide here all day if that's alright with you.'_

"It's not alright," Ash admonished, peeking under the bed. "Besides, if you refuse to come out, I can always use that pokéball to get to you."

_'But I like hiding It's safe here.'_ Jenn let out a whine and seemed surprised, then annoyed by the noise. _'If my life is going to be ruined by my own stupidity, I'd rather hide here.'_

_'And what will happen when Pikapi's mate comes back?' _Pikachu asked, twitching an ear to listen out for her offspring.

_'You've heard of monsters under the bed, right? Well, growl, baby, growl.'_

Pikachu looked at her friend, who sighed. "I'll get the pokéball." The bedskirt dropped, and Pikachu turned back to the agitated Absol.

_'You're not being rational.'_

_'Don't want to be that, want to hide. Hiding good.'_

Pikachu's ears perked forward, then backwards. She scampered out from under the bed to find Pikapi. She found him in the hallway, talking to a Houndoom and a Ninetales. _'Pikapi, I think she's losing it.'_

"You ready guys?" Ash asked, and led the three down the hallway and into the master suite. A Pichu was peering under the bedskirt, tiny tail swinging from side to side as it chirped animatedly.

Pikachu rushed over and pulled away her errant offspring, _'I told you to leave her be. You're grounded.' _

_'But Mom!'_ The diminutive mouse was led out of the room by its mother, leaving Ash alone with the three canines.

"You guys want to try to talk her out of there, or should I use the pokéball first?"

The two exchanged looks. _'I don't mind trying to talk with her,'_ the Ninetales said. _'Do you want to try first, or shall I?'_

_'She is one of my type,' _the Houndoom sighed, _'I guess I should try first.' _The lean Pokémon bellied down and stuck his head under the bedskirt. _'Come, child, it's time to face the world.'_

_'Don't wanna.'_

The Houndoom pulled back and looked at Ash, _'Is she trained at all? She seems most disobedient.' _

Unsure of how much to say, Ash said, "She's not the usual Pokémon. I should warn you."

The Ninetails snickered beside him. '_Since when do **you** ever have the **usual** Pokémon, __Chosen__ One._'

"True," Ash mused. "Take Pikachu for example. She's _shockingly_ powerful for her size and evolution."

'_I heard that, Pikapi_!' a squeaky voice floated in from the corridor.

'_Big ears_,' the Houndoom muttered.

'_I heard that too!!!_'

The Ninetails chuckled before walking over to the bed, lying down and sticking its head under the bedskirt. '_Won't you come out? It's a beautiful day outside, and we Pokémon were going to play a game of Tag. Would you like to join?_'

'_No, tag is for kids and I wanna stay here and hide_.'

The Grand Master sighed and knelt down beside the Ninetails. "Oh no you're not. You're going with me to see Trish whether you like it or not."

_'Well I don't like! I can't see Trish!_' Jenn sounded aghast. '_She'll kill me! And then she'll find some way to bring me back so she can kill me again once she finds out I went to confront __Gary__. Either way you look at it, I'm pretty much dead. I'll stay here, thanks anyway for asking._'

Ash aimed the Pokéball at the Absol. "Jenn, Return!"

Jenn managed one final comment before being sucked into the confines of the sphere. '_You suck_.'

_To be continued…_

OoO

_Author's Note:_

_Jenn's going to have an Absol-utely fine time being a Pokémon. Really. _

_I'm back at work now so writing may slow down, but this year should not be so hectic as 2004. _

_For current Pokémon fics, I have this one to finish, and Nemesis currently going. I do mean to finish 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother.' I just have to get into the right frame of mind to write it and since it involves a surgical procedure, a little more research._

_I also plan to branch out into another genre, Twelve Kingdoms. As soon as I can muster up the courage to finish and post the fic!_


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Time Cannot Erase

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish_

Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me, nor does anything belonging to the Bard. Lucius is co-owned by Mia. Ashura belongs to Dragoness (borrowed with permission but sort of morphed into a slightly insane Flower Mew). Flory, Callie, Poppy, Poptart belongs to me, as does the storyline. The lyrics from the chapter title belong to '_My Immortal'_ by Evanescence.

_Chapter Seventeen: Time Cannot Erase_

ooo

Gary Oak stalked out of the elevator onto the administration floor of Pummelo Stadium. The Viridian Gym Leader periodically rubbed his backside which was still sore from the Bite Attack the previous day.

He walked over to the reception desk and smiled at the young woman. "Excuse me, but I need to talk to Drake if he's available."

"Just a minute," she pressed a button on the phone console and spoke into her headset. "Excuse me, sir, but the Viridian Gym Leader would like to see you." She nodded then turned to Gary. "You can go right in."

"Thanks, doll." He walked down the corridor to the right and stopped at the polished oak door at the end with Drake's name and leader status emblazoned on a brass plate. He entered to find the Orange Crew Leader engrossed in expenditure reports for each of the individual gyms in the Orange League. "Drake," he greeted the man.

Drake glanced up and gave a polite smile. "Gary, please take a seat."

After he did so, Drake folded his hands together on the desk. "So, what brings you here?"

"I'd like to lodge a complaint against Jenn," the Viridian City Gym Leader growled. "She attacked me and bit me!"

"What did you come to me for? Shouldn't this be more of a matter for Officer Jenny?"

"Because…Jenn was a Pokémon when she attacked me! It's illegal for Pokémon to attack humans, you know that!"

Drake raised one dark brow. "Jenn was a Pokémon?"

"Yeah, a red-haired man just appeared and turned her into an Absol, then Puck came and turned me into a Kirlia and Jenn attacked me." Too late, Gary realised how crazy that must have sounded.

"So you're telling me that some red-haired stranger came out of _nowhere,_ turned Jenn into a Pokémon, then _you_ were turned into a Pokémon as well, then Jenn attacked you."

"Yeah!"

The Orange Crew Leader shook his head. "Gary, everyone knows that humans _can't_ turn into Pokémon. It's just not possible!"

"But the red-haired man, and Puck!" Gary stood up and protested.

"Maybe you've been out in the sun too long," Drake mused. "A red-haired man that appears out of nowhere? I mean, come on! And Puck isn't powerful enough to turn anyone into a Pokémon."

"But Jenn was an Absol! I _saw_ her!" Gary insisted as Drake rose from behind his desk and put his hands on his shoulders.

"Perhaps you should lay off the alcohol for a while," the dark-haired Gym Leader suggested as he guided his visitor to the door. "I've read that heat and alcohol can cause some _mighty_ fine hallucinations. You saw an Absol and you thought it was Jenn."

"But I haven't been drinking!"

"If you were bitten by an Absol, I'd be a bit worried if I were you," Drake added. "I've heard that an Absol bite can give you rabies."

"R..rabies?" Gary's eyes widened in fear.

"Actually, Danny said he knew a Trainer who had been bitten by an Absol. Poor guy was as sick as a dog for months."

"M..months?"

"Well, normally rabies isn't that bad, but the Absol isn't known as the Disaster Pokémon for nothing, you know. Things tend to be _twice_ as bad when it is involved."

"I think I'd better go and see Nurse Joy…right now. Smell ya later!" Gary took off down the hall running.

Drake watched his figure disappear into the lift before having a small chuckle. He turned to his receptionist.

"Absols have rabies?" Her dark eyes were wide.

"Of course not," the Orange Crew Leader reassured her. "I just said that to put the wind up Gary. He's such an arrogant ass."

"You, Sir, are evil."

"When it comes to Gary or Rudy, I try my best."

ooo

When Ash entered Trish's hospital room, he found the dark-haired girl had two other visitors with her – Puck and Shannon.

"Hi, Ash," Trish greeted. "How's Jenn? I hope she wasn't too much trouble last night."

"Heh," Puck snickered. "Jenn's _always_ trouble!"

Shannon thwacked him on the arm. "That's not nice, Puck! While Jenn's not always an angel, she _is_ going through a very traumatic time!"

Ash grinned. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" He maximised a red and pearl white sphere before dumping one shaggy white Absol on Trish's lap.

Both Trish and the Absol froze in terror upon contact. "Don't kill me, don't kill me, _please_ don't kill me!" Trish rapidly squeaked.

_'Don't kill me, don't kill me, puh-leze don't kill me'_, Jenn feverently muttered.

Trish blinked then stared closer at the Pokémon. "Hey, I actually _understood_ you."

Jenn blinked. _'You did? How?'_

A chuckle from Puck answered their question. "I cast a spell so that while Trish can't understand all Pokémon, at least she will be able to understand you."

"Which makes things a little easier," Trish noticeably relaxed a tiny bit. "At least I know it's _you_ under all that fur."

Jenn rolled her eyes. '_And just **how** many Absols do you happen to know?_'

"Just you."

_'Right.__ So there's totally no reason for you to be afraid of me. You know I would never hurt you, T._' She paused and cocked her head. '_At least, not on purpose._'

"Yeah, she's like a big puppy," Ash grinned. "And no need to worry, she's free of fleas since I bathed her last night."

Jenn felt herself blushing as three pairs of eyes fixed on her, all with amused grins. Or at least she thought she was blushing – it would be a bit difficult to tell with a coal black face.

"Soooo, Jenn," Shannon said with a sly smile. "You were given a bath by the Grand Master. Did you liiiike it?"

The human-turned Absol jiggled her shoulder blades. '_Do I have to answer that?_' she whined.

Puck peered closer. "And is that a diamond studded collar I see? Someone's been _spoilt._"

"Oh, Absol-utely," the Grand Master chuckled.

Jenn groaned at the feeble pun and squirmed in embarrassment.

"Uh, Jenn?" Trish spoke up. "Do you mind not moving about so much. You're not exactly light on my lap you know."

In a flash, quite literally, Jenn was sitting on the floor, looking up with a slightly self-satisfied expression. _'I'm still not used to that.'_

"I bet," Trish murmured. "Now to find an answer. This had _nothing_ to do with what the vision showed me. If Lu is trying to kill you by doing this to you, it would be by choking on hairballs."

Jenn did a version of a hair toss, '_Oh puh-leze. I don't do that hairball stuff.'_

"Not when she has _Ash _as her personal valet," Shannon said smugly.

Jenn gave Shannon the raspberries. '_I mean, do I look like a cat to you? Only cats get hairballs,'_ She looked up at the Grand Master, '_Not Absols. Right, Ash?'_

He shrugged, "What can I say? Shannon's right."

_'Men.'_

Puck cleared his throat, "Well to get back to the matters at hand…"

"Yeah," Trish agreed, then got a sly look in her eyes. "Absol-utely…"

Jenn gave her friend a sour look, '_I can see that this will never die down. Ever.'_

"You are so right!" Trish grinned. "And I feel better now, too, thanks for noticing."

Shannon gave Trish a quick hug, while Puck winked over Shannon's head. "And we'll find a cure soon," he promised out loud.

_'I sure hope so,'_ Jenn snorted. _'It would suck if there weren't any flowers. You know, nothing growing cause they went extinct cause Ho-oh ate them all.'_

The three gave her odd looks.

_'What? You people are strange.'_

"Takes one to know one," Puck snickered. "And quit trying to be a Psychic type. You're a Dark type."

'_So I just slink off into the shadows and brood?_'

"You're no Angel," Shannon quipped, hinting at the David Boreanaz television show which had millions of followers, including Jenn.

'_Of course I am,_' Jenn quipped right back, _'I've got the fangs, don't I?'_

"True, but I don't see you drinking human blood, and bursting into flames in the sunlight," Trish grinned. "And I'm afraid that you don't have that tall, dark, handsome and broody look going on. Now, Drake on the other hand…"

Ash cleared his throat. "Getting back to business," he drawled, tapping his finger against his watch.

'_Ooooh, now look who's getting all bossy and grand masterish,'_ Jenn snickered. '_Getting back to business, he says. My, don't **we** sound all important.'_

The Grand Master just raised one dark brow. "Any more sassy remarks from _you_, and you'll be spending tonight in the doghouse."

"Literally," Puck added with a grin.

'_But I prefer sleeping next to you_,' Jenn whined, giving Ash the most pathetic puppy dog look she could muster before hearing the snickers coming from Trish and Shannon.

_'Not like **that!**_' the human-turned Absol glared at her two female friends. '_Get yer minds outta the gutter.'_

"Yeah, she only slept on the floor at the foot of the bed," Ash explained.

_'Besides,'_ Jenn sniffed. _'I don't do interspecies. That's just **wrong.**_'

"Neither do I," the Grand Master agreed, with a shudder.

"Anyway," Trish resumed in a more sober tone. "What does this all mean? I had a vision where these elegantly dressed people were being killed by an earthquake or something. My guardian angel told me that this was what was going to happen to Jenn."

"But how does Drake know what's going to happen to Jenn?" Shannon looked confused. "I didn't know he was psychic."

"He's not. And what does Drake have to do with this?"

"You said your guardian angel..."

"He's not my guardian angel," Trish shook her head. "This other guy called Eddie is."

Jenn's mouth dropped open. _'You have another guy! Why Trishy T...I can't believe it!'_

"Before you go any further, my guardian angel is a pint-sized Mushuu-like dragon," her friend glared at her. "And no, I don't have any other guy besides Drake."

The Absol blinked. _'You have a **lizard** as a guardian angel? Boy, are you strange! I thought you would have at least demanded some totally hot hunk be your angel. I know **I**would have!'_

"Hey, it wasn't as if I _asked_ him to appear like that, he just did." Trish shrugged. "It wasn't as if some voice announces, 'Welcome to Create Your Own Guardian Angel! Choose what he or she looks like!' I was just sitting there minding my own business..."

"When was this?" Shannon asked.

"Oh," Trish flushed a little as she remembered that her friends weren't aware of what had happened to her while she was in a coma. To them, she had been in a vegetative state - whereas to herself, being in a coma was like being caught between two worlds, life and death. She fiddled with the worn ear of her stuffy puppy.

"Well, when I was in a coma, spiritually I was awake in like limbo land. It was a very pleasant place with grass and trees and everything was perfect. I was told by the Big Guy's spokesvoices that the reason I was here, was because I had nearly died. That I was to stay here until I made the decision to live or die. Then Eddie appeared."

Jenn cocked her head to the side. _'I wonder if that means we all have a guardian angel? Mine would be safer not meeting me right this moment. Mine must have been sleeping on the job.'_

"Aww, but you don't know that," Puck shook his head.

_'I certainly do! All you have to do is just look at me to figure that out! I'm not just any freaking Pokémon but a **Disaster** Pokémon for crying out loud! If I wanted to be a Pokémon, I would have become a Rapidash or at the very least Suicune. Now there's a Pokémon with style.'_

"You shouldn't be so harsh on yourself, Jenn" Ash attempted to soothe the agitated canine. "To tell you the truth, you're the cutest looking Absol I've ever seen. And yes, I have seen a few."

_'Flattery, sir, will get you nowhere. I'm having a crisis here!'_

"We all are," Trish reminded her friend, "And we're trying to figure out how to deal with everything."

_'So I should hush till something's figured out?'_

"Hushing would be good."

Jenn glowered. '_You didn't have to agree so quickly.'_

Trish gave an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Sis, but we really need to work out what Lu is up to. We can't do anything about what he's already done, that's in the past. What we can do is hopefully prevent him from doing something much worse."

"He tried to _kill_ you, Trish," Shannon squeaked. "What could he possibly do that's worse than _that_?"

For an answer they all looked to the only one who was born of the Fae. Puck shrugged, "I'm afraid I can't tell you what Lu might do. The full potential of Fae magic is not known, though I have heard of tales past of Faes that were powerful enough to destroy worlds. But I do know this, Lu is ambitious and couple that with his magic, it makes him a most dangerous foe. He tried to overthrow King Oberon recently, but I thwarted his plans with the help of Callie. For his crimes, he was banished from Elysium forever."

"So _that's_ why he's so hell bent on destroying you," Trish breathed.

Jenn inched a little closer to Ash's legs. Puck's warning about Lu made her insides quake. _'A most dangerous foe.'_ It was a fact that she knew all too well from her past encounters, and after what happened to Trish, she realised she was _very_ lucky to be alive. And now, she was _temporarily_ stuck as a Pokémon, and the worst part was that she wasn't sure if it was a very strong type of Pokémon. She sighed, thinking, _He couldn't have made me something Legendary instead of Disaster, could he. Noooo, of course not._

What hope in Hell would she have if Lu decided to come after her now? Hopefully Ash could protect her, since he was the Grand Master/Chosen One. There _had_ to be something more in that job description than just taming giant bird Pokémon and Lugia, and Entei, and Deoxys, etc. At least, she hoped so. Ash absentmindedly reached down and scratched behind her ears and the Absol sighed in contentment. Now she knew why animals loved to be scratched right there, it was _very_ soothing.

"Lu's always been one to hold a grudge," Puck sighed. "Ever since we were little kids back in Elysium. Normally, we would just ignore him, but since he's gone and hurt innocent people as part of his evil schemes, we have to stop him and bring him to justice." He paused then looked at Trish. "What did he say to you when you were in Dartmoor?"

"He told me that you and Callie were a thorn in his side and the cause of his ruin," she remembered. "And that he had nothing against me personally, but I was the means of hurting you. He didn't care how many people he hurt as long as the end result is your destruction."

"Nice guy," Ash remarked with heavy sarcasm.

"And you can't work out what the vision of Jenn's evil means?" the chestnut-haired Fae asked.

Trish shook her head. "No, just a lot of richly dressed people dancing, then an enormous cracking sound, the room tilts and people start screaming."

"Plus you've been having those nightmares with the Absol in it," Shannon added. " Then Lu's gone and turned Jenn into that very Pokémon."

_'Lu is on my Other List_,' Jenn grumbled.

"But turning Jenn into my worst nightmare doesn't make sense!" Trish threw up her hands in frustration. "He should know that Jenn would never even dream of killing or hurting me. What's she gonna do? _Lick_ me to death?"

"Who knows," Puck shrugged.

_'I think we were all hoping **you** would!'_ Jenn glared at the Fae.

"So what do we do until Lu's been caught?" Shannon interrupted, looking a little pale.

_'We all hide? Ash has a very nice bed to hide under.' _Jenn clamped her jaws shut and Puck snorted in amusement. Trish just shook her head.

"No we can't hide, Jenn," the Grand Master said, looking a more than a little amused.

_'Why not?__ Hiding's good._

"Because if we all hide, then Lu has won," Trish explained gently.

_'I don't think that vacationing in __Bali__ counts as hiding,_ the Absol sulked.

"Yes, but Bali isn't located under his bed," Trish smirked.

_'But Ash's bed is much safer,'_ Jenn whined. '_It's nice and big and sturdy, and I can hide in the middle, knowing that Ash is on top.'_

Ash reddened and Shannon shook her head in mirth. "That sounded _so _wrong."

Jenn smirked, '_I know!_'

"Anyway, we're digressing," Ash coughed. "I think we should have some sort of strategy meeting tonight to discuss what we could possibly do to stop Lu once and for all. I'll speak to Drake right away and we could all meet over at his villa after dinner?"

"Sounds good to me," Puck rose from his chair. "I'll go and find Callie and Mia."

Shannon got up as well. "And I'll go and tell Ben and Jaime."

Ash was about to recall Jenn into her Poké Ball when the human-turned Absol raised both paws as if begging. '_Can't I stay here with Trish until you're finished with your meetings?_' She turned her big blue eyes on him. '_Pwease?'_

The Grand Master sighed. "Oh all right, you can stay – as long as Trish is okay with it."

The dark-haired Australian smiled. "I don't mind having Jenn stay here for a while."

Everyone could tell she was getting rather tired as the day wore on.

_'I promise to be good and quiet_,' the Absol raised one paw solemnly.

Ash smiled, "Okay then, I'll be back to pick you up when visiting hours are over." Then he left with the others.

Jenn trotted over to the bed and rested her head on the blankets. '_Well, Trish, I can't say this has been a boring vacation.'_

Trish gave a wry smile. "No, it certainly hasn't."

_'Who would have thought we'd get caught in the middle of a magical veranda.'_

"That's vendetta."

'_Whatever._'

"It just so happens that Mia is his lady love, and we're friends with Mia. Plus we're Puck's friends as well. One never knows what can happen when that Fae is around. Remember all the mayhem he caused last time?"

'_Uh huh, when a Fae has fun, someone gets hurt.'_ Jenn yawned, '_Only Lu really wants to hurt people and not just cause a lot of drama.'_

"Which makes what he's done to you all the more stranger," Trish mused. "I mean, turning you into a Pokémon is not going to kill you, or kill anyone."

'_Not unless he thought I'd lose my mind due to an influx of Absol instincts and therein mindlessly become a killing machine. Or that you'd just kill me on sight what with all those nightmares you have._' She gave her friend a look, _'You are quite the trigger happy little egg slayer.'_

"Well so are you!" Trish defended herself, "Anyway, a transformation like this seems more like something Puck would do."

'_Hey, maybe it **was** Puck_.'

"Nuh-uh," her friend shook her head. "It was definitely Lu. Merlin backed up what Puck told us."

_'You're right,_' Jenn sighed, '_Besides if Puck had anything to do with this then I'd have to hurt him.'_

A glint came into Trish's eyes. "By the way, what were you doing on Hamlin Island instead of Kumquat like you said?"

Jenn ducked back nervously. '_Really?__ That was Hamlin?_'

"Puck told us when he brought you back, and Merlin had a locater chip in him. We tracked your route with a handheld GPS navigation device." Trish folded her arms and fixed the Absol with a stare. "Drake said that Gary was on Hamlin Island too. Did you go there to confront him?"

'_GPS!__ Drake is such a player!'_

"So you admit it?"

_'…Woof.'_

"Absols don't go woof and you know it," Trish crossed her arms. "Confess."

'_No!_'

Trish's jaw dropped. "What!"

_'You'll just get mad if I say that I went there to beat some sense into __Gary__. Besides I think things backfired in a huge way so I'm punished enough, thanks for asking.'_

"That's about as much as a confession as I'll get, I think."

_'No, ya think?'_ Jenn snorted, 'I almost got him.'

"I know this is hard for you," Trish said defensively, "but it's hard for us too. Especially me. You're my nightmare come true. You don't have to be so..." she trailed off and leaned against her pillow.

_'What? Bitchy?_' Jenn Absol-grinned. _'Kinda fitting, don't you think.'_

"I'd throw a pillow at you if I had an extra one."

_'Yeah, I know.'_ The Absol sighed. _'Is this fairytale gonna have a happy ending?'_

"I sure hope so."

ooo

Later that night, the whole gang (sans Trish) were gathered in the spacious living room of Drake's villa. Jenn eyed the space on the sofa next to Ash, but decided that Drake probably wouldn't appreciate Asbol fur all over his black leather sofas. So she sat at the Grand Master's feet.

"Guess who I had visit me at the office today?" Drake asked as he stretched out his legs.

"Who?" Shannon quipped as she snuggled next to Ben on another sofa.

"Gary Oak," the Orange Crew Leader raised an eyebrow. "And he claimed to have been attacked by Jenn."

Jenn gulped.

"But I told him that was Absol-utely impossible to turn humans into Pokémon." Jenn blew a raspberry at him and Drake just grinned. "I told him that it must be due to all the alcohol and the heat."

_'Meooow, and you guys say that we girls are catty_,' the Absol smirked.

At the confused looks, Ash stopped Jenn's yapping. "Let me translate!"

With his help, things were soon back on course.

"He scurried off to Nurse Joy fast enough after I told him that Absols have rabies."

_'They have babies?_' Jenn squeaked in alarm. _'I so totally don't want to have Absol babies!_'

Shannon rolled her eyes. "He said _rabies_, Jenn, _not_ babies."

_'Rabies is a horrible fate that's just as bad!_'

Ash leaned forward and gently scratched the agitated Pokémon behind her two ears, immediately calming her down. "Before you go all foaming at the mouth, Drake was just joking. Absols don't have rabies."

_'Promise?'_

"Promise," Drake answered. "I just said that to scare Gary."

Jenn grinned at him. _'You are evil.'_

"I try."

"But what will happen if Gary sees Jenn with Ash?" Chris inquired. "Those blue eyes are a dead giveaway that she's not your typical Absol."

'_Of course I'm not_ the Absol in question tossed her head. _'I'm a Goddess after all._'

The Scot rolled his eyes. "I can see that being turned into a Pokémon hasn't dented your ego."

"Well, I do have a habit of catching unusual Pokémon," the Grand Master mused. "So it shouldn't be too hard to explain."

"Maybe when you go out in public, Jenn should just act like your average Pokémon and do whatever your average Pokémon does," Jaime suggested. "Like Pokémon contests."

All eyes turned to Jenn and she didn't like the sudden gleam she saw in them. She backed up slowly against the couch. _'Oh no you don't.__ If any of you want to continue living, you are **not** gonna enter me into any Pokémon contest!_

"Oh no, of course not!" Shannon said quickly. "Why would you think we would?"

'_Only you guys **would** do such an evil thing to me when I'm so vulnerable,_' Jenn grumbled.

"You? Vulnerable?" Chris teased, "I didn't think that word was in your vocabulary!"

_'Pain will be in yours,_' Jenn sulked, _'Besides, I **know** you guys._'

Drake looked insulted. "Jenn, how could you think such a thing of us? We're your friends! Besides, if we did anything even remotely evil to you, Trish would kill us!"

_'Oh, I dunno about that,_' the Absol rolled her eyes. _'That sis of mine doesn't shy from playing evil tricks on me, and at the same time she'll make like she's totally angelic.'_

The Orange Crew Leader grinned fondly. "That's my girl."

ooo

The next day, Jenn was coaxed out by Ash and Pikachu to go with them for a little walk and some fresh air. Poptart insisted on going with them, so Jenn offered to carry Pikachu's baby along on her back. At first, Jenn was reluctant to talk, but Ash reassured her that it was normal for him to be seen talking to pokémon. People realised that he understood them, and vice versa.

_'So, how did you cope being turned into a Pikachu?_' she asked casually as she trotted along at a brisk pace beside the Grand Master. The man was tall, and had long legs, and Jenn found she had to walk quite fast to match just one step. _No wonder dogs are so tired after walks,_ she thought to herself. _Ash has a long stride and I'm not used to running after someone who's just walking. I guess this can be counted as more paybacks._

"Oh, I guess I was a bit panicked at first," Ash admitted. "I didn't know if it was permanent or not. Then I panicked some more when Pik suggested I stay with you because I was afraid you might find out. But then I realised that there was nothing I could do about it, so I treated it as a learning experience."

_'Yeah, well,** I** didn't know it was you, otherwise I wouldn't have told you so many secrets!' _Jenn grumbled as Pikachu giggled.

"Oh, your secrets have stayed safe with me," the dark-haired Master winked. "I haven't told a single soul."

_'Good, cause I'd hate to have to hurt you if you do.'_

"Oh really?"

_'Really,_' She shook her head as a fly buzzed close to her ears. '_Anywayz, did you end up learning anything by being a Pokémon.'_

"Sure did," Ash smiled. "As they say, you have to walk a mile in another person's shoes to be able to fully understand them."

_'But Pokémon don't wear shoes,_' Jenn cocked her head up at him, a sly expression in her eyes.

"You know what I mean," he shook his head in amusement. "I got to experience what it was like to be a Pokémon for a while. And as a result, I have a much better understanding, and a healthy respect for what they have to put up with."

'_I took good care of you_,' she protested. '_Didn't I?_'

"You certainly did," the Grand Master smiled. "Your Pokémon are very lucky to have you as their Trainer."

Jenn felt a moment of delight. She had hoped her pokémon would love her as much as she did them. It was high praise for someone like Ash to say she was doing a good job.

"Hey Loser!" a familiar nasally voice froze them in their tracks. Gary Oak came sauntering up to them with his hands in his pockets. "I see you got yourself another pathetic Pokémon."

The fur on Jenn's neck began to rise but then she remembered that Poptart was on her back and she tried to settle down. Feelings of anger mixed with embarrassment at her current situation.

The Viridian City Gym Leader peered closer at the Absol who inched closer behind the Grand Master's legs. His eyes widened. "Hey, that's Jenn!"

"So what if it is?" Ash asked calmly.

"_No one_ humiliates Gary Oak like she did and gets away with it!" He glared down at his ex. "She attacked me! I demand that you hand her over so I can give her what she deserves!"

"No."

"Whaddya mean, no!" Gary's eyes widened with rage.

"Exactly what I said – no," the dark-haired Master folded his arms. "I can't let you hurt her."

The Viridian Gym Leader turned scarlet, then smirked. "Always protecting the 'innocent,' aren't you, Ash? Figures that she'd go running to you. Jenn's always wanted to be your bitch, and now she is."

The human-turned Absol bristled with rage and she growled low in her throat. Poptart patted at her neck, trying to soothe her agitated friend. Tingles ran through her, and Jenn wasn't sure if it was electricity from Poptart or if it was something else.

White flashes edged her vision and Jenn felt a trickle of fear. It could be something else and if it was, she only hoped that she could control it.

Ash quickly brought out a small Pokédex and pointed it at the Pokémon. He glanced at the data and raised an eyebrow. "Oooh Gary, I would start running if I were you."

"Why?" the Viridian City Gym Leader sneered. "You gonna beat me to a pulp over that frigid bitch?"

A surge of anger welled up inside her, the heat so intense that she had to open her mouth for air – and shot a Flamethrower which hit the man dead on.

"YEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOW!" he shrieked before diving into the nearest fountain to douse the flames.

"Frigid wasn't the word I was looking for," Ash said nonchalantly. "This girl here seems to know Flamethrower."

Jenn looked pleased with herself. '_And here I forgot the marshmallows.'_

Gary sat up in the fountain, all black and sputtering. "That does it!" he screamed with rage. "I challenge you and that DOG to a one on one Pokémon battle, and I'm gonna bring your sorry asses down!"

_'Bring it on, you Neanderthal,_' Jenn sneered, a fire in her eyes which was echoed in that of the Grand Master's.

"Sure, Oak. Ready when you are."

"Oh no, we're not gonna do it now," the Viridian City Gym Leader growled. "I want this fight to be as public as possible so you can REALLY be humiliated. Tell Drake to arrange something and get back to me with the details."

Ash shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat. I would warn you however, not to underestimate Jenn or myself."

"Oh yeah?" Gary burst out laughing. "That girl has _no_ idea on how to be a Pokémon, much less the attacks! It's gonna be your funeral, Ketchum."

"You keep saying that, Gary," the Grand Master smiled serenely. "How many more times will you say it before you actually believe it?"

Gary stalked off in a huff, trailing water all the way.

Once he was out of earshot, Jenn turned to the man beside her. '_How come you stayed so cool and collected? He made me so mad that my blood totally boiled.' _

"I've learned to not let it get to me," Ash smoothed down her ruffled fur. "It's a skill that I find very handy, I do live with Misty after all, and she's certainly _not_ mild-mannered."

ooo

An hour later, they were seated in Drake's office, and the Orange Crew Leader heard them out with a raised eyebrow. "Are you _sure_ you want to go through with this?" he asked. "I mean, a Pokémon battle in front of thousands of fans with an untried Pokémon? Would you really want to risk your reputation and Jenn's health?"

_'Hey, he called me a bitch and a dog,_' Jenn growled. '_I know they're the same but **nobody **gets away with dissing the Goddess.'_

"And besides," Ash said, from his lounged spot on one of Drake's overstuffed leather chairs, "it'll be a great challenge, one I haven't had in a long while."

"What, losing?" Drake snickered.

'_That does it,'_ Jenn leapt onto a black leather sofa and sprawled out on it, ignoring Drake's death glares, '_if you don't have faith in Ash, at least have some in me.'_

"Ash wasn't the one I was worried about," Drake said dryly after Ash translated. "And if you scratch that sofa, I'll send you the bill."

Jenn scratched lightly at the smooth surface with one claw.

Drake gave her a withering glare, then asked Ash, "When do you want to do this?"

"As soon as possible," Ash said, "as soon as possible."

ooo

"You _what_!" Trish stared down at her friend with wide eyes. "Jenn!"

'_What?'_ Jenn let out a low whine, _'He insulted me! He thinks he's such a badass._'

"He_ is_ a badass, Jenn," Trish said gently, "You're not supposed to let it get to you."

_'I couldn't help it,'_ Jenn admitted, then her eyes widened. '_And now I have to battle his Umbreon. I don't even know how an Absol battles, much less an Umbreon. How can I defeat something when I don't know how it battles?'_

"You could ask _your_ Umbreon…"

_'Yeah or I could just ask a Gyarados to eat me,_' Jenn snorted, '_She hates me, __Trish__, especially after I mangled her name like that. Granted I was only kidding, but she's too serious to let something like that go. Why can't I just crawl into a hole and…uh oh.'_

"What uh oh?"

'_Well if Lulu was trying to kill me, or if he thought __Gary__ would do it, wouldn't he realise that I'm doing fine and dandy?'_ Jenn crawled under the bed. '_I think I'll just stay here for however long I live for. Absols don't have a long life expectancy, do they? I mean, hello, Disaster Pokémon. They can't have too long of a life, or have a clean end. Sheesh.'_

"Would you stop thinking like that?" Trish demanded. "If I could, I'd drag you out of there to shake some sense into you."

_'Neener, neener, then._'

Trish rolled her eyes, "Puck? Can you come here a moment?"

For a second, there was no reply, then Puck shimmered into the room. He wore a white apron that had something written on it.

"Kiss the chef?" Trish queried.

"Uh…" Puck made a motion and the apron vanished, "I was cooking."

_'The world, she is ending…'_

Puck made a face in Jenn's direction, "She's hiding under the bed again?"

"And you could tell how?"

"Fear is thick in the air," Puck said in a mysterious tone.

Trish raised an eyebrow.

"That and I heard through the grapevine of her impending doom. I mean, battle."

A low whine from under the bed.

Trish shook her head, "Always getting herself into trouble."

"Yes," Puck nodded, "Any reason you wanted to see me?"

"Two reasons," the dark-haired Australian smiled. "One, to get my bestest bud out from under my bed."

"No problem," the Fae grinned before Jenn suddenly materialized on top of the bed.

_'You** totally** suck,_' the Absol growled at him.

"Secondly, we need your magical assistance to make sure that Jenn doesn't get her Pokémon ass Absol-utely whipped."

The Pokémon glared at her friend before turning to Puck. '_If you don't help me, I'll blame **you** because if you had found that cure quickly, this whole battle thing totally wouldn't have happened!'_

Puck shrugged. "Sure, I can help. What do you want me to do?"

Trish flipped open her Pokédex. "I've got a list here of all the attacks that an Absol can learn. It would be good if you could make her learn all the best ones."

"No problem, just name them."

"Let's see…Hyper Beam, Thunderbolt, Thunder…"

Jenn stuck her sooty muzzle in front of Trish to take a look as well. '_Ooooh, Ice Beam would great! That arrogant ass always said that I was frigid. Then I could show him just **how** frigid I can be.'_

"Fire Blast, Hail…"

Puck beckoned to Jenn. "Come here like a good widdle girl.."

_'If you weren't helping me, I would have bitten you for that,'_ Jenn growled as she jumped off the bed and trotted over to him.

The chestnut-haired Fae chuckled and place his hands on her head. A bright glow emanated from his palms and Jenn felt warmth spreading over her. An almost indescribable feeling of knowledge and power coursed through her brain and it made her shiver.

Puck stepped back. "There, all done."

_'Can I try them out? Can I? Huh? Huh?_' Jenn bounced up and down.

"Not here," Trish laughed. "And don't get too excited otherwise you might wet yourself."

Jenn looked appalled. "_Trish__!"_

"Yeah but it's a known fact that when animals get over-excited they wet themselves."

_'Gee, you're right!_' Jenn said evilly before coating Trish's nightstand with ice. '_And when it melts it'll be wet.'_

Trish looked mournfully at the now frozen cup of coffee, "I was enjoying that!"

Puck smirked, "She got you there."

Trish glared at the Fae, "Why don't you go take Jenn to see Ash? See if they can't get some training done."

_'But I don't do training!_' Jenn wailed. '_The Goddess does not do training.'_

"Well, then you're just gonna get your Absol butt whipped," her friend retorted. "Now off with you before I decide to _hurt _you for ruining my coffee."

Jenn gulped and quickly followed Puck out the door. Once they were out of earshot the Fae looked down at her. "She really wouldn't hurt you over a beverage, would she?"

_'There is one cardinal rule with T – never get between her and a cup of coffee._' the Absol shook her head. _'She can't get enough of that stuff, it's almost as if she has coffee running through her veins.'_

"So even _you_ can get on her bad side?" Puck blinked. "I can't believe it."

_'Well believe it! There are two things that even **I** can't get away with. One is stealing Drake, and the other is ruining her beloved coffee.'_

ooo

Half an hour later, Jenn was standing in the Stadium with Puck, Ash, Pikachu and Drake in tow.

"Okay, what we need to do between now and the battle is to get you so well trained against an Umbreon that we can't possibly lose." The Grand Master stated before unclipping a Poké Ball from his belt, maximizing it then releasing the creature inside to reveal an Umbreon.

'_Umbre_!' the Dark Pokémon barked before nuzzling Ash's leg.

Jenn gaped. _'You have an Umbreon? I didn't know that.'_

The Grand Master chuckled. "I've managed to build up quite a collection over the years."

'_I don't suppose you could train my Umbreon for a bit.'_

"No, I don't think so," Ash scratched the Umbreon's head. "That's part of securing your relationship with them. You have to train them on your own, or nothing is accomplished."

_'I know that,_' Jenn whined. '_But Umbreon refuses to listen to me at all, just because I messed up her name once.'_

"Oh, what did you call her?"

'_Undieon.'_

Ash chuckled. "Can't say I blame her then."

_'Yeah but this is taking a grudge a bit too far,_' the Absol huffed. _'She is so different from her twin, Espeon. Espeon listens to __Trish__ and obeys her without any problems! Couldn't you at least teach my Umbreon to have a bit more respect for her Trainer?'_

"I could tell her, but you would still have to earn that respect yourself. No one else can do that for you," the Grand Master explained. "Look how long it took for me to get Charizard to listen to me!"

'_But I don't have that long!'_ Jenn wailed and flopped onto the ground with her two paws over her face for dramatic effect. _'I am so totally doomed.'_

"Oy," Drake shook his head. "Being a Pokémon hasn't stopped her from acting like a diva."

The Absol glared at the Orange Crew Leader. _'Hey I resemble that._'

The Umbreon peered closer at the Absol. _'Hey, is that a diamond studded collar I see?_'

"It is," Ash confirmed.

The Dark Pokémon cocked his head at his master. '_You must **really** like this one. Even Pik doesn't wear anything like that.'_

"Well, she's not really a Pokémon. She's a friend of mine who's been turned into one."

_'Oh, so she's your girlfriend?'_ At this statement, both Jenn and Ash went a deep red, while Puck just snickered.

"Nooo," the Grand Master chuckled nervously. "She's a girl and she's my friend, but she's not my girlfriend."

Pikachu giggled. '_But he really does like her a lot. More than he's willing to admit.'_

Jenn's eye twitched, _'Even if he **was** available, I'd so not be dating this soon after such a disaster. I don't like to rebound with the nearest available, or not available, guy in sight.'_

'_So he's not good enough?'_ Pikachu asked with an evil look. '_My, my, Pikapi…_'

While Ash looked away, Jenn ground out, '_It's not that! Of course he is! It's just…Argh! Can we just get on with the torture we came here for? I'd like to see how badly I'm going to get defeated before the actual event comes to pass.'_

"Aww, it won't be that bad," Puck said soothingly.

'_Really?'_Jenn looked hopeful, '_You mean you found the cure?'_

Puck had to turn away to smother the grin that suddenly came over him, and turned around with a serious look on his face. Oh, but to enjoy a great prank like this! "Alas, Little One, I have not yet found the flower that will restore you, but fear not! For I, the Great Puck, shall endeavour to find it and return you to the form that's true."

Jenn blinked slowly, '_If you're punking me about this flower thing, I will **so** make you regret it.'_

"Punking you?" Puck shook his head, "I've got to catch up on my slang." He watched Jenn give him one last scathing look before trailing behind Ash and Pikachu. _At least I got her mind off of that flower. This has turned from a bad thing to the best prank I've ever pulled!_

ooo

"Again!" Ash yelled out to his Umbreon, "Faint attack, then Quick Attack!"

Just barely did Jenn dodge the Faint Attack, but took the Quick Attack on the shoulder. She winced at that, and heard Puck yelling something at her. Her mind buzzed at the words, and she watched the Umbreon drawing closer. At the last second, she let a Flamethrower loose, which knocked the Umbreon back a few feet.

"C'mon, Jenn," Puck urged, "I know you're tired but Umbreon looks just as tired! Just one more hit and it'll be down!"

Panting with exhaustion, Jenn looked over at said Umbreon. It did look a little like it would fall over, but this training had dragged out for what felt like days. It had been fun at first, till that first attack hit – which hurt, a _lot _– then the seriousness of the situation gripped her and hadn't let go. She knew how Ash got so good at what he did; he trained like a maniac.

Chastising herself at her choice of words, Jenn didn't see the Energy Ball coming till it was too late and it hit her dead on, sending her flying backwards. Landing harshly on the ground, Jenn saw little Pidgeys flying in circles around her. _'Can we just…call it a day…?'_

Ash glanced at his watch. "Yeah, that's probably enough training for your first day." He patted his Umbreon on the head before recalling him into his Poké Ball.

Jenn lifted her head wearily as the Grand Master then knelt beside her and scratched her gently behind the ears. "You did very well. You should be proud of yourself."

_'Honest?' _

"Honest. Now to get you to the Pokémon Centre." Ash maximized her Poké Ball and recalled her into it.

ooo

If there was one advantage to being a Pokémon, Jenn decided, it was their ability to be healed so quickly. After a few minutes in the machine in the Pokémon Centre, she felt like she could take on Mount Everest.

After a bath and a groom back at the villa, Ash took her and Pikachu over to Drake's for dinner with the rest of the gang.

"Holy Miltank! You can't be serious!" Ben dropped his fork after Drake informed them of the news.

"Yes, we're serious," Ash nodded. "Gary wants a one on one Stadium battle between his Umbreon and Jenn."

"And you_ agreed_?"

Jenn squirmed as all eyes centred on her. She was sitting at the table along with Pikachu, a large bib tied around her neck to make sure that she didn't get any food on herself. The human-turned Absol hoped that she did not have gravy smeared all over her face.

Puck, after seeing how exhausting it was for Ash to translate continually, decided it would be best to have Jenn be understood by all, and so he made it so that she could be understood by all in their group.

"But Jenn could be hurt or even killed!" Shannon squeaked in alarm, throwing her arms protectively around her friend.

"We're making sure that won't happen. Jenn's undergoing some intensive training against my Umbreon and she's learned all the most powerful moves an Absol can have," Ash reassured her.

The brunette still wasn't happy, and turned to the Orange Crew Leader. "Isn't there any way you can stop this? Can't you say that Misty went into labour or something?"

"That would stop Ash, that wouldn't stop Gary," Mia reminded her.

"Well can't Drake say that the Stadium is closed for a reason?"

"He could," Mia said, "But there are other arenas around here. He'd probably take it to Rudy's gym. You're lucky he didn't suggest that in the first place."

Shannon made a face, "Gross, Trish would have thrown a fit at that!"

"She's not the only one," Mia winced, "That guy has some serious issues."

"That's an understatement," Ben agreed. "What about Lu?"

There was a long silence, broken by Drake clearing his throat. "We were hoping the battle would draw him out and be a trap of sorts."

'_We were?_'

Ash looked at Jenn, "Yeah, we were. Let's face it, Lu has a huge ego and he'll probably have an ear out for anything big that our group is doing. Once he figures out that Jenn is still alive and well…"

'_For now!'_

Ash sighed, "Once he figures that out, he'll show himself and that's when we spring the trap."

"And what's the trap?" Ben asked.

Drake looked over at Ash, and the Grand Master shook his head, "Sorry, Ben, can't say that. The three of us, Drake, Puck, and I, know the gritty details. With how dangerous Lu is, we can't afford to take the risk that one of you could be abducted, or hurt, to get the information from you."

"But…"

"No buts, Little Bro," Drake said gently, "I like you in the land of the living."

"So what next then?" Mia asked, "Do we go on like normal, or do we hide out here?"

Jenn perked up, '_I like the hiding part!_'

"You _hush_," Ash chided, "You are not going into hiding." He ignored Jenn's deep sigh, "Your little battle is integral to our plans, so this is your time to shine. And there's that little fact that Gary is going to get an ego thrashing."

"But wouldn't it be better if Callie were included in the plan?" Jaime spoke up suddenly. "No offence, Puck, but isn't she more powerful than you?"

"True," the chestnut Fae admitted. "She's always the one that King Oberon always sends after me, when I'm in trouble."

"And what's to stop Lu from hurting one of us anyway to get to Jenn?" Mia frowned as she pondered some more. "As soon as he realises that Jenn is okay, wouldn't he be the type to hurt the one who's closest to Jenn?"

"Trish…" Shannon breathed.

"She's alone in the hospital too," Mia gulped. "Can't we put her under twenty-four hour guard or something?"

Drake shook his head. "Nah, we'd need to give a good reason for it, and that would just bring it all out into the open. Besides, what chance would the guards have against an immortal being? I just wish I could take her somewhere I'd know she'd be safe."

"How about sending her home to Australia?" Chris suggested as he took a bite of the steak. "She'd be safe with her family there."

"She wouldn't go, not without Jenn here," Shannon shook her head. "She wouldn't leave her best friend alone when she knows she's in great danger. And not when she knows herself just how evil Lu can be."

The human-turned Absol perked up. '_That's a great idea! You can't possibly let __Trish__ go alone, so I should go along as her personal guard. So when do we leave?'_

Ash leaned over to Jenn. "You, my dear, are not going _anywhere_. We need you here for our little battle."

_'Is that 'little' as in normal terms or is that 'little' in Orange Island terms, cause if it's Orange Island ' little' then I don't wanna..._' she whined.

"Do you want to stop Lu once and for all?"

_'Duh!'_

"Then you're going to battle."

_'__Chu__ are so mean.' _She moped, then looked up at Drake. '_What if I lose and get totally hurt?'_

"You won't lose," Puck said confidentially. "You're in the best hands possible, Jenn. Ash isn't called the Pokémon Grand Master for nothing."

"Plus you've got Drake helping you too," Jaime chirped. "He did have that unbeaten record until Ash came along."

"Beginner's Luck," the Orange Crew Leader grinned.

"Don't you wish," Ash smirked back. "It was skill and you know it."

"Maybe your _pokémon's_ skill," Drake said, "But you were such a little tyke."

All eyes shifted back to Ash. This was quickly becoming a verbal tennis match.

"A little tyke?" Ash looked surprised, then got an evil look in his eyes. "I guess coming from such an old timer like yourself…"

"**_Old?_**!"

"And I _am_ the Chosen One."

"Chosen for what?" Drake raised an eyebrow, "VCR programming?"

Before Ash could reply, Mia stood up. "Boys! Enough! Let's get back to something more serious."

Ash pointed at Drake "But he…"

"Something more serious than the nurturing either of your egos," Mia said pointedly. "Like how we should be bringing in Callie."

Things got very quiet, then Puck yelped and leapt to his feet.

"What!" Ash got up quickly, as did Drake who pulled Dragonite's Poké Ball from the neck cord.

"It's not a threat," Puck said, then pointed out his ice covered chair. "Just a practical joke."

Jenn blinked innocently, '_Oops, I guess it slipped. I sure hope you find my cure soon.'_

"Like being a Pokémon is a fatal disease," Jaime snickered.

'_You want ice in your drink?_' Jenn glared at the Canadian.

Jaime covered her drink, "Don't you dare!"

"Oh she dares," Puck said dryly. "She iced Trish's coffee earlier today."

_'Another word about that and you'll be getting a fire to thaw out,'_ Jenn growled threateningly.

Puck laughed weakly, "Um, well, how about calling for Callie then?"

ooo

"They think they're very secretive about this," Lu murmured as he dismissed the energy ball that had been spying on the group. "And secretive they are if not for the fact that a spying globe is child's play."

The tall Fae sighed deeply, "They are quite correct. I could take out Trish and finally do more than these parlour tricks, but it's enjoyable to make them squirm. However, this battle that is on the horizon could have much potential."

He sat in an oversized chair he'd conjured earlier and gave the situation more thought, "I could boost the power of Gary's Umbreon. That could be quite amusing."

The red-haired Fae chuckled and steepled his fingers. "It would be _very_ amusing in fact. They won't know what hit them."

ooo

Puck managed to telepathically contact his sister, whose arrival was heralded by a swirl of lilac sparkles. "Hi guys," she smiled at the group, especially at Chris who was trying not to impersonate a Magikarp. For the female Fae was dressed in a low cut burgundy halter top and short black leather skirt. Her brother glowered at him, as Mia giggled and patted his arm comfortingly.

"Hi, Cal," Ash greeted warmly. "Long time no see."

"Indeed," she settled down gracefully on the sofa next to her brother. "Puck's not causing any trouble, is he?"

"Hey," the Fae in question pouted. "I resent that!" Callie smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Aww, you know I really love ya, Lil Bro."

"Awww, how _cuuuute_!" Jaime gushed, and the chestnut-haired Fae turned bright red.

"Must you go and embarrass me?" he mumbled to his sister.

"Of course! Just fulfilling my sibling duty."

Puck sighed, at which Callie just grinned and Mia gave him a quick kiss, which made him go even redder.

"We need your help," the Grand Master informed her from across the room where he was sitting, Jenn resting her head in his lap. "Jenn, here has been turned into a Pokémon by Lu and we have been challenged to a one on one Pokémon battle against Gary Oak."

"Was that really wise?" the female Fae blinked.

"That's what everyone's said so far," Drake chuckled. "Thank you for agreeing with us!"

"We can't get out of it now," Ash shook his head.

The Absol raised her head and looked at him. _'Excuuuuse you!__ I wanted to go hide or at least go to __Australia__ with __Trish__ but noooo, you said I had to stay here and battle.'_

The Grand Master just grinned and ruffled her furry head. "Because your presence is sure to lure out Lu and we can spring our trap. You are our bait, so to speak."

_'Can't we have my doublegengar be the bait instead?'_ Jenn whined.

"I think you mean doppelganger, Jenn" Shannon smirked.

'_Whatever._'

"So, what would you like me to do to help?" Callie asked.

"I've already made it so that Jenn knows the top attacks that an Absol can learn," Puck explained. "We just need you to help cast the spell that would trap Lu and to also be on the lookout for any tricks he may pull."

"No problem."

Puck grinned and impulsively hugged his sister. "Thanks Cal, you're a real peach!"

"Mhmm, I'd like to have me some of that," Chris muttered under his breath. Shannon elbowed him in the side. "Ouch."

"I heard that!" the chestnut-haired Fae glared at the Scot. "Would you stop looking at my sister like you want to undress her and make sweet sweet love?"

"Puck!" Mia gasped as the rest of the girls giggled and Chris just turned very very red.

"What?" Puck blinked. "I was just telling the truth.."

"Discretion is the better part of valour, as they say," Drake chuckled. "Too much information there, Puck."

"Oh." A sheepish grin. "Sorry."

"Not that no one here knows that Chris has the hots for Callie," Mia grinned at her friend, who was now scarlet.

"I didn't know," Callie quipped. "But now I do…"

Chris gulped and looked down at his feet. This was the part where she gave him the brush-off, or worse, said that she only liked him as a friend.

"I think that's sweet," she smiled. "I'd love to have lunch or tea or coffee with you sometime."

The Scot's mouth dropped open. "Really?" he squeaked.

"Really."

"What!" Puck's jaw dropped. His sister leaned over and closed it back up with one finger.

"_You_ be quiet. You can't talk as you are currently involved with a mortal yourself, Lil Bro."

"That's true," Ash chimed in. "Mia's been wearing his ring on her left hand all this time. And we all know what that means…." The couple reddened.

Callie was about to remark that the laws forbade the union between Fae and Mortal but thought better of it. After all their cousin Flory renounced his immortality to stay with the girl he loved and the two were now blissfully married. Then there was that deal that Puck had made with Oberon – that if Mia proved beyond all doubt that she loved him, he could stay. If she didn't, he would be forbidden from ever returning again.

_'Can we get back to business?'_ Jenn whined. _'I'm gonna be totally humiliated and annihilated if we don't work something out.'_

"You won't be," Ash reassured her as he stroked her fur. "I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise."

Part of Jenn wanted to argue with that, how could he guarantee that she wouldn't get hurt? After all, Gary's Umbreon would be at an unbelievably high level, whereas she…she didn't know _what_ level she was on. But the other part of her, the part that she ended up listening to, that other part was comforted by his words.

Ash had promised he'd protect her. And if Ash had promised, then that's what he'd do. Ash always tried to keep his promises. Pikachu and the rest of Ash's Pokémon had spent the past few nights reassuring her that she'd have the best possible chance of beating Gary with Ash by her side. '_I know that Pikapi doesn't always show it, but he really does know more than he lets on, especially when it comes to Pokémon battles.'_

The electric mouse interrupted her thoughts by putting out a tiny paw and patting her gently. '_What he says is true, Pichapi. Pikapi would do anything and everything for his family, friends and Pokémon, because he loves us.'_

Jenn knew the mouse spoke the truth. Ash had one of the biggest hearts around. He would do anything for his family and friends. He would do anything for her, because she was his friend. _Of course none of that matters if I can't pull this off. _

_To be continued…_

ooo

_Author's Note: __Hamlin__Island__ is one of the many islands in the __Orange__ Archipelago. It can be found on any of the __Orange__Islands__ maps in any of the Pokémon chapter books. So no, I wasn't making it up._


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Do You Have The Skills...

_Midsummer Nights_

_By __Trish_

Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me, neither does Puck. Ashura the Mew is owned by Dragoness and borrowed with her permission. He has slightly morphed into a slightly insane Flower Mew. Lucius, Flory, Callie, Poppy, Poptart belong to me as does the storyline. The chapter title is taken from the second season (Orange Islands) theme song, _Pokémon World_.

**_Dedication: To the loving memory of my favourite grandfather who left us 20 years ago and would have celebrated his 100th birthday this month. I still feel you have been present at each of my major milestones – completion of high school, graduation from university with both the Bachelor and Masters degrees, the first job. I was 10 when you died, I am 30 now. I hope that I have managed to make you proud of the way I have grown up. Thank you so much for the encouragement you gave me when I was a child to dream, the inspiration to put my thoughts into words, and the knowledge of the power of the written word_**

ooo

_Chapter Eighteen: __Do You Have The Skills to be Number One?_

Two weeks passed and every day Jenn underwent some intensive training sessions with Ash, Umbreon and Drake at the Stadium. Though the battles were usually a blur of movement and contact, throughout it all Jenn had the steady encouragement and advice from the Grand Master. Sometimes he used his telepathic link to communicate to her throughout the battle, other times it was a simple command or shout.

After each battle they would sit down and debrief the situation. Jenn would look on as the two men analysed all possible battle scenarios, all possible strategies and tactics, and what could be improved in each area.

Jenn had never realised how much effort went into being a leading Pokémon Trainer until she became an Absol. No wonder Ash and Drake were at the top of their professions - they worked and trained damn hard as did their Pokémon. And the Pokémon were kept in top condition, as Jenn found out.

After each day's battle, Ash would give her a rubdown and massage her muscles and limbs and ensure she had plenty of rest. She also had many talks with Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charizard and sought their advice on battlefield strategy.

_'Place your trust in Pikapi,_' the electric mouse advised. _'Let your mind become one with his. Pikapi is fighting **with **you in the battle.' _

_'Trust his instinct.'_

ooo

Ash and Drake let Jenn have a day off training, and the human turned Absol decided that she would like to spend a lazy day chatting with her friends. Shannon accompanied her to the hospital and they went to visit Trish.

The Absol leapt up onto the bed, forcing Trish to move over a bit to accommodate her. _'Hey T!'_

The dark-haired girl raised one eyebrow. "Comfortable enough are we?"

_'Duh!_' Jenn grinned. _'A Goddess must be kept comfortable at **all** times.'_

"How's training?"

Jenn huffed, _'They are completely ruthless!'_

"I guess it went well then," Trish looked over to Shannon, "I mean, she got here on her own power and didn't have to be carried!"

"Must be those massages she gets from Ash," Shannon quipped.

"Really?" Trish looked surprised.

_'If you want your coffee **uniced**, I'd suggest moving to a more comfortable subject.'_

"If you want to _live_, I suggest you don't even _think_ about doing that," Trish retorted, quickly covering the precious beverage.

The Absol put on her most innocent look.

"Yeah right," her best friend snorted. "You're about as innocent as a Satanic Egg."

'_Trish!_' Jenn. '_I could never be as evil as **those** things!_'

"You're right," Trish paused and looked thoughtful. "You'd be worse!"

Jenn looked aghast, to which her friend chuckled and gave her a hug. "Only kidding."

'_Chu__ are **so** mean!_'

"I try," the Australian took a sip of her coffee. "So Drake and Ash are being completely ruthless?"

_'Uh huh'_ the Absol rolled her eyes in annoyance. '_I've never worked out so hard in my life_!'

"They're doing this for your own good," Trish reasoned. "After all this battle is going to be at the highest level of expertise, and they've got to work you hard to make sure that you don't get creamed."

'_Gee, you didn't have to be so blunt about my prospects._'

Her friend looked apologetic. "Sorry, but it had to be said. You really didn't think you could take Gary on without any experience did you?"

'_No, but Ash and Drake could cut me some slack_,' Jenn whined.

"They can't afford to do that, and you know it," Trish said gently. "The only reason why Ash and Drake are at the top is through talent and years of training. You've only had, what, like a month to be brought up to the same level as Gary's Umbreon."

The human-turned Absol sighed and laid her head down on the blanket. '_You're right, as usual. Figures you'd go and defend your boyfriend above your best friend. You're too much like a married couple sometimes. And here I thought I was the most important person to you!'_

"You still are!" Trish protested as she gave her furry friend another hug. "It's just that Drake is equally important…"

_'Forsaken by my bestest friend,'_ Jenn moaned. _'Here I am about to go off and meet my doom in the arena of death, and I am rejected, neglected, and totally dejected._' She raised one paw to her forehead and sighed.

Shannon couldn't stop giggling. "Oh Jenn, you are such a diva…"

'_I know._' Jenn grinned then sobered. '_So are you guys coming to be my personal cheering squad?'_

Trish sighed. "I'd love to come, but the hospital won't let me out just yet. I'll have to watch it on TV."

'_TV?_' Jenn's ear flicked nervously. '_You mean I'm going to be battling on **TV**?_'

"Of course! A battle between the Grand Master and the Viridian City Gym Leader is a ratings dream come true! It's got it _all_, the top two trainers in the Pokémon world, rivalry, a rare Pokémon, a picturesque setting in Pummelo Stadium! No network is gonna turn such an opportunity down!"

"You sound like a public relations person for the TV industry," Shannon giggled.

The Absol laid her head down. _'I wish they wouldn't televise it!_' she whined. '_What if I get totally creamed? It'll be curtains for me! Curtains!'_

"I'm sure that's something that Ash and Drake are working very hard to prevent," Shannon assured her older friend. "Besides, it's not just your reputation at stake, it's Ash's too."

'_That just makes it even worse! If I lose, he's not going to want to speak to me ever again!_' Jenn tried to burrow under the blanket. _'Hiding sounds like a very smart idea._'

Trish reached over and pulled the part of the blanket off the Pokémon who glared at her under her messy fur. "For one thing, that's _my_ blanket, and another thing you can't hide."

'_Why not?__ Hiding's effective, and no one's gonna get mad at me because then I wouldn't mess up,' _Jenn sulked. '_Why didn't you stop me from accepting the challenge in the first place?'_

The dark-haired girl nearly choked on the sip of coffee she had just taken and raised an eyebrow. "_Excuse_ me?"

'_This is entirely all your fault._'

"Oh yeah?" Trish shoved a furry shoulder, "I wasn't even there when you accepted it! Hard to stop you from doing something when I'm not around!"

_'You still should have stopped me.'_

"What am I, psychic? And I can't possibly stop you while being confined to hospital."

'_True,_' the Absol agreed. '_But I'm still gonna blame you._'

Trish rolled her eyes. "If it makes you feel better…"

'_It does!_'

ooo

For a moment, Lu just stared at the viewing globe hovering in front of him. "I believe she is more stupid as a Pokémon than a human."

"And that was pretty dumb to begin with," a voice came from beside him.

Lu didn't look over at the person by him, "Indeed, though I cannot decide if she is more dim-witted than Ash or not."

"They both get by on dumb luck," the human sneered. "It's nauseating how so many people have to work so hard to get where they are while others have it fall in their laps."

"Now, now, Rudy," Lu tsked, waving a long slender finger. "Not everyone is blessed with such superior intelligence as I." He leaned back in his recliner. "Besides you must learn to be nice to Jenn…"

"What for?" the Trovita Island Gym Leader blinked. "So she doesn't run after the nearest car when I walk her? That blonde is so stupid that…"

"That _blonde_ also happens to be the best friend of the one you want, or have you forgotten that?" Lu dismissed the viewing globe with a wave of his hand.

Rudy blinked again then groaned. "You're right…"

"I am _always_ right," the Fae smirked. "And you know that anyone who mistreats Jenn automatically gets in Trish's bad books."

"I guess that puts you in her bad books," Rudy whinged. "Besides, she already dislikes me. _Everyone_ knows that! What else is new?"

Lu ignored him. Sometimes humans were just so very pathetic with their emotions. Thank the powers that he would never be like that. "I need you to do something…I want you to go and spy on that evil fellow Puck and see what he is doing."

"But why can't you just whip up one of those snow globe things?"

"Fool!" Lu slammed down his fist on a side table. "Puck is a Fae like me. He would be able to tell if I was spying on him!"

The Trovita Island Gym Leader shrank back in his seat. "I knew that."

"And if you carry out this mission successfully I shall reward you."

"Ooh, like money?"

Anger flickered briefly in Lu's eyes, but vanished before Rudy could see it. The Fae smiled smoothly, "Even better. I may just put a spell on a certain Australian's favourite beverage, thus she will begin to see you in a _much_ more favourable light."

Rudy's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Anything to help you in your quest. I did promise you whatever you wanted as a reward for working with me." Lu tilted his head to the side. "So long as you do not fail me, of course."

"Well yeah," Rudy snorted arrogantly, "But I'm as perfect as you. I won't fail."

Lu watched as the mortal spun on his heel and left the room. The tall Fae shook his head, "I do hope that moron knows that he is _nothing_ like me." A chill shivered down his spine and Power lit Lu's eyes a fiery green. "Ah, ah, Puck. No spying."

With a contemptuous flick of his hands, Lu sent a wave of power to enhance the shields around his hiding area. He added a slight spell to confuse Puck as to the true location of his lair.

"Idiot," the redhead sneered, then scowled. "I hope he didn't hear too much, though it would add to the challenge if he did."

ooo

Puck sat against the base of the tree and rubbed at his forehead. "Remind me to never do that again," he groaned.

Beside him, a Pidgey cocked its head and then flew away. Puck crawled back over to the edge of the large natural pool that was surrounded by a ring of trees. The surface was mirror still though the pool itself was large enough to comfortably fit a Gyarados. The waters ran deceptively deep and dark in the growing twilight, and he thought he _may_ have seen a Gyarados far below.

He was on a small uninhabited island not far from Pummelo. To scry, he needed to find a pool that was away from the distractive energies the humans gave off. Despite the teasing he got from his sister, Puck really did need to concentrate. He knew that the sooner they found Lucius, the sooner they could recapture the rogue Fae and bring him to justice.

He had a feeling that even though she was surrounded by trusted people and Fae, that Jenn was still in a bit of danger. It was very possible that Lu was not done with the blonde. She would be in a very vulnerable position when the time came for the face-off. Even now, word had leaked out about the battle. Entertainment and news industries were scrabbling for information on why two great powers in the Pokémon leadership world were going to battle.

Some said that it was an inevitable face-off stemming from childhood, while others were saying that it was a battle for the title of Grand Master. A clash of will versus ego, was what one reporter on _PMTV_ had said.

He settled back over the bank of the pool, staring at its waters. Out of curiosity, a Goldeen started to swim up, and he gently asked it to swim away. Then he reinforced his spell that kept the aquatic creatures from creating any stirs in the water.

Puck shook his head, not holding back a grin. He knew how worried Jenn was, and he was glad of it. The nerves would be good to make her anxious to battle, and when the time came he was sure that all that anxiety would transfer over to building her powers. Hopefully, the stress would be released into a win over Gary's Umbreon.

Thinking about the blonde turned platinum brought up a vision of the current centre of his thoughts. The darkness of the water made the vision pop in near 3D clarity. Puck frowned, "Why on earth are _you _taking a nap?"

ooo

"Come on, Jenn," Ash said patiently. "You have to get up. We're not done yet."

_'That's what **you** say.' _came the muffled reply. _'**I** say I'm done.'_

From his side, Drake's Dragonite seemed to smirk and it rumbled to its trainer. Drake laughed, "Some other Pokémon seem to think that she's…" his voice lowered to a stage whisper, "…a little lazy."

That lit a fire under Jenn. _'Lazy!__ I am **not lazy**!'_ The Absol lurched to all fours, squinting under the glare of the stadium lights. It wasn't fully night, a time when Dark Pokémon were more powerful, but twilight with the last rays of the sun turning the sky a rosy peach colour.

"Oh?" Ash shrugged, "That's not what I heard."

Eyes flashing angrily, Jenn stalked over to the Grand Master and glared up, _'Then **what** did you hear?'_

Drake leaned against his Dragonite, laughing and shaking his head. "That was great!"

Jenn turned confused eyes at the two males, looking from Drake, who was laughing so hard he was crying…a bit, to Ash who was barely holding back a laugh of his own. A wary tone crept into her voice, _'There wasn't anything said, was there?'_

Ash shook his head, unable to keep a little laugh from escaping, "No, but it _did_ get you on your feet!"

_'You two are so **juvenile**!' _The Absol whirled and padded angrily towards the arena exit ramp.

"Aww, Jenn, come back," Ash ran after the lithe creature. "We were just joking."

Jenn spun around and glared up at Ash, _'I'm tired, I've got a headache, and in case you hadn't noticed, I'm a dog. I don't even want to battle, but someone has to placate __Gary__'s huge ego.'_

"Placate…"

_'All I want right now is to be able to go and get some sleep. If I could, I'd go find and take care of Lu myself,' She_ motioned to her paws, _'Only right now, I'm a little limited in what I can do. What I'd give for a couple of opposable thumbs.'_

Drake walked up behind Ash, with Dragonite behind him. The iridescent white creature started to walk away towards the arena floor exit.

"Jenn…" Ash said, but Drake held him back. "…What…"

Drake shook his head, "Let her go."

"…but."

Drake watched as the flash of white that was Jenn disappeared into the shadows of the arena floor exit. "It's been a long day, Ash. She's gotten a lot stronger, but inside she's still just Jenn. I think you're forgetting that."

Ash winced, "I have, haven't I? I keep thinking of her more of what she is now, than who and what she really is. What a mess this whole thing is."

"Just as long as _she_ keeps on remembering who she is inside," Drake said, "Ultimately, that is what is important."

"Huh?"

"When you were a pikachu, did you ever think to give in to your new instincts?" Drake asked. "Ever thought of just running off, having fun, that sort of thing?"

"You mean forget you were human?" Ash asked.

"Well that's putting it bluntly, but yeah."

"You think she's in danger of that?" Ash frowned in concern. "She looks okay to me."

"You have an undeniable link with Pokémon, Ash, but you're not psychic." Drake recalled Dragonite, who went gratefully. Jenn wasn't the only tired one. "I'm not either, but I _know_ that she's not as strong internally as she makes people think."

ooo

Jenn curled up on her bed and tried to sleep, but her mind was going a million miles an hour. Fears over the upcoming battle tumbled through her conscience. Would she be good enough against Gary's Umbreon? Would she make a fool of herself in front of millions of people? Would she be able to repay the faith that so many of her friends had in her? Would she be able to justify the faith that _Ash_ had in her? Not only was he was willing to put his hard earned reputation on the line for her, but he had done so much for her in the past.

_'It's been a month that I've been like this, and while I've been training a lot,' _Jenn sighed and lay her head on her outstretched forepaws, _'failing him now would be a poor ass way to repay him.' _

Other fears crept in too. Sometimes she thought she caught herself thinking like a Pokémon. Would she start giving in to her animal instincts if she remained in this form for too much longer? What would her family think if Trish or Shannon had to tell them, "_Sorry, but your eldest daughter's been changed into a Pokémon and we couldn't change her back in time."_ She was sure THAT would go down well with her parents. Yeah and the _Titanic _sinking only put a little jam in people's plans.

With a sigh, she flipped over onto her side. Worse yet, would Trish still want to be friends with her if she stayed an Absol? Or would she become the nightmare that Trish feared? What if _physically_ being an Absol wasn't the full extent of Lu's spell? What if there were thoughts and instincts that would take over her? Or what if there was something like a hypnotic command that had been implanted in her mind that could have Lu control her without warning and…

…and…

_What was I just thinking about? _Jenn blinked and shook her head. _Oh yeah, how completely stupid Britney was for dumping Justin. The boy is **fine** with his hair shaved off._

But for some reason, she felt like she had to talk to Trish about something…important.

ooo

Lu sighed and ran the back of his hand against his jaw. The stupid human almost figured things out.

ooo

Callie stretched her long legs the full length of the bed as she tried to get comfortable for the night. Human made beds were _nothing_ like Fae made beds. Her bed back in Elysium was as luxurious as the finest wool or the softest down feathers. When she lay down, the bed would mould itself to her shape. It was like sleeping on a cloud; and Callie knew how that felt for she had tried it!

The brunette cast her mind back to what her brother had told her this afternoon. Lu had managed to detect and evade his covert surveillance spell. She wondered what their enemy had planned for the coming battle. If it was important enough to keep silent, to be that integral to Lu's malicious plans, then it was worth their side learning of every detail.

Callie sighed and tried to think of things Lucius would want to do. Would he make Jenn turn feral and attack Ash? Would he try to aid Gary in some way? Neither prospect would help their case in any way.

The glittering stars seemed to beckon to her, and Callie slipped out of bed and walked over to the doors that opened to her private balcony. Dressed in her silken sleeping shift, the tall Fae walked through the doors, which magically opened at her approach, and stepped out onto the balcony.

Cool tiles warmed at her step and the brunette leaned against the high railings. Looking up at the stars, she felt more at peace. How could humans stand to be cooped up in their little homes like that was beyond her. She felt more at home among the greenery than inside such a fabricated home.

"What shall we do?" She asked the stars softly. They sparkled in response and Callie nodded. "Yes, we need to be prepared to counter Lu at every turn. The only question is how? We do not even know what he may have in plan for us."

The wind blew softly, lifting her hair. "Yes, and Puck has already enhanced her, but is that enough?"

The fronds of the nearby palm trees rustled against each other. "Oh?" Callie looked down and smiled. "I see. Thank you, my friends. My thoughts run clearer now." She cupped her hands together and golden magic pooled there. The wind lifted it up and it was carried away in a glittering mist.

Callie turned back to the open doors, but before walking inside, she said, in a laughing melodic tone, "You may want to get some sleep, Chris. Tomorrow is a big day."

There was a rustling from the bushes below her balcony, then a muffled curse, and Callie laughed and stepped inside. As the doors closed gently behind her, another muffled curse was heard before silence stretched over the sleeping landscape once more.

ooo

The sun was high in the sky when Jenn cracked one eye open.

'_Afternoon, Sleeping Beauty_,' Pikachu chirped from where she was sitting at the head of Jenn's pillow bed.

'_You are far too chirpy for this time of morning_,' the Absol grumbled before cocking her head. '_Wait, did you say afternoon?_'

_'Uh huh.'_

'_What time is it?_'

'_Twelve fifteen__.'_

Jenn blinked then struggled up to a sitting position. '_Oh Gawd, Ash and Drake are totally gonna kill me for missing training!'_

Pikachu giggled and patted one sooty forepaw. '_No need to worry. Pikapi decided to give you the day off. He's been feeling rather guilty about working you so hard and forgetting that you are really a human.'_

_'Gee, that's so sweet of him.' _Then her gaze narrowed. _'Wait, he's forgetting I'm human!'_

_'Well not completely.'_

_'Uh huh, I bet Drake had to remind him that I'm not another of his many captures.' _

Pikachu watched as she stood and stretched. _'Actually, you're right about that. Drake did remind him. Only it's not what you think.'_

Jenn looked back at Pikachu with a puzzled look, '_What's not what I think?'_

_'About Ash and Drake.'_

_'If you're saying that they're…together…I don't want to hear about it and…Why are your cheeks sparking?'_

Taking a deep breath, Pikachu soothed her irritated nerves. Taking a better look at the used to be girl, the electric mouse asked, _'What's today's date?'_

_'What?' _Jenn stretched again, and turned to walk out of the room. _'That's a **human** thing. I don't care what date it is.'_

_'But…'_

_'Later! I can hear Ash coming to get me. I thought you said it was okay not to train!'_

Pikachu watched in shock as Jenn ran out of the room. She followed, scampering close behind, and froze when she got to the living room area and saw Ash playing tug of war with Jenn with a length of thick rope.

"Hey, Pik!" Ash greeted his friend. "Watch this, it's wild!"

Pikachu watched as Ash pulled up on the rope, which was held firmly in Jenn's sharp teeth, and saw the Absol being picked up. "She loves this!" Ash laughed, and then turned in a circle, with Jenn hanging onto the rope like it was some sort of amusement park ride.

For some reason, Jenn suddenly let go and flew into Pikachu. The little electric mouse saw stars and blacked out. A ringing noise brought her swimming back to consciousness, and when she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the golden rays of rising sunshine. The ringing noise was Pikapi's alarm clock. She watched as he slapped sleepily at it, turning it off, and turned back to his wife.

Suddenly fully conscious, Pikachu looked around and saw that she was in Pikapi's bedroom. She could hear his soft snores and saw that he was sleeping with one arm slung over Pikachupi's stomach.

_Was it a dream?_ Pikachu wondered. Without a second thought, she darted quietly out of her friend's room and into one of the many guest bedrooms, this one made up for Jenn to temporarily stay at during her training sessions. When she stepped closer, she could see that Jenn was awake, but had her head down on her forepaws.

_'What's up?'_ The ex-blonde asked.

_'You apparently.'_ Pikachu said, then cocked her head. _'How are you?'_

_'Other than exhausted, yet fully awake?'_Jenn snorted. _'I couldn't fall asleep. I pretty much just vegged out. I think my body slept, but not my mind, if that makes any sense.'_

Pikachu sighed in relief. _'So you're still thinking human?'_

_'Duh,'_ Jenn snorted. _'What else?'_

_'Nothing, I was just checking on you.'_

_'Anyone else up at the butt crack of dawn?'_

Pikachu shook her head, _'No, just us. I was going to go out for a walk. You want to come with me?'_

Jenn sighed_. 'I guess so. It's not like I'm going to sleep or anything.' _She shook her head_. 'I'll probably fall asleep during training.'_

_'Not likely!' _Pikachu laughed, and then led the way down the hallway._ 'Not unless someone uses sleep powder on you.'_

_'Hmm, what a great idea!'_Jenn smirked_. 'Think we can get some breakfast first?'_

_'Walk first, breakfast later,' _Pikachu said as she led the way through the special Pokémon door.

_'You're as relentless as Ash,' _Jenn whined_, 'but at least he appreciates a good breakfast.'_

ooo

Soon the two Pokémon were trotting along at a leisurely pace in the fresh tropical air. '_Aaaah I love the smell of the Ocean,_' Jenn sighed contentedly. '_I'd love to live here forever and ever!'_

'_You like the water_?' Pikachu smiled.

'_Awwwyeah,_' the Absol grinned. '_Plus it's totally warm and there's never any snow_.'

'_Snow's not nice_,' the electric mouse agreed. _'Pikapi loves coming here too. He finds it nice and relaxing compared to life on Indigo Plateau.'_

_'How does he cope with all the constant media attention?_' Jenn wondered. _'I used to think I'd love it, until that brouhaha happened between Drake and Trish. Even though the media attention wasn't on me, I could sense how stressful it was for Trish and it made me a little uneasy to go out in public myself.'_

_'Why?_

She shrugged_, 'I figured the paparazzi would come after me if they couldn't get to Trish. You know, since we're best friends and all.'_

Pikachu smiled_, 'You're a good friend.'_

Jenn tossed her head_, 'Thanks. Hey, how about a little swim before going back in?_

_'Just a little,' _Pikachu said, a motherly tone coming into her voice_, 'After all, there's training to be done.'_

_'Yeah, yeah, I know. Party pooper!'_

ooo

_'FLYING PIK OF DOOM!' _Was all Ash heard the second before a wet soggy mess landed on his chest.

The Grand Master attempted to jump out of bed, but his feet tangled in the sheets and he pulled most of the light top sheet off with him, and landed in a jumble beside his bed. Rubbing at his forehead, he said, "I really hope there's a reason why I got such a rude wake up call."

He cracked one eye open to see a dripping wet Pikachu pointing towards the door, where an equally wet white blur vanished into the hallway. Then Pikachu shook off all the excess water, most of which landed on Ash, and the little electric mouse vanished off after her partner in crime.

"This does mean _war_, you know!" Ash called after his buddy.

"That's nice, dear," Misty mumbled, reaching one arm back for some blankets to cover her swollen form. "Now give me back some blankets."

Ash gave a little sigh and did as his monstrous wife demanded. Then he headed for the shower. He had planning to do, namely in the form of paybacks on two friends of his.

ooo

After breakfast, the quartet of Ash, Pikachu, Jenn and Umbreon made their way to the Stadium. Drake was already there, leaning back against the crowd barrier, watching as Dragonite did some lazy circles high above the massive structure.

Jenn bounded over to the Orange Crew Leader and planted her two front paws on his chest. '_Hey Drayaaake!'_

He started a little but then recognised who it was. There was only one person in the world who called him that. "Morning, Jenn. Someone seems absol-utely chirpy this morning."

'_Please, don't quit your day job,_' the Pokémon in question rolled her eyes as the dark-haired man waved at Ash and the other two Pokémon. She dropped down, then looked up at Drake with a wily look.

"Well it's true," he grinned. "You only ever say my name like that for 3 reasons. One, you're chirpy. Two, you're up to no good. Three, you want something from me."

Jenn looked insulted. '_Me? Up to no good? Why I neeevah…_'

The Grand Master smirked as he reached the pair. "Yes, you and always. Do I have to bring up this morning's incident?"

Drake chuckled. "What did she do?"

"She convinced a soaking wet Pik to wake me up by jumping on my chest."

"Sounds like something she'd do!"

_'**She** happens to be right here,'_ Jenn said dryly. _'Can we get this torture over with? I swear, this is all as prolonged as Puck trying to find a cure for me.' _

The two watched her walk over to Dragonite, who was landing, with Pikachu close behind.

"Say, Ash."

"Yeah?"

"How good can Absols hear?"

"Let's see," Ash looked over towards the three and said in a slightly hushed voice, "_Taco Bell_ is giving out free tacos for the next ten minutes!"

When there was no jump of joy from Jenn's direction, Ash nodded. "Go ahead."

"How long is Puck going to let this draw out? Can't he just wave his hands and turn her back?"

Ash shrugged, "I can't say for sure. I think he can, but right now we have to wait until after this battle."

"Why? Why not just have her changed back?"

"Why not?" Ash's eyes glinted mischievously. "A battle between me and Gary. Like I haven't been waiting for a chance at this in a long time."

"But Jenn…"

"Jenn will be fine," Ash said confidently. "With me at the wheel, so to speak, this will be a piece of cake."

Drake lagged behind as Ash walked towards the collective Pokémon. He sighed and thought, _I'm not all too sure of that, my friend. _

ooo

The eve before the match finally came. Jenn was feeling nervous and asked Shannon to take her to the hospital for one last talk with her best friend. The brunette obliged and excused herself once they reached the entrance to the room, telling her friend to let her know when she wanted to be picked up.

Trish was reading a book when Jenn poked her sooty muzzle around the doorway. The Australian glanced up and smiled when she saw the familiar furry form. "Hey, Jenn, come in."

The Absol padded in and sat down, resting her chin on the bedcovers. '_Hey T._'

"How are you feeling?" Trish asked sympathetically.

'_Nervous as hell of course,_' the human-turned-Absol sighed. '_My stomach's all knotted and totally churning. You know how much I hate suspense, and this is suspense in its purest form.'_

"You'll do just fine," her friend soothed as she patted a forepaw.

'_But how do you know that?_' Jenn whined. '_I mean what if I die, or worse, get completely humiliated out there? What if I…'_

"Now stop right there," Trish held up one hand. "For one thing, you _really_ have to get your priorities straight! For another, I don't want to hear any more of this 'what if' business. You're only gonna make yourself more worried and more nauseous than I know you already are."

Jenn opened her mouth to protest but then thought the better of it. Trish was right, as usual.

"Of course I don't know what's gonna happen in the battle tomorrow. No one does. However, I have the utmost faith in you, and I know that you'll do the very best you can. Plus you've had Ash and Drake on your side, working very hard to make sure that you don't get humiliated."

Jenn felt a little bit better at those words. At least someone believed in her! '_True, but what if I get badly hurt? What if I get Ash badly hurt? Misty will **sit** on me and then I'll really be badly hurt!'_

"Drake will step in and stop the battle," Trish assured her. "The rules state that a battle can be stopped if a Pokémon is badly hurt or its life is in danger."

_'What if I lose?'_ the Absol muttered, almost as if to herself. '_Will any of you still talk to me? Will Ash still want to talk to me?'_

"Of course we'll still talk to you! You're our dear friend!" Trish hugged the canine. "And Ash isn't the type to hold a grudge for very long. Anyway, he willingly got involved in this as well."

The Australian gave her friend turned Pokémon a big hug. "Best of luck tomorrow, Sis. You'll do just fine. We're all really proud of you."

Jenn wagged her tail for she couldn't exactly return the hug. She could always count on the support of her friends, even when her 'troubles' were the result of her own big mouth. With her friends behind her, she could do anything!

ooo

Back at the Ketchum villa, Misty had retired for the night, leaving Ash to retreat to his study for some much needed quiet time. The Grand Master liked to spend some time alone on the eve of each battle to meditate and contemplate. It concentrated his thoughts wonderfully and helped him to focus.

The dark-haired man sat behind his large mahogany desk and clasped his hands in front of him. He prayed for courage to face the battle in the morning. He prayed for guidance and blessings from the Fates. He prayed that the Fates would watch over Jenn during the battle. He prayed that he would be able to fulfil his duty as the Chosen One.

He pushed his chair back and reached under his desk. Releasing a hidden catch, a concealed drawer slid out from under the desk. In it lay a black velvet drawstring pouch.

Ash opened the pouch and drew out a small diamond talisman in the shape of a teardrop. The jewel hung on a silver chain and sparkled with a strange fire. This had been entrusted to him as the Chosen One by the Legendary Pokémon.

Not long after he came of age at 21, he had been summoned by Slowking to Shamuti where he was greeted by every single Legendary Pokémon. It was at this meeting that it was explained to him the true meaning of his role as The Chosen One. Chosen to unite both human and Pokémon, he was blessed with unheard of powers, and looked after by the gods. If ever he or a Pokémon he cared about was in trouble, he could call upon them to help.

This particular talisman, when worn by either human or Pokémon, could greatly enhance their innate powers when it was invoked by Ash. When Jenn got back from her visit, he would put it on her to keep her safe.

ooo

The night used to be a calming thing for Jenn, but after she was changed – _temporarily_, she hoped – it became an energizing thing. Now she could sense things at night, and could almost see dark energy zipping through the night sky. Unless those were just fireflies.

She had declined a ride back from the hospital with Shannon, and preferred instead to walk. Even as a human, she found walking to be particularly reassuring. Though Shannon was apprehensive about leaving Jenn to herself, Trish reassured the teen and finally Shannon relented.

A noise broke Jenn from her reverie and looked around and listened intently. There were a few humans walking further down, looking at the windows of closed shops, but this noise was closer. An alley to her left just three shops down seemed to contain the noise.

Immediately, she trotted off towards it, then stopped right when she got to the mouth of the alley. What if it was a trap set up by Lu? It was the night before the battle. Another cry, a yelp, caught her attention and she shook her head. She just _had_ to look.

Craning her head around the corner, she could see a dark haired teenage boy standing over something. He took a step back and Jenn could see a semi-white lump at his feet. Then the lump shivered and whined, and Jenn felt her blood go cold. That kid was beating the crap out of an Absol!

Jenn crept stealthily into the alley, hiding beside a dumpster. She doubted this was one of Lu's tricks. This kid seemed…Jenn sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose. The kid was drunk. More than likely this was the Pokémon's trainer.

"Lousy, worthless cur," the boy slurred, bringing his foot back for another kick. "I should just dump you in the ocean and let a :hic: Sharpeedo get you."

The Absol whimpered and Jenn leapt from her stealthy hiding place and as the foot came flying forward, she directed an ice beam at his legs. This time, the boy yelped and cursed as his feet were frozen in place, encased in ice.

"What the fu…"

Jenn growled menacingly and advanced towards the teenager. He looked back and paled, "Another one? Well at least you look stronger than my pathetic freak of nature."

Narrowing her eyes, Jenn held back her temper. Frying the kid to a crisp would probably result in Ash getting steamed at her. She almost laughed at her own joke, but then the real Absol whimpered, and she walked over to it. When she stood over it, she could see that it was only a puppy, and her eyes widened when she saw that this Absol had a thick black zig zag mark down its spine.

She nosed at the puppy, cursing that she didn't have hands, and the puppy looked up at her with something like hope. _"Can you get up?"_ Jenn asked, hoping the little critter would understand her.

_"It **hurt**."_ the puppy whined.

_"Can you try?" _Jenn asked, looking up at the teen. He was glaring down. Apparently, the ice was having a detoxifying effect on him.

"No you don't," the boy said darkly, and fumbling at his belt. "Kigali, return!" The puppy was recalled into a Poké Ball and the boy smirked drunkenly, "I don't want this thing and I won't let _you_ save her."

Jenn's eyes widened as the boy twisted in his icy hold, and then threw the Poké Ball towards the mouth of the alley. _No! _she thought, knowing that beyond the mouth of the alley was a sidewalk, a two lane road, and then only a guardrail that ran along the forty foot high cliff, and then below that was the ocean.

She leapt after the Poké Ball, as it bounced off the side of one building and then out onto the sidewalk. Using a burst of Quick Attack, which Ash only showed her a week ago, she leapt into the air, twisted, grabbed the Poké Ball in her mouth, and landed…on the street side of the guardrail.

Panting slightly from the exertion, she padded across the empty street and back to the alley. To her dismay, the teenager was gone, leaving behind a slight heap of shattered ice; he must've been real desperate to break free, or else the ice hadn't been that thick. Sighing around the Poké Ball, Jenn ran down the road towards Ash's villa. Hopefully she could remember enough of what that kid looked like to make sure that justice was dealt out. That is, after the little puppy could get to a Poké Centre.

Moments later, as she loped up the drive to Ash's villa, Jenn couldn't help but to think that she'd done good on the spur of the moment. Maybe tomorrow's battle wouldn't go all that badly.

ooo

The day of the battle dawned bright and sunny. Jenn had a luxurious stretch out on her pillow bed and then gave herself a brisk shake. Today was the day that she would come out a winner or be totally humiliated.

_To be a winner or totally humiliated.__ The choices one has to make. _The human turned Absol gulped and tried to ignore the rising waves of anxiety welling up from her stomach.

Two pointy black ears peeped around the open door, followed by the rest of a Pichu. Jenn sighed. _Okay it's a little pichu, so it has to be one of Pikachu's latest litter. I can never figure out who is who. It's either Pikatwo or Poptart or Popalicious or sheesh, how many are there again?_

_'Hiya __Jenn_,' the little female chirped in a singsong manner. _'Are ya neeeeervous?_'

_There should be a law against **any** creature from being so perky in the mornings._ Jenn grumbled inwardly, then sighed out loud. "_Me? Nervous? Of course not!'_

The baby electric mouse cocked her head to one side. _'Then why are your knees shaking?'_

Jenn tried to think of a good comeback when she was saved by the entrance of Ash and Pikachu. She settled for glaring at the little mouse. _Glaring is more suited for mornings when one might die that day. Much more suited._

_'Poptart!'_ the momma mouse scolded. _'What are you doing disturbing __Jenn__ for? She's got a big day ahead.'_

_So that's which one it was, __Jenn__ noted a black speck behind the left ear of the little mouse._

_'Awww, Moooom!'_

Ash smiled fondly at his favourite Pokémon and her offspring before kneeling before Jenn. "I know you will do your best, and that you'll remember that we're in this together."

Jenn glared at him, _'You are also too perky_.'

He just grinned and drew a small velvet pouch out of his jean pocket. Withdrawing a thick silver chain that had a sparkling jewel, Ash fastened it around the Absol's neck and it settled amid her fur. "There, that looks just fine."

_'What's this for? Not that I mind of course. The more the bling, the more I sing.' __She cast a wary look at him, __'Spill it, Ketchum.'_

The Grand Master smiled. "It's just a little talisman for luck."

_'Sure, that's just what __Indiana__ Jones said to Lara Croft,' _The Absol tossed her head, _'and look where it got her. She landed in a hospital. A **hospital**!'_

"What are you talking about?" Ash frowned, "Did Poptart shock you awake?"

_'Never mind, Ashy boy,'_ Jenn shook her head and walked out of the room, _'Some things will go over your head. You're a guy, after all, so it's natural.'_

"You are so weird," Ash followed his friend. "And also a bit insulting."

_'Oh stop! You'll make me blush.'_

ooo

After breakfast Jenn enquired about the welfare of the young Absol puppy she had rescued. Once she was inside the villa last night, she had gone straight to Ash and deposited the Poké Ball on his lap. Ash had been outraged at the condition the Pokémon was in and rushed the creature straight to the nearest Pokémon Centre. He had also set into motion the procedures for dispensing justice with a phone call to Drake and the Head Nurse Joy in the Orange Archipelago.

Drake was going to track down Kigali's information in the Orange League Database and transfer temporary ownership of Kigali to Ash until he found a suitable trainer. The trainer's Pokémon license was to be suspended until he came before a hearing. The Head Nurse Joy was to inform all of her sisters to be on the lookout for the teen and to turn him over to the League once he'd been found. There was a zero tolerance policy on cruelty to Pokémon.

The punishment for such an offence differed from league to league. In the Orange Islands, offenders were hauled before a panel consisting of the Orange Crew Leader, Professor Ivy, Prima, the Head Nurse Joy and the Head Officer Jenny.

The Trainer's license was suspended or cancelled, depending on the severity of the crime, and the Pokémon would be taken to Pokémon Centres for regular check ups and monitoring. If the Pokémon died of its injuries, then the trainer's license was revoked and he or she would be banned from owning or training Pokémon for life.

"So," Ash sipped his coffee, "is that suitable enough for you?" The two were alone in the kitchen's breakfast nook. The room was painted a sunny yellow, and the floor had large white floor tiles.

Jenn frowned and shoved at the now empty food dish at her feet, _'I guess so.'_

"But?"

_'Nothing,' _Jenn shook her head_. 'I'm done, so I'll see you outside. I'm going down to the beach for a little bit. If I should happen to vanish, due to me being eaten by some raging Gyarados, send my sympathies to __Gary__ for not being able to whoop his Umbreon. Oh, and to the media and entertainment industries for the sad passing of me, via said raging Gyarados.'_

Ash smiled over the rim of his coffee as he watched her walk out to the patio, then down to the beach. It was nice having the beach as his backyard. He wouldn't mind having something like this for a second home.

Lost in his thoughts, Ash didn't notice when someone stepped into the room behind him. He jumped a little when a hand fell on his shoulder. Then he realised it was attached to the rest of his rotund wife. "Hey, honey."

"Good morning, Ash," Misty said, before sitting a little awkwardly on a chair at the breakfast table. "Was that that strange absol?"

Ash was glad Jenn wasn't around to hear that. All that he'd told Misty was that he was training the creature for a battle and that its owner wanted to keep her anonymity. What had kept Misty from arguing against their unusual houseguest was the "large" amount of dollars the unspecified owner was paying Ash for the training.

"Yeah, it was."

"I'll be glad when this face-off battle is over with," she smiled over at him, "I miss having you all to myself."

Ash smiled back, "I know, I miss you too. I promise we'll take a nice long vacation when this is all over."

Misty pouted and pointed to her large belly, "I don't think we'll have one of those for about eighteen more years."

He stood and walked behind his wife, to massage her shoulders. "Aw, I promise we will. That's what babysitters and relatives are for."

"A babysitter?" Misty sounded amused, "You mean like one of those?"

Ash looked towards the open French doors, to where Misty was pointing, and saw Jenn standing there. She had a most wicked look on her face. She was also soaking wet, and dripping with salt water. She lifted one paw.

"She'd better not be coming in here!" Misty sounded alarmed. "She looks like she fell in the ocean."

With pure evil intent, Jenn trotted lightly into the room, paused by the two and shook off all the water she could. Misty shrieked and yelled at Ash, and Jenn darted out of the room, slipping a bit on the white tiled floor as she rounded a corner.

Ash just blinked, barely hearing Misty growling threats at him. He looked down at his now wet clothes and sighed. He'd be _very_ happy once Puck decided to change Jenn back.

ooo

The Fae in question was also up early, and had gone down to a quiet beach for meditation and reflection. Puck was currently sitting facing the ocean, digging his feet in the soft cool sand.

He wondered what today's Pokémon battle would bring, would Ash and Jenn defeat Gary and his Umbreon and flush out Lu? Or would Jenn be defeated and Lu stay hidden. So much was riding on Jenn's public appearance to lure out their enemy.

The chestnut-haired Fae sighed. Lucius. His Enemy Number One. The Fae who had vowed to completely destroy him for foiling his plot for world domination. Puck honestly didn't think that Lu would follow him to the mortal world and drag all his friends into his evil schemes. So far, Trish had almost died because of Lu and Jenn could very well be the next one.

Puck sighed again. If he had known what a deadly and dangerous enemy Lucius made, maybe he would never have gone to the Fae authorities with what he knew. But…could he have stood by and watched as King Oberon and Queen Titania were overthrown and the whole Fae world turned upside down? What would have happened to his family and friends? What nefarious plan would Lu have had in mind for Puck's sister Calliope? The thought made him shudder.

While Puck had a reputation for being the ultimate prankster, deep down he was a very loyal soul and an ingrained sense of what was right and wrong. He wouldn't put up with seeing people hurt, especially his family.

"Hey, Bro," a voice broke into his thoughts and Puck looked back to see Callie standing very near him.

"How long have you been there?"

His sister shrugged, "Only a little while. You looked lost in thought."

"I'm a little worried."

"Why?" Callie conjured up a small blanket and sat on it. She dug her bare toes into the sand. "This is fun!"

Puck smiled, "It is." Then he sighed, "I'm worried that Jenn will get hurt. I'm worried that Lu will strike when we least expect it. I'm worried that maybe, once again, I've stirred up more trouble than I should have by turning Lu in back home."

Callie arched an eyebrow. "It's true that you're a troublemaker, but you're known for that in a good way. Jenn will be able to take care of herself. She's a fighter and she's got a lot of pent up…energy that should carry her through the battle with ease."

"But Lu…"

"Yes, Lu could strike during the battle," Callie laid back against a suddenly appearing pillow. "Or Lu could strike five minutes from now. You won't know when, Puck, that's what makes Lu the bad guy. All we can do is make sure we prep Jenn as much as we can and let her take it from there."

Puck stared out at the ocean, "What if I hadn't turned him in."

Callie stared at her brother. It wasn't a question he asked; it was definitely a statement. "Puck, listen to me, and listen well."

He looked at her with sorrow in his brown eyes.

Callie's brows knitted in a pretty frown, "You did the right thing by turning Lu in. If you hadn't, he would have overthrown our good King and Queen. We'd be slaves to that insane creature. If you hadn't turned him in, I can't think of a single other Fae who would have had the courage to do what you did. Don't _ever_ question your decision."

She sat back, then laughed, "The only bad decisions you _have_ made have come about after consuming mortal alcoholic beverages!"

He managed a smile, "Yes, that's true. I do have one other confession though."

"Come now, what could possibly have happened that you'd have to confess to?"

"You know how I told Jenn the only cure for her transformation was a rare flower?"

She laughed again, "Oh Puck, I know all about that! Any good Fae could tell just by looking at her that the spell is simple to undo."

His eyes widened momentarily, then he winced, "I guess it is a pretty elementary spell."

There was a pause in their conversation and they watched the ocean gently lapping at the beach.

"Say, Callie."

"Yes, dear troublemaking brother of mine?"

Puck made a face at the name, "You won't tell Jenn, will you?"

"About the alleged cure?" She shook her head, "No, and I won't even use it as blackmail in the future, unless you _really_ anger me."

"Oh," Puck snorted, "well not like that will ever happen."

"Sarcasm does not become you, brother." Callie stood up and brushed her skirt free of sand. The blanket and pillow vanished. "Tarry not, for today is a big day indeed."

Puck watched his sister leave and stared back out at the ocean a while longer before also walking back to the villa.

To say that today was a big day was an understatement of epic proportions.

ooo

_Later that afternoon_

Pummelo Stadium was filled to capacity and the atmosphere was electric. Flory looked around with wide eyes, "Wow, it's a good thing we've got connections!" He, Riny, Callie, Puck, Chris, Jaime, and Ben were seated with Drake in the Orange Crew Leader's private box to form Jenn's personal cheering squad. Mia and Shannon had offered to watch the proceedings with Trish in her hospital room.

"For one thing, she needs company, and another thing, she might have a conniption if she gets over-excited!" Mia had joked.

"Yeah, for one thing you get free beer," Chris grinned as a smartly dressed waiter circulated with a tray of beverages, while another offered a choice of hors d'oeuvres.

Drake feigned insult. "And here I thought you guys liked me for me rather than free food."

Jaime chuckled. "Well as the saying goes, the best things in life are free."

ooo

Down in the inner bowels of the Stadium, Jenn sat in the locker room with Ash, listening to the booming voice of the Stadium Announcer whipping up the crowds, the buzz of the television network helicopters hovering overhead, and the roar of the crowd at the pre-match entertainment.

Pikachu, Poppy, Meganium, Bulbasaur, Feraligator, Charizard and Espeon were also there to help try to calm her nerves and to form her Pokémon cheering squad.

'_I can do this, I can do this, I can do this,_' Jenn repeated to herself over and over. She had never been one to pray, especially since she wasn't a religious sort. But she prayed now to whatever powerful being was up there, asking that if she was gonna die – could it at least be totally quick and painless?

The Pokémon were also giving her a last minute pep talk.

_'Now in a battle, the best thing is to try to block out everything but Pikapi's commands,'_ Pikachu advised.

_'But sometimes in the heat and smoke of battle, he will not be able to see things as clearly as you, so then you may have to improvise,'_ Charizard rumbled.

'_You can do it!_' Bulbasaur grinned.

_'Yeah, go out there and lay the smackdown on Wanker Oak!_' Poppy cheered, before blushing at the looks everyone gave her.

_'Poppy! Such language_,' her mother scolded.

_'But Moooom, __Jenn__ says it like that all the time!_' the youngster protested.

_'Actually I'd more than likely say I'd kick the shi-'_

_'JENN!'_Pikachu sounded shocked, and covered her daughter's ears. _'I know you're nervous, but please remember there are little ones around.'_

Jenn smirked, then sighed, _'I'm sorry, Pikachu, I get rude when I get nervous.'_

'_Then you must be nervous all the time,_' Charizard snickered.

The human-turned Absol opened her mouth to respond with an insult, then thought better of it. Even if she was gonna die out there, she'd rather not be roasted first. Besides Ash would totally have a fit if she iced his best Fire Pokémon, especially if she did it right in front of said Grand Master.

Ash knelt down next to Jenn and put an arm around her furry shoulders. "You'll do fine. Just believe in me and, most importantly, believe in yourself."

The Pokémon all nodded their agreement. _'Ash is the __Chosen__ One, after all,_' Bulbasaur added. '_He has the power to command like no other and his mastery of battle tactics is second to none.'_

Jenn looked at the Grass Pokémon. '_Well, look who's Ash's number one fan._'

The small dinosaur-like Pokémon shrugged, well, what passed for a shrug for a creature with no shoulders. _'Say what you like but it's true. He's able to get wild Pokémon to work with him at will, he's earned the respect of such legendaries as Mew, Mewtwo, Lugia, Entei, Suicune, Celebi, Jirachi.'_

_'Way to make **me** feel completely inadequate.' _Jenn scowled.

Bulbasaur continued, '_He's been Grand Master since he was 16, and no one's been able to beat him ever since. __Gary__'s had plenty of opportunity to contest for the title of Grand Master but has never tried.'_

Ash smiled at his first Grass Pokémon. Good ol' Bulba. Faithful as a puppy and as stubborn as a mule, he still refused to evolve.

_'Whatever,' _Jenn rolled her eyes, _'Can we get this torture show on the road?'_

The gathered Pokémon exchanged mutual looks that were a mix of irritation and compassion that could be summed up in one sentence.

Ash was going to have his hands full.

ooo

While Ash may have been thinking the same thing, Gary was thinking quite the opposite. In a room near the Chosen One's, the chestnut haired man was staring at a Poké Ball.

"Just you and me," he whispered to it, "and we're going to win. I could just chalk this up as another win against Ash, but it's so much more than that."

"I quite agree," a voice came from behind him.

"What?" Gary spun around, then snorted with disdain, "You."

"Yes, me," Rudy said, looking smug. "And I have a proposition for you. One that could ensure your win over Ash."

"Go on," Gary said, looking suspicious.

"I know the world's most powerful Fae…"

The Viridian City Gym Leader snorted. "If you mean Puck…he's such a schmuck."

"No, I mean someone else. His name is Lucius and he has a grudge against the Fae we all know and hate," Rudy drawled while examining his fingernails.

"So what's he gonna do? Strike down Ash with a bolt of lightning?" Gary raised an eyebrow.

"No, though that's not a bad idea," the Trovita Island Leader looked thoughtful. "I wonder if he could strike down a certain Crew Leader…"

"Just get to the point," Gary growled. "I've got a battle to win in twenty minutes."

"Keep your shirt on," Rudy huffed back. "Lu can increase the power levels of your Umbreon so that not even Ash's electric rat can defeat it."

The Viridian Gym Leader was thoughtful for a moment. The offer was certainly tempting and it would definitely ensure a victory over a rival that he had been after for so many years. Not that he, Gary Oak, being the _brilliant_ trainer that he was, needed much help. "What's in it for this Lu person?"

"He gets to punish Jenn in a very public way," Rudy explained. "That blonde has been the ruin of his master plan. This was one of many ways he intended to repay her for her "

Gary smiled. "I _like_ the way this guy thinks. That blonde bitch needs to be _thumped_ hard," he slammed his fist into his palm for emphasis, "Not only did she refuse to take me back, but she bit me on my bum!"

"So you're in?"

"Sign me up," Gary smirked coldly, "But tell your boss he has within fifteen minutes to power up my Umbreon, and if he doesn't, then I'll be after _him _after dealing with Jenn."

"Oh, he'll power up your Pokémon," Rudy said, "Just make sure the battle is as long and drawn out as possible. Make sure Jenn pays for ruining his plan."

ooo

Shortly after that, there was a knock at the door of Gary's waiting room. The Viridian City Gym Leader's mouth gaped when he saw Rudy vanish into thin air. A smug look was on Rudy's face and he held up a hand and mouthed two words.

_Five minutes._

An attendant stepped into the room, "I'll be back to get you in five minutes, Mr. Oak. Will you be ready?"

"Yeah," Gary nodded, though he felt a little foolish. How could he believe Rudy was telling the truth? Would his Umbreon really receive a power upgrade by someone who said he was magical?

Running a hand through his hair, Gary leaned against a wall. There were no windows in this room, as it was below ground level, but he could still hear the dull roar of the crowds above. This would be nothing short of spectacular, and winning would be a huge boost to his already large reputation.

He had to win at all costs.

Gary took Umbreon's Poké Ball from the side clasp of the belt at his waist. It was minimized right now, just an ordinary looking red and white sphere. It was scuffed in places, showing its long use. He clasped it tightly, then felt a tingling coming from it.

With some surprise, he looked down at it as it rested in his palm. Were his eyes going on him, or had it been glowing an emerald green colour? He blinked and looked again, but the glow was gone.

The five minutes passed soon, and another knock came at the door and Gary started. Looking up, he saw the attendant open the door and peer in. "It's time, Mr. Oak. The match starts in ten minutes, so we'll have just enough time to get the two of you on the arena floor."

"I'm looking forward to it," Gary said, feeling smug. The Fae had come through for him. There was a tingling running through his hand, like an electric shock. That had to be what Rudy promised.

Following the attendant, a short man in his mid-twenties, Gary walked confidently behind. With Umbreon's Poké Ball in its place on the belt he'd had made especially for this match, Gary felt every bit the winner. Though his outfit, which consisted of black pants, a black dress shirt, and black shoes, felt like it was missing something, Gary's P.R. had told him that dressing in all black would be more polished than dressing in something flashy.

The attendant led him to an elevator, and Gary knew that it would take him to the arena floor. Once he stepped out of the elevator, he was greeted by big, beefy security guards. Two of them ushered him to the door that led to his side of the arena, and he knew Ash was waiting at an identical door on the other side of the arena.

There would be a bit of a walk to get to his side of the battling field, and he would be faced with a crush of paparazzi and media cameras. There was a walkway, red velvet ropes to hold back those of the media allowed on the field, and then the battle would begin.

"Drake said that you may release your Umbreon," one of the large security guards said. A headset was in place. Apparently, Drake was in complete control of his stadium. "And then you can step through the door."

Gary called out his Umbreon, which shook as if its fur was wet. It stared up at Gary with red eyes that flashed a bit of green before being pure red again. A smile crossed Gary's face as the door opened and the crushing cheers of the crowd washed over him like a powerful ocean wave.

Oh yes, this would be a battle to go down in the annals of history.

He would win it and Ash would lose.

No matter what.

ooo

_To be continued…_

_Author's Note__: Many thanks to my best friend Pikajenn for all her help and support over the 3 – 4 years I have been writing this saga. Her encouragement and suggestions are always invaluable and I really appreciate it. _

_I am thinking of starting a C2 community which will cover a broad range of categories. Pokémon, Twelve Kingdoms, Witch Hunter Robin, mythology, Buffy, CSI etc. This is for all the writers who want a bit of a challenge, there will be a topic set and you make it fit to your particular genre. Word limit of no less than 1000 words. Any interested people can contact me via email. _


	20. Chapter Nineteen: The Greatest Master of...

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Puck. The storyline does belong to me as do certain characters, like Lu, Callie, Flory, Joe, Poppy, Poptart.

A/N: _Dedicated to my best friend __Jenn__, and my 'lil sis' __Shannon__. Thanks for being there and for all your support._

ooo

_Chapter Nineteen: The Greatest Master of Pokémon_

"Weeeeeeeeelcome to Pummelo Stadium for the battle of the centuuuuuuury!" the announcer's voice boomed over the PA. "It's good to see a full house here for what could be the showdown of all showdowns! The weather's fabulous, you guys are great and this joint is juuuuuuuuuuuuumpin!"

Jaime wrinkled her nose. "Where _did_ you get this guy, Drake? He sounds like one of those Super Bowl announcers."

The Orange Crew Leader grinned sheepishly. "Actually Joe used to be a Super Bowl announcer before he moved here and the League hired him."

"Oooy," the Canadian sighed.

"Hey, he gets the crowds revved, it's all about the atmosphere!" Drake defended himself. "He's _very_ popular with the stadium audiences."

"Crazy Yanks," Chris muttered.

"Luckily Mia, Shannon and Jenn didn't hear that!" Puck grinned. "Otherwise you would have been the recipient of a triple smackdown!"

"Oooh yes, please," the Scot drooled before Erina whacked him on the back of the head.

ooo

Two of Chris's 'Crazy Yanks' were sitting with a 'Crazy Aussie' watching a TV monitor in a hospital room, all three wearing matching expressions of disgust.

"Can you _believe_ this guy?" Shannon moaned. "He sounds like a cheesy Super Bowl announcer!"

"I thought we'd gotten away from that," Mia shook her head.

"I only ever watch Super Bowl for the half-time entertainment," Trish confessed. "I hope this guy doesn't do all of the Stadium battles. How does Drake expect me to sit through that all the time?"

"Maybe you can wear earplugs," Mia joked.

ooo

Meanwhile the third 'Crazy Yank' was waiting patiently outside the entrance gate to the arena with Ash and his Pokémon entourage, and rolling her eyes at what she heard. '_As long as he doesn't shriek 'Touuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuchdown' during the battle and expect me to do a back flip in celebration_.' she thought.

"They're ready for you, Grand Master," an assistant with a headset had rushed up to them. "If you'll follow me…"

Ash walked after the assistant, and as the door opened, a wave of cheering washed over the group with a near physical sensation.

For a moment, Jenn froze and watched the others walk out into the mass of flashing lights and roaring noise. A paw at the back of her neck had her looking back and up. Charizard was there, standing above her. He bobbed his head once, '_You can do it, kiddo_.'

'_I dunno_…'

'_You may be surprised at just what you can achieve when put to the test,' the_ large lizard rumbled. '_Sometimes being under pressure brings out the best in people and reveals a level of inner strength that they never knew they had.'_

'_You've been watching Dr Phil again, haven't you,_' Jenn managed to joke despite her nerves.

'_We like to watch it with Ash_,' Charizard shrugged before giving her a gentle push forward. '_Now go on, they're waiting for you. And just remember you're never really alone out there. With Ash, you're a team.'_

Jenn nodded, took a deep breath and trotted out. She almost stopped at the massive roaring from the crowd, but managed to keep going. Looking around at the crowd, not to mention the labyrinth of media and cameras she was walking through to reach Ash, she wondered if this was what it felt like to be a singing superstar.

It was almost like being in a thunderstorm with the amount of flashes going off from the cameras, though she suspected it was for Charizard, who was walking behind her. After what felt like hours, she reached the waiting group of Ash and her Pokéfriends and they made their way around the perimeter of the arena to where the huge staircase led up to the giant marble statue of Dragonite.

Gary and his Umbreon were already there, along with Drake who was playing the gracious host, as well as the referee and two of the Orange Island's most respected sports broadcasters, who had secured the exclusive television rights to the event.

Once there, Jenn sat down by Ash's feet and took a good look at her opponent. The Umbreon glared at her in return and she felt a shiver run down her spine. Something wasn't right there…

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Pummelo Stadium for what promises to be the match of the century," one of the sportscasters, Rick, intoned into the microphone. "This match is being telecast _live_ through _PNBC_ to 20 countries!"

Jenn gulped at this. Talk about setting the stage for total and utter humiliation. And not just any ordinary humiliation, this was _international_ humiliation. A little voice in her mind said dryly, _'Next time, J girl, keep that mouth of yours shut!'_

_'Yeah, yeah,' _Jenn shot back_, 'Like you wouldn't have said the same thing to __Gary__.'_

ooo

"This match has been made possible by our hosts, the Orange League, represented here by Crew Leader Drake Thayer," Rick continued. "On behalf of the audience here in the Stadium and our viewers back home, we'd like to thank you for making this possible." Huge cheers and wolf whistles rang out as Drake acknowledged everyone with a wave.

"We've already talked to Gary and got his views when he came out before, so now we will turn to the man we've all been waiting for, Grand Master Ash Ketchum!" The roar from the crowd was almost deafening. Pikachu reached forward and carefully protected her daughter's ears.

"Hey Rick, nice to be here," Ash answered easily. "The crowds here in the Orange Islands are always great, always supportive and I love coming here." There was a huge standing ovation, and Ash held up his hands to calm the crowds down a bit.

At his feet, Jenn rolled her eyes before glancing up at him. Where were _his_ nerves? Sure, he did this thing for a living, so he was used to it, but he didn't look nervous at all. This wasn't just any old huge match for him, they were pretty much here basically because of her big mouth. She shook her head at Ash's fearlessness. Some people had all the luck.

"So what's the occasion?" the other presenter, Kurt, asked. "What made you two decide to battle in such a public arena? Is this a challenge for the position of Grand Master?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," Ash smiled. "This battle hasn't been sanctioned by the International Pokémon League, so no titles are up for grabs. It's just a battle that has been a very long time in coming, you could say."

"Back to your childhoods in Pallet?"

"That's right. And as we were both here in the Orange Islands for the League celebrations of their tricentennial, we thought it would be nice to add a little extra to the program."

"We've noticed you have a new Pokémon on your team," Rick noted, and the crowd cheered at that, "What made you decide to take on an Absol?"

Jenn shot a look at Gary, but her ex merely crossed his arms and looked at his rival with a smug look. It was her worst fears for him to not only say something, but that Lu would come around and magically change her back and then she'd be in front of millions with nothing on and _that_ would be total humiliation and…

"Well, I'm actually bringing this one on for a friend of mine," Ash explained, giving Jenn a reassuring wink, "She recently acquired it and wanted it tested out."

"Oh?" Kurt looked at Ash, "So it's not a present, then? What a great thing to do! Imagine that folks, having a Pokémon not only being in a huge match like this, but for it to be under the brief tutelage of the Grand Master!"

The crowds went wild at that, and the noise caused the assembled Pokémon to share a group cringe.

_'I'll be so happy when I'm human again,'_ Jenn winced at the noise, _'This enhanced hearing sucks!'_

ooo

Finally, the interview was over and during a commercial break they were being escorted back down the stairs to the field. Gary walked down the stairs behind Ash and his entourage, and he schooled himself to not glare at his rival. Flicking a glance at the Umbreon by his side, he allowed himself to smile shortly. His ace was not in his pocket, but walking next to him.

The crowd of Pokémon that surrounded Ash almost surprised Gary. Despite the fact that this was a one on one battle, the little twerp from Pallet had no less than six Pokémon by his side, not including Jenn.

The mass of photographers and camera crews had been removed from the floor of the stadium. Now it was clear, with just the hard packed dirt floor and white League markings. Once the two rivals stepped onto the stadium floor, the crowds seemed to settle the roaring to a dull murmur.

The two men were led to the direct centre of the stadium floor where they met up with Drake. The tall dark-haired man wore a barely noticeable earpiece microphone. When he spoke, his deep voice echoed through the Stadium and the crowd hushed to near silence.

"By League rules, since Gary challenged Ash, Ash will be making the first move. Once the match begins, I would appreciate that no one take any flash photography. Other forms of photography _are_ allowed, as long as there are no flashes," the Orange Crew Leader looked around, "What some of you might not realize, is that while this will be a one on one, non-sanctioned, Pokémon battle, this battle is also going to be a four round match."

The crowds murmured a bit more, and there were quite a few flashes of light as Drake wrapped up his pre-battle speech. "There will be two battles, then a star-studded half-time show, and then two more battles. The winner will be determined by who wins the most battles. In the event of a tie, the winner will be asserted by last Pokémon standing after a one hit attack, final death match." He looked back to Ash and Gary. "Trainers, please, call out your Pokémon."

"Umbreon," Gary said smoothly, and the Umbreon walked in front of Gary and stood protectively.

"Absol," Ash countered, giving Jenn an encouraging look when she hesitated. The Grand Master noted that she gulped, but stood in front of Ash, just as Umbreon did for Gary.

"Alright," Drake nodded, "Now that the Pokémon have been called out, will both Trainers please go to their battle positions."

Gary snorted and sneered a little as he and Ash walked to opposite sides of the field. Their respective Pokémon walked by their sides and Drake stood in the centre of the field. Once the two men stopped at their sides of the field, the Pummelian continued.

"Once I clear the field, the battle will commence," Drake looked up, "Dragonite, if you will…"

There was a low roar and with a rush of wind, Dragonite swooped down, apparently from nowhere, and landed neatly by Drake. Nimbly, the Orange Crew Leader leapt onto his trusted friend's back and the two flew up to an open booth high above the field.

"ARE YOU READY FOR A BAAAAAAATTTTLE!" Joe screamed into the mike and the crowd went wild once again.

ooo

An hour later…things were not going well for Jenn or Ash. Every move seemed to be anticipated by Gary and his Umbreon and the attacks used by the Dark Pokémon hit with devastating force. Their friends and supporters watched with dismay as the scoreboard registered 2 – 0.

_'What's going on?_' Pikachu muttered, wringing her tiny paws. '_Gary__'s Umbreon isn't that powerful!'_

_'Yeah, I mean we've whopped his ass a few times!_' Charizard rumbled.

Espeon, who had been quiet until now, spoke up, gently swishing her tail from side to side. '_Guys, there's something strange about that Umbreon…I don't know what it is yet…'_

ooo

In Trish's hospital room, things were tense. "What the _hell_ is going on!" Trish frowned. "Jenn's getting thumped out there!" She stuck her hand out to the side. "Coffee."

Mia hesitated before pouring her friend another cup. "But Trish, isn't this is like your _third _cup already?"

"Just gimme the damn coffee or Puck gets hurt!" was the answering growl.

ooo

The referee called half-time and both teams retired to their respective locker rooms. The half-time entertainment began, but for those in the Orange Crew Leader's private box, it held no attraction.

"What on earth is going on?" Drake muttered, a frown creasing his handsome features. "Gary's Umbreon isn't that powerful…Dragonite creams him every time. Pikachu creams him!"

"So why isn't Jenn creaming him?" Jaime asked, a little pale.

"I have no idea! Absols have a special ability called Pressure. Every attack by the opponent costs them two PP instead of one. Ash worked hard on making sure Jenn knew how to use that move, inside and out," Drake shrugged, "So by all rights, that Umbreon should be exhausted!"

ooo

Down in the locker room, Ash and the Pokémon were hovering anxiously as a Medical Chansey attended to Jenn.

The Absol was bruised and battered and she whimpered as Chansey put a paw on a particularly tender spot. Ash knelt down next to her and gently stroked the furry head. "I'm sorry, Jenn that you're being put through this. We can forfeit the battle now if you want to. It's not worth you getting even more badly hurt than you already are."

Jenn struggled to an upright position. '_No!_' she panted.

'_No what?_' Meganium blinked.

_'We are **not** gonna forfeit! It was totally because of **my** big mouth that Ash's in this situation at all! **He**'s the one who's putting his reputation on the line.'_

_'There's nothing new about that,' _Charizard snorted a flame of amusement.

Ignoring him, Jenn continued, _'Yeah, but after I change back, no one will know that I was the Absol. No one would know that **I** was the reason that Ash Ketchum lost to Gary Oak, because I was too weak and too stupid to win against his Umbreon.'_

"Jenn…" Ash began.

'_No, hear me out!'_ the human-turned Absol protested. '_You've done so much for me this past month with the training and the housing. You've put so much effort into this and you have so much faith…the least I can do to repay it is to whup __Gary__'s ass.'_

"Well I won't argue there," Ash said wryly, "but there's nothing you can do that you haven't already tried to do. Do you understand?"

Jenn gave him a dubious look that clearly said he was nuts.

"What I mean is that you've fought your hardest and taken a lot more damage than any other Pokémon…"

Charizard made a sound very close to a human clearing a throat.

Ash shot the big dragon a look, "…Than any other Pokémon that really wasn't a Pokémon at all. Deep down, you're human. That is a fact that can't be changed. You're doing what no other human, to my knowledge anyway, has ever done. You're fighting as a Pokémon against a Pokémon. Using Pokémon abilities and fighting tooth and claw."

Jenn looked uncomfortable, _'I can't say that for certain though.'_

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, as Chansey finished doctoring up Jenn.

_'I mean, there's this voice in my head during battle, and it's telling me to do this or to do that, but sometimes it doesn't make sense to me, so I don't listen to it.'_

_'So she's human, blonde, and hearing voices,' _Charizard rumbled. _'She's lost it.'_

_'No, she hasn't,' _Pikachu murmured, _'she's fighting instinct. __Jenn__, you **have** to listen to that voice. Maybe that's why you're losing.'_

"That would only be part of the problem," a gentle, feminine voice interrupted them. "The other part is magic. Magic is why she's losing."

ooo

On the opposite side of the stadium, a very different atmosphere was in the locker room. Gary Oak was congratulating himself and his Pokémon on the way things were going.

"Just one more win and we'll have done it," he told the Dark Pokémon as he scratched behind its ears. His biggest rival defeated and humiliated, as would his ex-girlfriend.

Sweet justice indeed for he suspected there was something going on between those two. There was a special kind of relationship between Jenn and Ash. What his rival had that he didn't was beyond him. There was no man on earth better than Gary Oak, lover extraordinaire.

And after he had thrashed Ash, Gary would then claim the title of Grand Master. After all, that was the title he deserved and Ash would not be worthy of holding it after such a defeat.

An assistant had stopped by ten minutes earlier, asking if Gary would want to come up and watch the half-time show, but the chestnut-haired man scowled and demanded food and drink. After scurrying off like a scared rat, the man had come back with Gary's demands.

Now sipping on his drink, which was Cristal, Gary sat back in a recliner and watched a replay of the last half of the battle. His narrowed gaze took in the field, and he laughed when one of Umbreon's attacks struck his ex and sent her flying back.

The stadium lights had begun to flicker on about then, and as the dust cleared and Jenn shakily stood, Gary saw a glint of light sparkle for a split second. Frowning, he used the remote to rewind and then slowly replay the scene. There it was again, a slight twinkle of light.

"What the hell is that?" he wondered out loud. "Some sort of jewellery?" Gary sat back in the plush leather recliner and snorted, "I'd accuse Ash of sleeping with her, but even I don't think he's idiot enough to do interspecies."

"No," a silken male voice intruded on Gary's thinking time, "That is the Jewel of Coni Neume."

Gary jumped as if electrocuted, and spun around in the chair to see a tall red-haired man. "You!"

"Yes, _me_," the man smiled darkly, "And you're welcome, Mister Oak, for the gift bestowed upon your Umbreon."

"Uh, thank you?" Gary gulped.

Another dark look from Lucius, "Yes, well, your ex has a little help of her own."

"What!"

"I am surprised that you managed to see the glint of the jewel given to her by the Chosen One," Lu poured himself some of Gary's alcohol, much to Gary's quiet dismay, "Most humans would not be able to see it."

"So he gave her some jewellery," Gary looked bored, "So what?"

"That is not just any piece of jewellery," Lu said patiently, "That jewel has the ability to enhance its bearer's natural powers."

Gary looked confused, then angry, "Ash is cheating!"

"Precisely."

"I am going to annihilate him and I will do it by having Umbreon destroy Jenn." Gary turned to Lu, "Can you boost Umbreon's powers again? I want Ash to go down in flames."

Lu smiled once again, "It just so happens that I had something in mind."

ooo

"What do you mean, magic?" Ash asked. "I didn't think Gary knew any."

"Not him, Chosen One," Callie said in her gentle voice, "but _Lucius_ does know magic."

_'Yeah, I think we've covered that,'_ Jenn sounded annoyed, then snapped at the Chansey, _'Hello, that **hurts**! Stop doing that.'_

_'Well if **you** would stop **squirming**, I could get this bandaged faster!'_ The Chansey defended herself. _'I told you before that the healing machines would heal you of this if you would let it.'_

_'It's just a little scratch.'_

Chansey gave Jenn a scathing look. The 'little scratch' was a chunk of flesh the size of an American half-dollar that just so happened to be missing from the top left of Jenn's shoulder, thanks to a weakly deflected Bite attack from Umbreon. _'I suppose I'll have to just feel better about slathing it with antibiotic cream.'_

_'There you go,' _Jenn said, then turned her attention to Ash_. 'Now, about Lu knowing magic, which I believe, is something we already know Lu knows...'_

Charizard sidled up to Ash, _'Anytime you want me to flame throw her, you just let me know.'_

_'And anytime you want that overgrown pair of boots iced up, you just let **me** know,' _Jenn shot back with a growl that prompted Charizard to growl back. Being that Charizard could put a thunderous rumble to it, he won that round.

"Enough!" Callie cried out, "We have bigger things to deal with! Lucius has magically enhanced Gary's Umbreon to the point where it can easily defeat you, Jenn."

Jenn's eyes widened, _'He's cheating!'_

Callie nodded, "Exactly. And though you wear the Jewel of Coni Neume, what Lu has done to that Umbreon effectively cancels the jewel's abilities."

"Is there anything you can do about it?" Ash asked, "Can you remove the enhancement from the Umbreon?"

"I did that just before coming to see you and…" Callie fell silent and frowned prettily, "He's here."

"Who?"

_'Lucius.'_Pikachu nodded. _'I thought I could sense darkness.'_

_'I don't feel a thing.' _Jenn shook her head, _'I think you guys are imagining things.'_

Callie walked over to Jenn and crouched down, "Let me help you with that," and the brunette placed a slender hand on Jenn's forehead.

Jenn felt a tingle from the Fae's fingers and then the Absol's eyes widened in shock, _'It's so…evil.'_

_'I think we've been trying to tell you that,' _Espeon chuckled.

_'B…but this…it's **pure** evil,' _Jenn said, a touch of fear tinging her words_, 'How can I even try to stop this? How can I even begin to think I could win against this? I can't **do** this!'_

_'Here we go again,' _Charizard sighed in annoyance.

Pikachu looked up at the big lizard in surprise. _'Charizard…'_

_'No, I'm really getting sick of it,' _Charizard stalked over to the cot Jenn was lying on. At his approach, she lifted her head and glowered at him.

_'Don't even go there.'_

_'Oh, I'm going there,' _Charizard said, then roughly picked up the Absol under the forearms, who squeaked in semi-pained surprise._ 'You have **got** to snap out of it. You're plenty powerful in your own right, and after training with Ash, you're even more powerful.' _

_'Let go of me!'_

Ash went to intervene, but Callie held him back, shaking her head slightly. He relented and stood back.

_'Ash, call off your guard dog!' _Jenn gasped out, but when Ash stepped back even more the ex-blonde struggled against the strong dragon's grip._ 'Please, just let me go. I'm going to hide in that Poké Ball and let you guys deal with Lu.'_

At that, Charizard tightened hisgrip_, 'Stop thinking like a **human**. Even now you're fighting against me like a human.'_

_'Well, duh,' _Jenn snapped_, 'I am one!'_

_'Not currently,' _Charizard shot back_. 'Once you embrace your Pokémon side, you can tap into that power you have, and you can defeat that Umbreon, and in a sense you can defeat a part of Lu.'_

Pikachu felt a tingle as the fur on her back began to rise. She felt surprised, until she realized it was dark energy beginning to build. She looked up at Callie, who winked. _:Should__ I take cover: _she telepathically asked the Fae.

_:No__, I'll shield everyone but Charizard and __Jenn_

_:Why__ not Charizard:_

_:Oh__, he's asking for this: _Callie's mental chuckle came through loud and clear, and Pikachu had to fight to not laugh out loud. It would ruin the moment.

_'Let. __Me.__ GO!' _Jenn shouted, striking out with the built up energy, instead of physically. She obviously thought she was hitting Charizard physically, but instead the dark energy lashed out, which released Jenn from the large dragon's grip and threw Charizard against the far wall with a thunderclap of power.

Now on the ground, Jenn blinked._ 'Um…'_

_'I'd say she's ready,' _Charizard said, before sagging back against the wall.

Ash knelt by Jenn, "I hope that didn't take too much out of you."

_'Actually, I feel really good,' _Jenn sounded surprised_. 'Like I could do that all night. Er…well you know what I mean.'_

Ash shook his head wryly, "Yeah, I know. You ready? I'm sure the half-time show is just about over."

_'I rather think I am,'_ Jenn said, Absol-grinning and standing tall.

ooo

From the other side of underground trainer's rooms, Lucius glared suddenly. He'd felt the sudden build up and release of power. Quickly, he retooled the spell for bulking up Gary's Umbreon. He'd need a more powerful source for the Dark Pokémon.

'_It must be Callie,' _Lucius thought menacingly,_ 'That is the only way for __Jenn__ to tap in to the power I'd blocked off after her transformation. However, that newfound power could come with a high price. All I would have to do is make sure it…'_

"Are you _done_ yet?" Gary's nasally voice broke into Lu's thoughts, "I have a battle to finish winning."

Gritting his teeth, Lu glared at the human. "Foolish Mortal! I was attempting a spell!"

"So sorry," Gary said, most unapologetically, then seemed taken aback. "It wasn't for Umbreon, was it?"

"No," Lu was suddenly very short on patience for this human mortal. He had to remind himself that the end result would be abject humiliation and defeat for Jenn, who had ruined his most intricate of plans. "However, if you must insist on being so rude, I could just leave you to your fate."

"What fate!"

"Jenn has been given access to her Pokémon side," Lu said patiently, not wanting to repeat or clarify further. "Thusly she can tap into the dark powers with ease, and the process of winning this battle over you should be more simple for her as she has been trained intently by Ash."

"Huh?"

Lu mentally counted to ten, a human therapeutic move that proved helpful to him when dealing with slow members of that species. "What do you think would happen when a mortal attempts to drive a vehicle, and manages well enough but really doesn't know how to, only this mortal suddenly has full access to every bit of knowledge needed to drive said vehicle?"

"They, uh, know how to drive it?" Gary said weakly, then realization flooded him. "You're telling me that she knows how to _be_ an Absol rather than just pretending like she does? I mean, even though she'd been transformed."

Lu waved a hand, "In so many words, yes."

"Umbreon's power level is nearing one fifty," Gary said, "I scanned Jenn, and she's barely around fifty. Umbreon was three times as powerful before you."

"I know how powerful she is," Lu sniffed disdainfully, "I did, in a fashion, create her."

"Well you made her too _high_ a level!" Gary snapped, "You could've made her a ten, at least!"

"Do not _dare_ threaten me, Mortal!" Lu's eyes flared green, and Gary took an involuntary step back, "Now that Callie has helped release that power in Jenn, she's nearing one hundred. Add in to that the Jewel of Coni Neume, and she will be near level with your Umbreon. If you factor in to that her Ash-like stubbornness, you've got something that could defeat you."

"She doesn't know that Umbreon has been enhanced," Gary said, seemingly not at all put off by Lu's statement.

"She does!" Lucius growled. "I abhor that I must admit that Callie found that out, too."

Gary groaned and sank back into the leather recliner, "I'm sunk. There goes all my dreams of being Grand Master."

"Not just yet, human," Lucius smiled thinly, "There is still a way."

"Tell me," Gary said, just a bit desperately.

ooo

Drake was about to give the go-ahead for the attendants to fetch the competitors when his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Drake – what is going _wrong_ out there!" It was Trish and the girl did _not_ sound happy at all.

"Callie and Puck recognised Lu's magical signature…."

"LU!" he had to hold the phone away from his ear at the shriek of anger at the other end.

"And it seems that he has enhanced Gary's Umbreon to such power levels that even Pikachu wouldn't be able to defeat it."

"Why that no good mangy maggot…" Trish seethed.

"So Callie's cancelled Lu's spell and is speaking to Ash and Jenn as we speak."

"Good! She'd _better _do something otherwise Jenn could get killed out there!"

"I know it doesn't look good at the moment, but there's still two matches to go," he tried to reassure his girlfriend. "Ash and Jenn can still win this."

"I don't CARE about the damn result!" the Australian said hotly. "What I care about is the life of my best friend! If this gets any worse _you_'d better get out there and stop the match at once!"

"Sweetie…"

"Don't you 'Sweetie' me!" Trish cut him off. "I swear, Drake Thayer, that if _anything_ really bad happens to Jenn…Like if she gets sent to another dimension or killed or maimed…You are sleeping on the _couch _when I get out of here!"

The Orange Crew Leader gulped. "Yes, dear."

There was the sound of fumbling and then a new voice came on line. It was Shannon and she sounded very apologetic. "Uh, sorry about that Drake. But I think you should know that this is a result of 6 cups of coffee with two sugars each. Her blood pressure has gone through the roof."

"Couldn't you and Mia have just not given her _any_ coffee?"

"Are you _crazy_? We would have had our heads bitten off!"

ooo

Soon the contestants were back on the field. Ash stood on his side of the field with Jenn standing in front of him in a fighting stance. Blocking out the sounds of the crowd around him, the Grand Master took a deep breath and focussed on the task at hand. They had to win the next two matches to force a play-off. They were facing a formidable opponent who was even more powerful due to evil.

Evil forces that were using Pokémon to achieve the goals. As the Chosen One, he could not let such abuse go unpunished. He looked over at his opponent, Gary was standing there looking smug and arrogant as usual. Ash narrowed his gaze a little before letting the hint of a smile play across his lips. Lucius might know of the talisman the Jewel of Coni Neume, but there was no way he could know the true extent of its powers. Ash did, and he would unleash its full force when the time was right.

"And it looks like we're about to start folks!" Joe chirped from his booth high above the crowds. "Will we see a straight series wipe out of the Grand Master? Or will he and his Absol stage a DRAMATIC comeback and level the score? That's right, we've got it all here for an action packed second half – power, passion, tactics, mastery…Are we ready to RUMBLE!

Down on the arena floor, Jenn rolled her eyes. '_Oh, puh-leeeeeeeeeeazzzzzzzze.'_

"You ready?" Ash murmured, knowing she would hear it.

_'Yeah, I feel loads better after knowing that Gay…I mean, __Gary__, is cheating.'_

"Just trust me," Ash looked back at Gary, who tossed his head challengingly, "I know what to do."

_'Yes, because you've been doing so well this far,' _Jenn snorted.

"Well he was cheating. Now, thanks to Callie, he's not," Ash raked a hand through his hair, ever aware of the crowds, "Though he's been led to think that he is."

_'And that's how?' _Jenn took a tentative step forward, watching as a referee was walking closer for a last minute check over. His job was to make sure there were no physical enhancers on the Pokémon in question. Of course, he'd never know about anything supernatural.

Ash knelt by Jenn as the referee grew closer, "Callie cast a glamour spell, one that mimics the one Lu set."

Standing as the referee crouched to look Jenn over, Ash looked back at Gary, who shot him another challenging look. Then he looked at the crowds, and picked out the open air luxury box that held the others. It was so far up, he could barely see who was who.

The referee's echoing voice almost startled Ash. "Both Pokémon are clear. We are ready to resume!"

As the echo's faded into the resumed roar of the crowds, Ash stood in his spot and looked once more over the field. This time there would be a field change, one that had boulders and dry dusty conditions. He remembered it well from his battle with Drake. Pikachu had battled against Drake's Ditto in an almost unfair, yet equally matched battle.

He hoped the outcome of this battle would also be in his favour.

ooo

Jenn watched as the motors beneath the stadium floor began to whirr, sliding the standard battlefield plates into the sides, revealing a cavernous depth from which another field was rising steadily. There was a loud clang as the field clicked into place. _Drake sure likes his high tech gadgets,_ she thought.

:_You__ ready, __Jenn_ Ash's smooth voice echoed in her head.

The Absol shook her head slightly. :_What__ are you doing in my head:_

:_Just__ to remind you to relax and let your Pokémon nature take control until after the battle. That is how we're going to win. You have to forget you're a human, you have to be an Absol in thought, word and deed:_

_:But__ will I be able to get my human self back:_

_:Of__ course! You just have to think human again:_

_:How__ am I supposed to think human if I'm thinking completely like an Absol:_

_:Would__ you just **trust** me? I'm not the head of the whole League for nothing.:_

_:Gee__, and here I thought it was a mix of your good looks and stunning personality.:_

_Jenn_The warning tone came through very clearly.

Jenn sighed. :_Okay__, if you say so. But if it doesn't work it's gonna be your funeral, because Trish will kill you. Head of the League or not:_

The referee raised his flags. "Begin!"

"Umbreon, Double Team!" Gary called out to his Pokémon.

The Moonlight Pokémon began to run around the field at such a fast pace that Jenn was seeing multiple Umbreons.

"Close your eyes and focus, Absol!" Ash hollered to Jenn.

She did so and his voice echoed in her mind. :_The__ one on the right is the **real **Umbreon.:_

_:I__ can't think like an Absol if you keep on helping me cheat as a human:_

_:I'll__ use this link to bring you back if you can't. Until then…:_

Jenn nodded as his telepathic voice faded and Ash gave his next order. "Faint Attack now!" She concentrated and blended into her surroundings so perfectly, that to Gary and Umbreon it was if she ceased to exist.

**_WHAM!_** 104 pounds of Disaster Pokémon appeared out of thin air and slammed into the Umbreon.

"We have a SMACKDOWN!" Joe screamed as the Umbreon was knocked across the hard packed floor like a rock being skipped across a pond. The crowd resumed its screaming roar as the Grand Master's Pokémon stood calmly, awaiting its next order.

"Absol!" Ash called out. He kept his features neutral as the white silken creature turned and regarded him with cool _red_ eyes. _'She did it,'_ he thought quickly. _'Hopefully there's enough of her in there to obey me!'_

But as the battle progressed from there, Ash realized that there was enough of Jenn's consciousness left and Jenn the Absol obeyed with no problem.

"Umbreon, Bite Attack!" Gary screamed at the top of his lungs. Things had definitely turned around from the first half. Despite Lu's reconfiguring the spell on Umbreon, the Viridian City Gym Leader was finding the going tough. Ash and Jenn seemed to anticipate his every move and counter with an attack that scored a direct hit on Umbreon.

There was something different about Jenn too. It was in the way she moved and the way she responded to Ash's commands. There was more confidence, no hesitation, no holding back. Gary couldn't figure out what it was exactly.

Umbreon charged towards the lithe white Pokémon, jaws wide open. Gary held his breath. Would this move work?

"Absol! Faint Attack now!" the Grand Master said calmly. The Pokémon melted into the background and Umbreon skidded to a halt, confused as to his opponent's location. Just as he swung his head to the left, the attack connected with crushing force, with Jenn ramming from the right with a force that sent the slightly smaller Pokémon flying and crashing into one of the many boulders that were strewn over the field.

"Umbreon!" Gary gasped as the fox-like Pokémon slumped against the rock, eyes closed.

The referee rushed over and counted to three before raising the flag. "Umbreon has fainted! This match goes to the Grand Master and his Absol!"

"SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE!" came the familiar enthusiastic shriek from the PA as the crowds went wild.

The Viridian City Gym Leader gritted his teeth as Ash ran onto the field to Jenn and hugged the Pokémon. _Damn that man, damn that…**bitch**._ Just then, the cameras from the Jumbotron screen zoomed in on the victorious pair, and Gary gasped. Jenn's eyes were the usual Absol red instead of blue. What had happened? A chill ran down his spine as he realised that someway, somehow she had turned into a _real_ Absol. _I guess I should be more careful on how I talk about people, _he snickered inwardly.

Then he grasped the gravity of the situation, and in turn, the knowledge of what could very well be Ash's impending victory. Jenn was _fully_ an Absol, unless she'd managed to slip in red contacts in the matter of seconds. But how had this second transformation happened? He dismissed the idea that his rival had anything to do with it, after all Ash was no magical being.

Nor was Ash special in any way. He was just a 'small-town kid made good' as the papers liked to say. Sure, Gary had seen in the papers about Ash saving the world many years ago in this very archipelago and how this had been 'foretold' in an ancient legend. Ash Ketchum, the Chosen One.

_As if, _Gary thought sourly. He, the great Gary Oak, would have saved the world single-handedly – had he been in the area at the time. Gary Oak was the _real_ Chosen One, not Ash "I'm the Loser" Ketchum. After all, was he not the only grandson of the world's number one authority on Pokémon, Professor Samuel Oak? Had he not been driven around by an adoring entourage of his own personal cheerleaders who followed his every move on his Pokémon journeys? And what did Ash have in comparison? The twerp had walked or caught public transportation and his only support was Mr Squinty Eyes and the Runt from the Sensational Sisters.

Anyway, he digressed. What his Umbreon was now facing was not a human-turned-Absol but the genuine article, and one powered up by intense training. Gary watched as the Pokémon wagged her tail furiously and licked Ash on the cheek. How could his rival control a wild, uncaptured Pokémon? _Duh, Gary_, he chastised himself as he remembered. _Ash is the Grand Master. A Pokémon Master can control **any** Pokémon, world-wide. _He sighed in frustration, _This may be harder than I thought…_

ooo

There was a twenty minute interval as Chanseys tended to both Pokémon. Pikachu tugged on her friend's pant leg. '_What move did you have in mind next, Pikapi?_'

Ash grinned at his first Pokémon. "Oh, I was thinking that Return might be a good one for Jenn."

The electric mouse blinked. _'Return?__ That boosts the Pokémon's base attacks, but that's only effective if the Pokémon **really**_…' she trailed off and then looked at her Trainer. '_Very sneaky, Pikapi_.'

"I know," he said with mock modesty, "It's a talent not easily mastered."

_'Pikapi…don't make me shock some sense in to you.' _Her voice was full of dry humour, _'I wouldn't want to waste the electricity.'_

Ash gave her a sour look, "Gee, thanks. You're such a pal."

_'Speaking of pals,' _Charizard came up to Ash, _'She hasn't said anything, has she?'_

Ash looked in the direction the large dragon was pointing to. Jenn, who really wasn't herself, was curled up on a cot, apparently taking a quick nap. The sudden ring of his cell phone startled him, and Ash quickly snapped it up.

"Hello?"

"Ash, how are things going?" It was Trish, and she sounded anxious.

Sparing a quick glance at the sleeping Absol, Ash turned and walked towards a leather chair that faced a large wall mounted plasma TV. Currently tuned to the Pokémon Battle Network, it showed the brief intermission between the last two battles.

"It's going well," Ash said, in a somewhat lowered tone of voice.

"What's with the whispering?" Trish asked suspiciously, "Is there someone around and you don't want them to hear you?"

"No," Ash said, his face flushing momentarily. He couldn't exactly say he didn't want to wake up a potentially feral Jenn. "Jenn's taking a quick catnap."

"Don't you mean Absol nap?" Trish chuckled. "I bet it Absol-utely refreshes her!"

"Yeah," Ash laughed weakly. "That's…That's about what I hope for."

At his feet, Pikachu looked up with what would be a cocked eyebrow for a human. _'Pikapi's not telling the truth, the whole truth, so help him, Mew.'_

Sending a withering look at Pikachu, who scampered away with a high pitched pika-giggle, Ash heard Trish ask, "Is something wrong?"

"Wrong?" Ash relocated his stomach from his throat back to its proper location. "Of course not. We're making a come back."

"Because you sound a little stressed."

"Really?" Ash managed a more normal sounding laugh, this time out of relief. "I _am_ under a lot of stress. I can't lose this battle!"

"Neither can Jenn," Trish reminded him gently.

"Yeah, her too," Ash looked back at Jenn, who was still asleep. "I'm just getting tired, that's all. I wouldn't mind a little nap of my own."

"Oh, and I've kept you on the phone, too!" Trish sounded taken aback. "I'm sorry, Ash."

"Nah, it's okay," Ash shrugged, "I can just grab an energy drink."

"Try coffee," Trish said, clearly taking a sip of her own, "It works wonders."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ash said, wincing slightly as an attendant walked in. Spotting the Grand Master on the phone, the younger man mouthed 'Five minutes' and left the room. "Ah, I have to go now though. Keep watching though. I guarantee you'll enjoy the show!"

"Mmhmm," Trish said, "Though I'll be glad once it's over, win or lose. It's tiring just to watch! I couldn't imagine actually going through it."

"It's interesting, that's for sure," Ash said, "It's not often you get to battle with a close friend, especially when she's the one you're ordering around."

Pikachu tugged at his pants.

"Trish, I gotta go. I'll talk to you after the match." He hung up with Trish and turned around. Jenn was sitting on her haunches on the cot, regarding him with calm red eyes.

"Time to go, everyone," he said, as he walked towards the door of the room. He didn't have to turn around to know that everyone, which consisted of Pikachu, Charizard, and Jenn, were following close behind.

ooo

Gary watched impassively as his rival came out onto the field to thunderous applause, followed by his faithful Pokémon. He never understood the depth of the bond that the dark-haired Trainer had with his Pokémon. Or rather he never understood what inspired such unwavering loyalty in the creatures. Certainly, none of his offered to accompany him and Umbreon to the match. Ash, the Loser had 7 of his! The chestnut-haired Gym Leader clenched his fist. He had to win this next match.

ooo

Across the field, Ash knelt down in front of Jenn as the other Pokémon gathered round in a circle. "Okay, guys, we win this next match then we've drawn level with Gary. Then it will come down to a one shot, sudden death match. We work together, we can pull this thing off. We're a team."

ooo

"Begin!" came the call from the referee.

"Absol, Return!" Ash called out to his Pokémon.

Gary blinked. "Return? What kind of lame excuse for an attack is that?"

Ash just smiled serenely. "You'll see."

"Umbreon, Quick Attack!"

"Absol, Quick Attack as well!" the Grand Master called.

The two Pokémon charged each other at top speed, with Jenn approaching at a slight angle. The two creatures crashed into each other, the Absol turning at the last minute so her shoulder connected with Umbreon's middle. The speed at which they connected and the momentum sent the Dark Pokémon flying back a few metres and landing in a cloud of dust.

"Whaat?" Gary gasped in disbelief as he watched Umbreon shakily get up on his feet.

Ash shook his head. "Now, now Gary, as Viridian Gym Leader, you should have known that Return boosts the base attacks of your Pokémon, depending on how much they like you." He smiled slyly. "And it just so happens that this Absol _likes_ me."

"You **_bastard_**!" the Viridian Gym Leader snarled. Of course, the television producers had their finger on the censor button and bleeped that part out.

Ash gave a benign smile. "Really, Gary. There's no need for swearing, this is just a game. It's not as if this matters in any large way, other than for the highest bragging rights around. But I think you are supposed to be a role model to all these young trainers." He motioned to the crowds around the two.

Gary grumbled under his breath.

ooo

To Gary's horror, things only got worse from that point. Ash and Jenn won that match, thus levelling the score at two matches won between the two rounds. With the final two matches being won by Team Loser, there was a necessity of the one hit sudden death match.

Gary stalked around the locker room, cursing and swearing as a Medical Chansey tended to Umbreon.

"Why is this happening! Why are we LOSING to that LOSER! We _can't_ lose! You aren't trying hard enough!" This was directed towards Umbreon who raised his head and whimpered. The poor Pokémon was trying his little heart out, but it just wasn't enough.

"Or aren't YOU trying hard enough!" Gary swung on Lu who was lounging in the recliner. "You said I couldn't lose, so why am I suddenly losing? What are _you_ going to do about it!"

By some superhuman effort, the Fae managed to keep his cool. "If you don't ask nicely, I won't feel the need to do _anything_ and then you really _will _lose."

Gary managed to settle down. "Okay, fine."

"Now shut up and let me work."

ooo

A few minutes later, both contestants were back in their places, waiting patiently for Joe to finish his spiel. "Annnnnnd now this is the moment we've been all been waiting for folks. One attack will determine who is the greatest Master of these two. DO YOU WANNA BE A MASTER?"

"OF POKÉMON!" The crowd roared back.

"DO YOU HAVE THE SKILLS…"

"TO BE NUMBER ONE!" was the answering chant.

'_Well, he knows how to earn his wages_,' Ash thought with a wry smile as he surveyed the happy crowds. Not that he minded, since Ash was the type who reacted to the energy and vibes of the crowds around him. It energised _him_ and his Pokémon.

The Grand Master turned his attention back to the matter at hand. One shot, one attack, last Pokémon standing. The winner takes it all. Jenn would have to give it her best shot. Glancing over at his opponent's Pokémon, Ash was surprised to see a very black aura surrounding Gary.

What many people didn't know about Ash was that he was able to see psychic auras. It was a side-effect from the time he ran in between the psybeams of the two most powerful Psychic Pokémon in the world, Mew and Mewtwo. Being hit with so much powerful psychic energy not only 'killed' him, but changed him a little bit.

Ash's mahogany brown eyes narrowed at the sight. While Gary wasn't normally a person with a true dark aura, this particular darkness had the taint of _pure_ evil, and this evil had spread towards his rival's Pokémon. Umbreon was enhanced once more by Lu.

Ash sighed sadly. It was time to spring his own surprise.

A sudden gust of wind blew around the stadium and ruffled the fur on both Pokémon. Ash's eyes glowed golden for a moment, and it was mirrored in that of Jenn's. The diamond talisman around her neck also glowed brightly before fading away.

"Ash! What did you just do!" Gary bellowed like an enraged Tauros. By his side, Umbreon growled.

"I did nothing, Gary," Ash answered calmly, well aware that the microphones they wore would pick up every word. Flashlights flickered randomly from spots in the stadium's crowd. "Maybe you're seeing things. These extended battles do tend to exhaust trainers and pokémon alike."

The Viridian Gym Leader cursed some more, once again being censored.

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Gary, I told you before that there is no need for swearing. Not only that, you are tarnishing the reputation of the Kanto League by your conduct. I warn you that if you persist on swearing, I'm going to have to discipline you."

"Nice to see you memorized the rule book, Ashy boy," the chestnut-haired Gym Leader sneered. "Besides, I know you. You wouldn't dare discipline the Great Gary Oak!"

"Oh I dare," Ash raised an eyebrow. "As the Grand Master, not only am I head of the entire League, but I'm also your boss. I'm the one who signs your pay check and if you continue to swear like that, I'll be forced to dock your pay."

Gary glared but said nothing.

Just then Ash heard a soft voice in his mind. :_Hey__ Ash, it's Espeon here. Charizard said to tell you two to quit yapping and start battling:_

_:In__ a moment, Espeon. I'm trying to stall a little. __Jenn__'s just about finished absorbing the powers of the jewel.: _He watched the Absol toss her head and stare at the Umbreon. If looks could kill, Ash knew Umbreon would be in a world of pain.

Ash felt Espeon's presence recede from his thoughts and the Grand Master smiled. "Are you ready, Gary?"

"Bring it on," Gary said mockingly. "It's not like you'll win. My Umbreon is far _superior_ to your weak Absol's limited…knowledge."

Ash shook his head, "I think you should know that this particular Absol has had a recent learning boost. She's about to throw the learning curve out the window."

Gary's smug look faltered for a second, then he narrowed his eyes, "Get ready, Umbreon."

The ebony Pokémon growled and the fur raised on its back.

"Okay, Absol," Ash said gently, "This is it. Let's make it count."

The stadium lights cast a pearlescent sheen on the Absol's coat and it stalked forward a couple of steps before stopping.

The crowd fell silent as the two pokémon advanced. All they were waiting for was the word from the announcer, and the announcer waited for the signal from Drake.

That signal came and Joe's voice boomed over the speaker system.

"BEEEGIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNN!"

ooo

In the Orange Crew Leader's private box, hands were clenched tight, as they were in a hospital room across the city.

In far off Kanto, the inhabitants of a certain former sleepy town (now a bustling metropolis thanks to their famous 'sons') were also glued to their television sets. This was especially so in two particular households. One was the Taylor residence, where Delia (née Ketchum) and her husband, Steven, had invited all their family and friends to watch her 'little boy' battle.

The other was a large laboratory situated on a hill overlooking the city. The aging scientist was gathered with his assistant and family around the large television screen. Professor Oak was rather torn over who to support in this match. While he was bound by blood to support his grandson, he was also a good friend and mentor to Ash who was in a way like a grandson to him as well. He had seen both boys grow up from fledgling trainers to the powerhouses they had become.

Ordinarily, he would have invited Delia and Steven over for the match or vice versa. However, the fact that it was his grandson versus her son made things rather difficult. Woe betide anyone who did not cheer for Ash if he was in a match and Delia was around!

The whole city had been awash with excitement since the news of the proposed battle had broken. A swarm of media had descended upon the place, wanting to know everything and anything about the two combatants. Anyone who was even remotely connected to either man was besieged by reporters. Delia was very popular with the press, especially since afterwards she'd reveal a huge feast she had cooked up beforehand for the hungry reporters.

The inhabitants of Pallet wondered what the outcome of the battle would be. Those who were long-time residents knew that this had been a long time coming. Who would be the greater trainer? They still saw a great deal of the Grand Master, when he wasn't needed on the Plateau he came back to his palatial home he'd built here.

Gary, however, stayed in Viridian City year round, only coming to Pallet a few times.

A sudden roaring noise grabbed the professor's attention, and he sat forward in his recliner. The noise was from the sound of the crowd and, thanks to the entertainment system Tracey had hooked up, it made the older man feel as if he was right there in the Stadium.

"Did it start yet?" Tracey ran into the entertainment room, clutching a bowl of popcorn. As the assistant to the professor, he also felt like family. Though family of a slightly dysfunctional nature.

"No, no! Though it seems as though it will be starting now."

"I do hope that Ash wins!" Tracey said suddenly, then flushed at Professor Oak's raised eyebrow. "I, ah, have money riding on this."

ooo

"Umbreon, Shadow Ball" Gary ordered sharply. He knew that the power boost Lu gave his Pokémon would help, but the flash around Jenn worried him. He had a feeling Ash had something up his sleeves.

The Umbreon complied, and soon a large dark coloured energy ball was forming in front of the nimble creature. The manifestation of such energy clearly energized the Dark Pokémon.

With the building excitement from the crowds, Ash felt a brief burst of immaturity and wanted to jump up and down, but he merely took a deep breath and readied himself. Resisting the urge to reach up and twist around a phantom cap, the Grand Master shouted out the order of, "Hyper Beam!"

Though Hyper Beam did require a brief build-up to collect the energy, Ash mentally invoked the jewel to speed things up. Just as fast as Umbreon's Shadow Ball built up, so did Jenn's Hyper Beam.

"NOW!" The two trainers shouted in perfect unison.

The massive attacks were released and they streaked across the field, towards their targets. Instead they met almost dead centre of the arena, causing a brief flash of orange light. A ring of dust rushed away from the two colliding attacks, revealing an almost stalemate.

The two attacks seemed to be forming a secondary ball of energy, this one was brilliant green with a tinge of gold and was about the size of a basketball. The Absol took a step forward, throwing her shoulders into the attack, and the ball of energy moved closer towards the Umbreon.

Gary would have none of this, and he yelled out, "Increase your power, Umbreon!"

The crowds roared their enthusiasm, and Joe kept a running commentary that Ash was barely concentrating on and hadn't noticed till just now. "…seems that the Absol is falling behind! What will the Grand Master do?"

_The Grand Master will invoke the powers of the jewel, that's what,_ Ash thought silently, but before he could, he saw Jenn dig in her heels and throw more power into the attack. Ever so slowly, the energy ball was inching towards the Umbreon.

Ash saw Gary gripping something in his right hand. The Viridian City Gym Leader looked at Ash and sneered. That was a warning like nothing else.

_:Ash__, I sense danger: _It was Espeon again, and the little telepath sounded frightened. _Gary__ has something evil with him, __Chosen__ One, and I think it will cause too much damage to you or __Jenn__. You **must** invoke the jewel's full powers now:_

_:I'm__ on it, Esp:_ Ash thought, right before invoking the jewel. Unnoticed due to the glare of the energy ball, the jewel at Jenn's throat flared out in what should have been blinding intensity, but it didn't hurt at all.

Suddenly, Jenn's powers also intensified and before Gary could react, the power on Jenn's side overwhelmed the Umbreon's. The little Dark Pokémon gave it as good a go as it could, and that sudden mix of power caused the explosion of a lifetime, rivalled only by the one that happened in this very Stadium when Ash battled Drake.

The heat and force of the explosion blew debris and smoke everywhere, triggering the Stadium's protective measures into action. Psyshields were thrown up in front of both Trainers and the crowd to protect them from harm.

When the smoke and the dust settled, the scene revealed the Umbreon lying on the ground and the Absol still standing tall.

"NO!" Gary screamed as he fell to his knees in disbelief. "Get up, you _pathetic _excuse for a mongrel! I CAN'T lose to that LOSER!"

The referee ran over to Umbreon and began the countdown. "3...2...1…" He straightened up and raised the red flag towards Ash. "Umbreon has fainted. This round and this match goes to the Grand Master, Ash Ketchum and his Absol!"

The crowd exploded in delight as did Joe in his announcers booth high on top of the stadium. "WE HAVE A WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNER!"

"Geeze is he gonna have a voice left after this?" Jaime wondered aloud. With the end of the battle, the crowd started to disperse, walking towards the many exits throughout the Stadium.

Ash ran to the centre of the field and hugged the Absol tightly. "We did it!" He released his hold a little. "Well more to the point, YOU did it, Jenn. I couldn't be prouder of you."

But Jenn wasn't paying attention to Ash. Her gaze sharpened on Gary who had run over to his Umbreon. In front of millions of viewers, as the television cameras were still broadcasting, the Viridian City Gym Leader delivered a swift kick to the Umbreon, who had recovered from its faint and was weakly trying to stand. "You are a _failure_ and NO ONE fails Gary Oak!"

Ash felt the growl that ran through the Absol, and though he tried, he could not hold her back from running to the aid of the fallen Umbreon. With a successful twist, the Absol pulled out of Ash's tight grip, and tore the microphone from the collar of his shirt. In a flash, she was standing over her fallen opponent, snarling at Gary and baring teeth in an impressive display.

At first Gary looked surprised, then his face tightened in anger. "You!" He shocked the Absol by managing to land a kick to her shoulder, an action that set her back a pace. The crowd that hadn't already left the Stadium seemed to freeze en masse.

Ash leapt to his feet and ran for Gary, as were several security agents, but Espeon beat them all to it. The lithe Pokémon teleported to the two Pokémon's side, and used a telekinetic grip on Gary to freeze him in place.

The Absol took that opportunity to leap at Gary, jaws wide, and eyes blazing red. Gary's eyes were wide in shock, and Ash yanked the Absol's Poké Ball from his belt. Luckily, he was close enough to recall the infuriated canine and avoid being cast in the same boat as Gary.

Though most of the crowd had vacated the Stadium due to the end of the battle, many now stood in shock at the sight of Gary being handcuffed and led out of the Stadium.

Drake ran over to Ash, who was standing by the two pokémon. "Ash, I had Joe's microphone cut off…"

"Oh thank Lugia," Ash sighed.

"Whaa…" Drake gave Ash a sour look, "I meant due to what Gary just did. Didn't _anyone_ like Joe?"

"Not particularly," a voice came from beside them. Ash looked back to see Jaime, Chris, Puck, and Erina standing on the field by them.

"Where did you come from?" Drake asked, "And why didn't you like Joe? The crowds like him."

"Puck teleported us here," Riny said with a shrug, "Cloak of magic and all that. We weren't seen."

"Is Jenn going to be alright?" Jaime asked quietly, "She kind of went a little growly there."

"Of course she will," Chris snorted, "She's a fighter, right? She can fight against all of those insane dog instincts. Come on, it's time to celebrate!"

The group walked away, though Ash stayed back with Drake and Puck. Two Chanseys had walked onto the field as quickly as they could, following the lead Nurse Joy for the Stadium. The neglected Umbreon had been recalled into its Poké Ball, which had been confiscated from Gary. Drake held back to talk with the Nurse, while Ash talked with Puck.

"Are things alright?" Ash asked the Fae, "Is Lu still a threat?"

"He didn't make the appearance I was counting on," Puck sighed, "But I think we've sent a clear enough message to him."

Ash held up the Poké Ball he had been holding, "What about Jenn?"

"I need to make sure there's enough of her left," Puck tapped his forehead, "Or else it may be difficult to impossible to change her back." He grimaced at the thought, "Maybe I shouldn't have let this go on so long."

"What's going on?" Drake asked, walking up to the two. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Ash said quickly, "What about Umbreon?"

Drake thumbed at Nurse Joy, who was walking away with the two Chanseys, "We got its Poké Ball, so it'll be okay until they get it to a healing centre. After that, it'll be held at Orange League Headquarters until we can figure out what charges Gary will be facing."

Ash looked at the microphone that was laying on the ground. He picked it up, fingering the wire that trailed from it. "Sorry about that," he said, unhooking the amp clip that was hooked on a back belt loop. "Jenn got a little…"

"Growly?" Drake smirked, "I know. It's okay, we've got tons of those things and the techs we have are paid enough to know how to fix the broken ones."

"What about broken minds?" Ash muttered.

"She's fine!" Puck said curtly, "_You're _the one who has to bring her back from feral land, just like you promised her, not me. I just do the transforming."

"How do you know I told her that?"

"It didn't go through the microphone, I promise you that," Puck said reassuringly. "I just kept an ear out, so to speak, to make sure there wasn't a serious problem going on."

"She tried attacking Gary," Ash countered, "I sort of think that was serious."

"You handled it though," Puck said, "And most admirably, too."

"Can't you just turn her back?" Drake interrupted, leading the two men on the long walk towards the Stadium floor exit. The Stadium itself was primarily empty, with a few stragglers staying behind picking up souvenirs and snapping pictures of the two large names in the League.

"I could," Puck said slowly, "but she would still be feral."

"And by feral, you mean…what?" Drake questioned.

"I mean an Absol in a human's body, that's what," Puck said, kicking at the hard packed floor. "I can't transform her psyche."

"So you're telling me that nothing in your 'magical arsenal' can help?" Ash did air quotes.

"That's what heroes are for," Puck said simply.

There was silence as they walked to the exit, then Ash blinked, "Oh, you were talking about me, weren't you?"

"We're _doomed_," Puck groaned, watching as Pikachu ran towards her trainer.

"I heard that!" Ash glared at the Fae as he scooped up the tiny electric mouse. "Besides just who was it that said that _I_ was the only one who could bring Jenn back?"

"Er…that would be me," Puck grinned sheepishly.

"Right," the Grand Master smirked as he scratched Pikachu behind her ears, which made the mouse purr contentedly. "And as for being doomed, that's how _we_ feel every time _you_ get drunk!" The Fae reddened with embarrassment.

"Touché!" Drake grinned. "Maybe you should try bringing Jenn back now, Ash. It might have been nothing more than Jenn's anger at Gary for putting her through all this, as well as for the abuse he heaped on his Pokémon. You know how angry she gets over cruelty to animals."

"True."

"And once Jenn is back with us in spirit, it might be a good idea to go and take her to see Trish." The Orange Crew Leader smiled wryly. "I just had a phone call from her a few minutes ago demanding to know if Jenn was okay."

"Or else you'd be in big trouble?" Ash said with a knowing grin.

"You got it," Drake sighed.

ooo

_Jenn_

The smooth male voice penetrated the innermost recesses of her conscious, disturbing the deep sleep she had been enjoying.

:_Go__ away_: she grumbled. :_I__ was having a totally bootylicious dream and voices are not part of it:_

_Jenn__, it's Ash. Listen to me, the battle is over. You must come back now:_

_:Huh__? The battle is already over? What happened:_

_:You__ won, and __Gary__ has been utterly defeated.:_

_:I__ did? Aiiiiiiiight:_

_:And__ when you come back, we can go visit Trish, Mia and Shannon:_

_:You__ bet! She's probably been growling at those two all day. That girl worries too much about me:_

_:So__ what I want you to do is concentrate and believe yourself to be human again. You are not an Absol, you are __Jenn__, a human who was turned into an Absol:_

Jenn frowned and concentrated.

ooo

Twenty minutes later, a sooty face poked around the doorway to Trish's hospital room. '_Hey T!__ Look at who is totally a **winner**!' _Blue eyes twinkled with delight.

The dark-haired girl laughed with relief at the sight of her best friend, unharmed and happy. "Congratulations Sis, you deserve it!"

"She certainly does," Ash smiled as he walked into the room. "She gave it her all."

Jenn started to trot into the room, then suddenly froze.

"Is there something the matter?" Trish asked, a slight frown on her face.

Instead of getting an answer, the fur on the Absol's neck suddenly bristled and her blue eyes turned blood red and flashed with anger. A low threatening growl came from her throat and the creature stalked slowly forward towards the bed.

Trish felt her throat constrict with fear as she inched slowly towards the edge of the bed. "Jenn?" she managed to squeak.

The Absol leapt towards the girl, its fangs bared.

_To be continued…._

ooo

_Author's Note: __In the grand tradition of Pokémon race/battle/stadium announcers, I tried to make Joe as over the top, and as loud as possible. But he doesn't sound like Tracey. :P_

_But he's grown on me so he might turn up in other fics!_


	21. Chapter Twenty: Barely Hanging On

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Puck or anything by William Shakespeare. I do own the storyline, characters such as Lu, Flory, Callie, Poppy, Poptart. Chapter Theme Song – Behind These Hazel Eyes, Kelly Clarkson.

ooo

_Chapter Twenty:__ Barely Hanging On_

Trish completely froze at the sight of the attacking Pokémon. _This_ was her nightmare come to life, after the Absol stalked her, it would leap for her with fangs gleaming. Not only that, but it brought back terrifying memories of the Hound.

So far, she had managed to suppress them, locking them in the farthest recesses of her mind. But now it all came flooding back, filling her with terror as she remembered the desperate dash for life across the moors. The final moments as she realised she was cornered and as the hellish hound was leaping for her throat.

As if reliving that night, she felt her lungs start to seize up and the chest start to tighten like a vice. The familiar warning signs of an asthma attack. _Not again…_

A sudden bright light filled her vision, blocking out the sight of the Hound leaping for her. Then Ash was there, holding her hand, and talking to her. She closed her eyes and heard a crack of thunder, and realised that Pikachu was using electric attacks against the threat.

The threat. Her best friend.

_Jenn__...**Why**?_

_:She__ is not herself: _a calm voice flooded her mind and soothed her. Trish could feel the vice grip loosening and her lungs filled with oxygen. _:Be__ calm, Trish, and Ash will fix this.:_

Trish opened her eyes to see Espeon sitting at the foot of her bed, but it was the sight of the Absol backed into a corner by Pikachu and Charizard that struck her. Where had the dragon come from?

"I never leave home without him," Ash winked reassuringly at her, and Trish realised she must've spoken out loud. The Grand Master was still at her bedside, and for a moment Trish was taken aback by his humour before realising that it was a façade to keep her calm.

"What's _wrong_ with her?" Trish's eyes filled with tears. "What happened?"

"I don't know, it's like she reverted like she did for the battle," Ash looked frustrated, "but we're not battling!"

The Australian blinked. "Reverted? What do you mean…?"

Just then the Absol directed an Ice Attack at Charizard, and thick ice formed around the big dragon's hind legs. The dragon rumbled and Pikachu readied another electric attack.

"Ash, that's not wise," Trish said quickly, blinking away the tears, "There's too much electrical equipment. She could short everything out!"

"Pikachu, no more electricity!" Ash called out, "Iron Tail!"

The little mouse complied and redirected the electricity into energy for an iron tail attack. Leaping into the air, the yellow mouse flipped and spun, aiming a suddenly iron hard tail straight at the Absol.

The Absol countered by hardening its scythe and using it to offset Pikachu's attack. It was like swordplay, and the two bounced off of each other. Charizard aimed a Flamethrower attack at the Absol, but a sudden green glow surrounded her and deflected the fire. Most of the flames died out, but a garbage can beside the Absol ignited.

"Did you see that!" Ash exclaimed, watching Charizard free itself from the ice. The Absol ran at the Charizard, and the dragon spun around, slamming the Absol with its thick flame tipped tail. The force sent the Absol flying towards one of the large glass pane windows.

"No! Jenn!" Trish exclaimed, knowing her friend was still in there. She went to ask Espeon to telekinetically grab the Absol, but the feral creature had another plan in mind. It used a Flamethrower to heat the glass, and the intensity of the heat shattered the glass seconds before the Absol went right through it.

Ash ran for the broken window, with Pikachu and Charizard behind him. He leaned carefully out the now open window, right in time to see the Absol vanish in a gleam of green sparks, while the glass rained down harmlessly into a stand of shrubbery. "Lu," the Grand Master breathed out, then his brow furrowed, "Jenn."

He turned around to see Espeon using a telekinetic grip to extinguish the flames. Smoke lingered from the scorched trash can, which had papers in it, and the wind from the open window whipped his hair around. Mahogany eyes settled on Trish, who was pale with fear.

"It was Lu, wasn't it?" Her softly asked question hung in the air.

Ash nodded, watching as Pikachu leapt onto the bed. He recalled Charizard, who looked smug at the hit he delivered. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he had that planned all along. Maybe as a Plan B if Gary failed to win against us, or if…"

"Don't hold back, Ash," Trish said when the Grand Master fell silent. "What is it?"

He shrugged, "I was going to say, if Rudy failed, but I can't really say that I've even seen him at all these past few weeks."

"It's safer for him," Trish glared at the burnt garbage can. "If I see him ever again, he will be history."

"I'd better go. Do you want me to leave Pik with you?"

"So soon?"

"The others have to know about this, especially Puck and Callie."

Trish smiled weakly, "I'll be okay with Espeon here. I'm just…tired."

"Pik, you stay with Trish. Talk with Espeon if you need to communicate with Trish," Ash said gently, but firmly. No arguing would be allowed. He ran a hand through his thick hair. "This was completely unexpected. I don't even know where to start."

"You're not the only one at a loss," Trish reminded him. "My best friend just tried to _kill_ me. I can't get over that." She sat up in her bed and clutched Espeon close to her.

Ash aimed Charizard's Poké Ball out the broken window, releasing the Pokémon with a no ground warning. The orange dragon flapped large wings and waited for Ash. "I'll send Drake over. Try to

stay calm, okay? I don't think Lu will try anything, but Pikachu and Espeon will guard you very well."

Trish watched the Grand Master leap out of the window onto Charizard's back. The two flew off and for a while Trish just stared at the sky through the broken window. The vertical blinds fluttered in the wind, which gusted periodically. Trish frowned, "Why hasn't anyone come to see what all the noise was about?"

_:That's__ my fault: _Espeon said sheepishly, _:I set a barrier around the room just in case a hole was made in the wall. I didn't want __Jenn__ to escape. I didn't think she'd escape through a window seven storeys up.:_

"None of us did," Trish gripped Espeon closely and cried into the Psychic Pokémon's fur. Pikachu patted Trish's arm consolingly, as the door opened and a shocked Chansey walked in, then ran back out for a supervisor nurse.

ooo

"Now this is a surprising development," Lu purred as he watched his observation orb. "One I couldn't have planned better if I tried."

"What's that?" Rudy stepped closer to the orb, but saw nothing as the orb was created for Lu's eyes alone.

"Much as I thought, Gary Oak lost the battle," The evil Fae smirked, "Not only that, he is about to lose his position in the League and just about everything he has worked so very hard for. It is indeed a luscious thing, the taste of human despair."

"Hello, humans present," Rudy griped.

"At least one of you are human," Lu walked over to a large cage set against an outcropping in a back corner of the cave. "_You_, however, are not human, and you are not Absol. _I_ created you. You are _nothing_ without me."

_"Actually, I'm the one that's going to kick your ass," _Jenn growled at Lu, _"I…"_

"You are the one that just tried to _kill_ your friend," Lu said with a gentleness that was belied by the emotionless gaze of his emerald green eyes. "I do not think that they will be too forgiving to you this time."

_"…This time?"_

"Of course," Lu showed Jenn a viewing orb, which showed an Absol jumping up at Drake with teeth bared. The Orange Crew Leader was trying to shove the Absol down, and the Absol knocked the dark-haired man down. "Now do you remember?" The orb winked out of existence as the Absol's teeth descended over Drake's throat. "He's still in the hospital even now and in a _very _serious condition. Trish will _never_ forgive you for that."

Blue eyes were wide, _"No…I would have remembered something like that, and I remember that day. I jumped up on him and knocked him down, but it was play…"_

"Silly Mortal, you cannot possibly think that is a _real_ memory," Lu said in a pitying tone. Rudy came up behind Lu and the Fae caught sight of confusion on the mortal's face. Tapping into the human's thoughts, Lu could hear them clearly.

_But that's not true, __Jenn__ hasn't hurt anyone yet. _A mental snicker. _Except for __Gary__'s career.__ I wonder if I can transfer to his gym and take over as Gym Leader…_

_:Do__ not be more foolish than is necessary, Rudy: _Lu spoke curtly, _:Simply aide me in feeding these lies to __Jenn__. It will make it easier to bury her human consciousness beneath the feral one. Then we can use her to take down the mortals one by one.:_

_:Not__ Trish:_

Lu held back an eye roll, one of the habits he had picked up from his time on the mortal plane, _:No__, she is fundamental to hurting Mia, which shall hurt Puck, but the others are expendable.:_

_:Can__ I have __Jenn__? To humiliate her further? Please:_

Lu did roll his eyes then, and waved his hand, _:Fine__, once I have her under complete control, you may humiliate her the way you do your own Pokémon.:_

_:Alright__! Hey…:_

But Lucius ignored the foolish mortal, for Jenn was belly down in the cage, her eye colour shimmering blue and red. He walked slowly closer, "That's it, mortal, just slip into the darkness. Let it hold you, let it punish you for your crimes against your friends. You are the one to bring the most harm against them. Not even _I_ have done things as heinous as you have."

_"What are you talking about?"_ The tone was sullen, but her head was still resting on her outstretched front paws. _"I know I haven't hurt anyone."_

"So tearing out Drake's throat does not count?" Lu murmured, "And…sending Trish into an asthmatic fit means nothing to you? She's in a coma, once again, due to you…"

_"YOU LIE!" _Jenn surged to her feet and loosened an enormous Fire Blast at Lu, who was a hands breath from the steel bars.

From her point of view, the large Fae was about to be engulfed in the flames, flames that danced as hot as the anger that burned in her stomach. It shocked her when the flames vanished as soon as they touched the bars. _"What?"_

"I know of the enhancements Puck gave you," Lu cocked his head. "Did you think I would not prepare for those? Your confinement is also enhanced with a magical field that neutralizes any effort of yours. And please, do not try calling for Puck. This whole cave has been reinforced against his magic."

He watched as she reached one large paw towards the bars, only to jerk it back when she was shocked. "Oh, did I also neglect to inform you that the bars are reinforced against physical actions? Silly me."

It was with great pleasure that he watched the former blonde sink to the ground. "That's right, surrender to the dark. I know that it calls to you, begs you to fall to it. Sleep is all it wants. I promise you, it shall not hurt."

_"But I don't want to give up." _A whimper escaped her throat_, "I just won that match…"_

Lu shook his head, "You did not win, your _feral_ side won. Ash won. You did not win, and if not for that feral side, you would have lost. In a sense, you lost as completely as Gary did."

_"Ash…"_

Lu resisted a grin, watching instead as her eye colour mixed to a purple hue, "Ash has Misty, has Pikachu, has the whole League. What would he want with a mongrel like yourself? If you had suppressed your feral side, you would have lost the match. You would have disappointed him so deeply." Lu paused, "In fact, since it was your feral side that won, you _did_ lose and Ash _is_ disappointed in you. After all, it is only your feral side that he was impressed with."

Red tinged a great deal of the purple, which faded in spots to a sapphire blue, and Lu pressed on, feeding the blonde lie upon lie. It was showing a viewing orb of recent events that seemed to be the last straw. The only twist that Lu added was showing a flat-lining heart monitor, as a result of the critical shock of an asthma attack brought on by an attacking Absol.

Eyelids shut over red eyes in a faint, and Lu stood up, pleased with his handiwork. He threw a Poké Ball at Rudy, who barely caught it.

"What's this for?" The Trovitian grumbled.

"You wanted to humiliate her," Lu said loftily, "Have at it."

"You mean you…" Rudy whooped, "I can't believe it! The Ice Bitch is down and out!"

Lu smirked, and opened his mouth to say something when the cave was suddenly rocked by a quake. The two stumbled to hold their footing, and Rudy fell, dropping the Poké Ball. The red and white sphere rolled towards the cage.

"Fool! Grab that thing!" Lu roared as another tremor rocked the cave. "This is the last time I locate on a remote island!"

"What's going on!"

"It's those damned Faes," Lu snapped out, "Puck and Callie!"

"Actually, it's just me," A demure female voice rang out. Lilac sparkles announced Callie's arrival into the cavern. The chestnut-haired beauty looked around, and her gossamer gown shimmered. "Sorry I was late. My, Lucius, this is quite rustic for you."

"Is there not a volcano you can leap into, Calliope?" Lu ground out.

"No, not really," Callie said lightly, "But I _will_ take my brother's mortal friend from you."

"I would love to see you try," Lucius said, then, as telepathy would be ineffective since Callie was highly trained in it, he yelled at Rudy, "Do it now, Mortal! There will be no second chances!"

Rudy leapt for the Poké Ball, which was in front of the cage.

"No!" Callie cried out, and flicked her hands, which caused the ground to rumble and shake. The red and white sphere started to roll away, but Rudy, who had regained his footing to run for it, tripped and fell, and his hand smacked off of the ball.

It rose into the air, through the bars, and hit off of Jenn's unconscious form. The act of being formed into red energy sent an adrenalin rush through the ex-blonde, and Jenn surfaced for a second, thinking, _:Callie_before everything went dark for her.

Lu roared with laughter as Rudy stood up, clutching the minimized Poké Ball. "Calliope, you have lost!"

Callie had paled and took a step back, but now she glared and said, "I think not, Lucius." She held out a hand, "To me, Poké Ball!" A lilac glow surrounded the Poké Ball in Rudy's clenched fist, and it reappeared in her open palm.

With a saucy wink, the female Fae waved her fingers at the two, "See you later, Lulu!" And with that she vanished.

For a couple of moments, the two stood there, dumbstruck. Then Lu screamed out his rage.

ooo

"So, one more time, because I really don't get it," Chris said, "Exactly _what_ happened?"

"You're so cute when you act like you're silly," Callie chirped, then took a deep breath. She missed Jaime snickering at Chris, who glared at the young Canadian. "Lu told Jenn a bunch of lies, showed her a bunch of false images, and basically got her to believe that she killed Trish and tore out Drake's throat. Any questions?"

Drake, who was sitting in the back of the entertainment room of his large villa, gulped and rubbed at his throat. "I remember that day and she didn't even get near my throat."

"But I guess that's not what Lu got her to believe," Shannon said, rubbing at her temples.

"What happens next?" Chris asked. "I'm guessing we don't tell Trish about this."

"No, I think we should," a new voice broke in.

"Ash!" Callie ran over to the doorway of the entertainment room to greet the newcomer with a hug, much to Chris's chagrin. "I am so glad to see you, Chosen One. We need you very much."

"Yeah, I heard as I walked down the hallway," Ash grimaced, "This is quite a mess."

"You reached her once," Callie handed him a Poké Ball. "Do you think you can do it once more?"

Ash took a deep breath and looked at the Poké Ball. " I sure hope so."

ooo

Later that night, Ash sat on the veranda at his rental villa. He'd sent Misty to be with the others while he tried his best to reach Jenn. He sat on a comfortable chaise lounge and leaned back into the fluffy cushions. The view of the ocean beyond was comforting, and the darkness was enveloping and calming.

High above, the moon was a thin crescent sliver. That was good, as too much light would decrease the chance of him reaching her. Though it had been a well lit night when he first tried this, at the time Jenn hadn't been lied into a feral oblivion.

He would also have a hard time getting through the restraints of the Poké Ball. Though the fields on the spheres generally kept the Pokémon inside calm, this wasn't truly a normal Poké Ball, as it was Lu's creation, though presently Jenn was pretty much a normal Pokémon. Callie had already removed any traces of Lucius's magic, but the rest was up to him. He had to prepare the rest of the day and well into the night, as Callie had given the Poké Ball to him early this morning, in order to calm his own nerves and focus his thoughts.

It was a lot like preparing for a battle, though it was a first for him to have to battle against a friend. It was a one on one battle. A battle of the minds. If they were still friends, Gary would have said it was a lost battle, as neither one were an intellectual match for the Great Gary Oak.

A flash feeling of guilt crossed him, but Ash banished it quickly. Gary was a whole different subject that he had to deal with by the end of the week. For now, Gary would have to wait.

With the ocean gently lapping the sandy beach beyond, Ash held the Poké Ball in his hands. He concentrated and felt the palms of his hands heat up around the sphere. Almost uncomfortably hot, the heat brought small beads of sweat to his forehead. Though his eyes were closed, Ash knew that his hands had separated and that the Poké Ball was hovering between them, held up only by the power of his mind, a power granted to him due to his destiny of being the Chosen One.

In his mind's eye, he could first see the night sky, then the ocean, then his own body lying on the chaise lounge with the Poké Ball being held suspended between his outstretched hands. Then his consciousness dove into the red and white sphere. The normal restraints on a normal Poké Ball were missing. That made things a little easier.

Once inside, he was surprised at the totality of the darkness that was contained in the ball. Usually there was a glimmering light that represented the resident Pokémon's type. Green for grass, red for fire, lilac for psychic, and a shade of black for the dark Pokémon.

This, however, was not a normal black hue. The shade of black he saw was an all encompassing velvet black that sucked at his core. He ignored the darkness, focusing instead on the power of the love he felt for his family and friends, and was able to find the small pinpoint of light that was Jenn.

He willed himself to that pinpoint and, on using his own energy to light the area, found Jenn, the human Jenn, lying on the ground and curled up in as tight a ball as she could manage. Ash shivered, as the 'air' was extremely cold. Jenn was dressed as he'd last seen her in shorts and a tank top, but her blonde hair was long and loose and covered her face.

"Jenn?" He saw her flinch away from the sound of his voice, and when he spoke he could see his breath. "Come on, I'm taking you home."

"I can't." The voice was small, pathetic sounding, and Ash steeled himself as the temperature felt like it plummeted ten degrees with her words. "I killed them. I saw it."

"No, you didn't," Ash countered, walking closer and crouching near her. "Come on, now…" He reached for her, but when he touched her bare arm, a green glow surrounded her and flung him back.

The light went with him, and darkness drifted around the blonde like a thick fog. "No you _don't_," Ash grumbled and stalked back, driving away the fog. He thought to call Puck or Callie, but decided instead to simply use his own powers as the Chosen One.

He gripped Jenn by her arm and forced her to sit up. Lu's hold, as that is what the green hue that surrounded her represented, struggled to force him back, but Ash used both his Chosen One powers and his own natural stubbornness to counter Lu. With a thunderous snapping noise, the emerald green field around the blonde shorted out and vanished.

Jenn slumped against him, and he cradled her in his lap. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, he gently slapped at her cheeks. She winced and squeezed her eyes, then opened them. Ash sighed in relief at the pure blue shade that he saw. She blinked and looked around. Her gaze bore up at him and in a fatigued voice, she said, "We should do this again some time."

Ash laughed half-heartedly, "Let's not, okay?"

"It's arctic here," she shivered, "Can we leave now?"

He nodded, "I'm going to vanish, but I promise, you'll be in warmth real soon."

Though reluctant to leave, he did. Returning to his own body was a light-headed experience, almost dizzying. He opened his eyes, feeling the warm humid night air on his cold arms. The Poké Ball dropped into his lap and he grabbed it.

No sooner did he touch it, when it opened of its own accord, and a white flash of light revealed Absol Jenn standing there with her head lowered and her eyes shut. For a moment, she was very quiet, then raised her head and opened blue eyes. _"Can we find Puck now?"_

With a barely suppressed cry of relief, Ash nodded, "Yeah. I know he's hanging around waiting to see if I was successful or not."

_"I'm glad to say you were, but I want to be **me** again."_

"Puck!" Ash called out. "I've got a little project for you."

The chestnut-haired Fae shimmered into existence, walking towards them onto the veranda. "I am so relieved you were triumphant, Chosen One."

_"A little formal, aren't we, Puck?" _Jenn sighed. _"The heck, I don't really care. Please tell me you have the cure."_

Puck exchanged looks with Ash, who nodded. "Alright, though you have to eat the flower."

_"Make it look like a taco and I won't care what it is."_

Puck shrugged, "Whatever milady wishes." The slender Fae held out his hands and murmured something in his native tongue. The melodic words seemed to glisten along his arms like water, down to his hands, and a plate materialized onto his outstretched hands, and a soft rolled taco appeared on the plate.

_"I forgot I don't have fingers,"_ she sounded distressed. _"Uh…"_

"Let me," Ash said, picking up the taco, which glimmered and sparkled like a living thing. "Here you go," he offered it to her, "Never tell me I don't give you anything."

_"Wiseass,"_ she muttered, before snatching the taco out of his hands and wolfing it down. _"Delicious, Puck, I…"_ Words trailed off as she gasped and sank to the ground.

Ash looked up at Puck, whose brow was furrowed in concentration. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Puck gritted his teeth, "But it would be helpful if Callie should help."

"Callie!" Ash called out, "Can you…"

The lithe Fae appeared in an instant, not even bothering with her usual flashy entrance, "I could sense your distress, little Bro. Let me help."

The two Faes stood side by side, shining with power. Ash looked away as Jenn was enveloped in a white glow, almost like an evolution glow, and though he wondered what an Absol could evolve into, he could only hope Jenn would be okay.

The glow faded and Callie crouched down, conjuring a lilac coloured blanket as she descended. "I'll take it from here, boys." In a flash, she vanished, taking the blanket covered Jenn with her.

"Think she'll be okay?" Ash asked out loud. "Jenn, I mean. Do you think…"

"I can wholly promise she has no paws or fur," Puck said dryly, "Though it would make for a great practical joke." His words were jovial, but it was obvious that the spell had taken a lot from the prankster.

"And no red eyes?" Ash joked.

"Not on my watch," Puck sighed, "At least, not any more."

"Have you seen Trish?" Ash changed the subject. "I left Pik with her…"

"I have," Puck nodded, "Drake felt that his beloved would be safer at his villa, and she was moved there under strict hospital rules. It seems they feel she may recover quicker in familiar surroundings."

"They allowed that?" He paused, "What about the room she had been in?"

"Espeon clouded their minds with a false story about wind gusts."

"Even though the glass was blown _out _and not in?" Ash asked wryly.

"She's good," Puck grinned, "The hospital set up some medical equipment, but not a whole lot."

"It might be safer for Trish to be there, especially with the arsenal of Pokémon Drake has around the villa." Ash scratched at his arm. "Is she doing better though? Medically, I mean."

"I believe she is doing far better than she knows," Puck brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. "But I think _she_ thinks she isn't doing well, and that is what is holding her back from a full recovery. Does that make sense, Chosen One?"

"Well enough," Ash said, feeling a little uncomfortable at the title. "Now that Jenn's back to normal, maybe we can focus more on Lu. What he attempted today is unforgivable."

"What he attempted today was nothing more than a bitter attempt at revenge."

"He'll pay for it, for all of it," Ash said, gripping the railing and staring out at the darkness that was the ocean. "But for now, we rest and regroup. We can all use some sleep." He turned to the Fae. "Make sure everyone, but especially Jenn and Trish, get some deep sleep."

"Yes, Chosen," Puck grinned. "That will be simple."

ooo

The morning rays hit Jenn in the face and she groggily opened her eyes. With what had become a morning ritual, she woke by stretching her limbs, but it felt wrong this morning. She paused and gave a little shriek when she saw that hands were on the end of her arms, not paws. Sitting up quickly to inspect herself, the American was delighted to see skin, hands, arms, legs, feet, and shoulder-length blonde hair softly framing her face. Everything was as it should be.

"But the skin, too much skin showing," Jenn remarked at her complete lack of clothing. She managed to grab a nearby blanket, which was purple, as big as a comforter, and thick but cloud soft. She was able to wrap it around her just as Shannon stuck her head around the bedroom door.

"You're awake!" she smiled.

From her place on the bed, where she was sitting with her legs tucked underneath, Jenn beamed. "And human! I'm back, bay-bee, yeah!" Another head poked around the door, and this time it was Ash's.

"You're okay!" he grinned before rushing over and pulled a shocked Jenn in a tight hug. "I was so worried!"

The blonde relaxed her wide eyes and hugged him back, enjoying the feel of his strong arms around her. She always felt safe around him for some reason. '_Duh, J, that would be because he's rescued you a few times. Not to mention that you've been really close to him these past few weeks_,' a little voice in her head said. It was funny how that little rebuking voice sounded a bit like her best friend at times. '_Well, unlike you, she is the **smarter **half_.'

The thought of Trish brought back a flood of memories, especially of what happened last night. The blonde shuddered to think that she had actually attacked her best friend while in Pokémon form.

How could she have done such a thing? Especially when she knew how the ordeal with that Puppy from Hell had totally trashed her Australian friend's physical and mental health. _And it **is** my fault, this whole damn thing! I shouldn't have chased after __Gary__. And even after Lu did what he did to me, I should've known that anything vaguely dog looking would send __Trish__ right back bon voyage on the Coma Cruise._

Jenn leant her head on Ash's shoulder while the realisation washed over her like an icy cold ocean wave. The attack, especially the way Jenn remembered it, would not only have brought back paralysing memories of the pathetic puppy, but would also have been Trish's nightmare come to life. Trish had confessed to Jenn and the others that she'd been plagued by nightmares of Absols since Lu's attack, and had been utterly petrified when Jenn first appeared in Absol form.

The blonde fervently hoped that her best friend was alright. _What if Lu was telling the truth about what happened?_ She pulled back a bit and Ash let go of her and sat beside her on the bed while Shannon pulled up a chair.

_Could that redheaded jerk have been right about what I had done?_ The two people she really wanted to see, weren't there to put her mind at ease. Ash was totally great for hugging and comfort, but she had to be utterly certain that her friend and her boyfriend were okay. _Hopefully __Drake__ is at the hospital at __Trish__'s bedside, and not in intensive care with his throat shredded. Of course it's not all that polite to hope someone is in the hospital, but it's better than the morgue. Hopefully, __Trish__ is okay and not in a coma. Oh please be okay and bitching about how nasty and tar-like the coffee tastes. _

She was more worried about Trish, for she felt confident that she had not harmed Drake that day. Trish, on the other hand, was in no condition to suffer another massive shock to her system. Could Jenn's attack have brought on another massive asthma attack, one that her friend might never recover from?

After a few minutes, she spoke up quietly. "Can I ask how Drake and Trish are this morning?"

"Drake's with Trish," Shannon informed her. "Trish suffered a bit of a setback last night…"

"So it _is_ true!" the blonde cried out, interrupting the younger girl in mid-sentence. "That bastard was right! I did hurt Trish! Oh, someone suck me into a Poké Ball and wrap it in cement and drop it into the deepest part of the ocean!"

"Hang on," Shannon glared at her slightly. "For one thing, you can't fit into a Poké Ball anymore. And for another thing, didn't you hear me say 'a bit'?"

Jenn was about to reply when Ash put a hand on her arm. "Shan's right, you know. Trish did suffer a slight asthma attack last night as a result of the fright she got, but she's gonna be okay."

"Yeah, but it was _my_ actions that put her back in that condition!" Jenn whined, then clamped one hand over her mouth, "I am far too used to whining like that." She clutched the blanket closer around herself.

Ash smiled gently at the blonde, "Espeon was there, remember? She quickly helped Trish get things back under control. She's just feeling very seedy at the moment."

"But Lu said…" the blonde looked down at the hand that wasn't clutching at the blanket. She clenched it into a fist. "I _know_ it was real. I remember leaping at the bed, and being hit by Pikachu and Charizard."

The Grand Master gently lifted her chin so that she was looking into his dark eyes. "Listen to me, Jenn. Some things were true about the attack, but the important thing is that most were lies. Lu told you a line of bull a Tauros would blush at. He told you lies to get you to fall under his spell and complete your transformation into a pure Absol. You have _not_ harmed either Trish or Drake."

"Really?" Jenn whispered. She desperately wanted to believe him, but Lu's words and images had been so life-like.

"Lu told you lies. It's what he does. He's evil," Ash repeated gently but firmly. "Trish and Drake are fine, and I should know because I was there on both occasions. You never mauled either of them. You did more damage to the hospital window than to anyone or anything." He then glanced over at Shannon. "In fact, after breakfast, how about we take you to see them for yourself?"

"Yeah, okay," Jenn paused, "You might be okay with this, but I need some privacy here, Satochu."

Ash's eyes widened in confusion, then he flushed. "Right, the blanket, which if it was like me, means there are no clothes under there. Uh, okay. I really should call and see how Mandy…er, Misty is, " Hastily, he stood, walked towards the door, stumbling over a black high heel. "I'll, ah, see you later."

The door closed behind him, and the two girls looked at each other before laughing.

ooo

_I don't want to know. _Jenn sighed. _This is either going to be painful or embarrassing._

_Oh, yes, you **do** want to know_. A voice rang out clearly and haughtily.

Jenn groaned into her orange juice. She was arguing with her conscience about whether she should go ahead with visiting her best friend or not.

Shannon looked at her, "What's wrong?"

_Yes, tell her how you were fighting with yourself,_ the voice snickered.

"Puhleze, like I've been able to drink orange juice lately?" Jenn covered jokingly, "It's so much better than I remembered."

"You don't want anything else for breakfast?" Shannon shrugged when Jenn shook her head no, "Okay, um, we'll go see her in…ten minutes good for you?"

Jenn set her glass on the table and stood up. Dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, the blonde ran a hand through her hair, "Yeah sounds good. Tell ol' Drakey to have the limo waiting."

"The limo?"

"Okay, fine, the Hummer will do if the limo's in the shop," Jenn walked out of the kitchen, muttering about how fortunate Trish was to snag such a piece of hotness.

"She doesn't know?" Ash walked into the breakfast room with a cup of coffee. He sat across from Shannon, in the chair Jenn just vacated.

"Nope," Shannon shook her head, "and I didn't get a chance to even try to tell her."

"I know this villa is huge, but tell me that wasn't the direction Trish's room is at."

"Nah," Shannon waved her hand, "It's in the opposite direction, by Drake's. Trish didn't want Jenn's room close to the one Drake has, what with her little pinchy phase."

Ash winced, "I remember that. I am ever so glad she worked out of that one."

ooo

Back in her room, Jenn looked around. Things looked so much stranger now after being only four feet tall. What caught her attention was something sitting on her bed. It was a Poké Ball, with a post-it note stuck to it.

Plopping down on the bed, she read the note, which was in Ash's messy scrawl.

_Figured you may want this as a souvenir. It's unusable, even on you, but try not to get someone mad enough to try!_

_Ash_

With a smile, Jenn minimized it and wondered if she could tease Drake by wearing it on a neck cord like he did with Dragonite's. She got up and walked over to her dresser, placed the little sphere into the top drawer and closed it.

The blonde leaned against the dresser and sighed heavily. Trish's impending reaction troubled her more than she let on, and in her mind she had played out several scenarios ever since Ash said she could see her friend. Jenn wasn't worried about seeing Drake, since she was pretty sure that tall dark and handsome was alright.

_Oh, he's fine, and not just in the way that you usually imply._

"Would _you _shut up!" Jenn groused, "You are annoying me!"

_Well you** insulted **me, so shut up yourself and consider this payback._

Jenn shook her head. "That's it. Someone just ship me into a nice padded room. Lu has won since it's obvious I've gone insane."

_Stop being so over dramatic,_ the voice sounded annoyed. _Would you like to see me, to know that you're not crazy?_

"Sure, that'll be swell," Jenn said sarcastically, "While you're at it, why not…" She broke off as a small dark creature suddenly flashed into existence, and her eyes widened in shock. "Umbreon!"

ooo

"Come on, Jenn, let's go!" Ash stood by the doorway and called down the hall Jenn had vanished to. "Honestly, she used to be so obedient."

Shannon looked momentarily shocked, then she laughed, "If she heard you saying that, you'd be in so much trouble!"

"But it's true!" Ash defended himself. "She was one of the best Pokémon I've had around in ages."

"Okay, now you're lucky you don't have Pikachu or Charizard around," Shannon grinned, "Or else I think they'd enlighten you to how unwise that statement is!"

Suddenly, a small Dark Pokémon darted into the breakfast room and took refuge behind Ash's legs. To Shannon, it appeared to be laughing. Jenn ran into the breakfast room soon after and she came to a screeching halt.

"I swear to any and all Pokémon you may hold in some high and lofty deity like position, that if you try getting in my mind one more time…"

"Jenn…" Ash said slowly.

"No, really, Ash, this little pervert got in my mind and made me think I was fighting with myself!"

"It's not that, Jenn," Shannon took a step back.

Jenn rolled her eyes, "What? Did my hair turn absol white? Did I grow a tail?"

"No," Ash said calmly, "But your hand is on fire."

"Oh, come on, like I wouldn't have felt that!" But she looked down at her hands, and sure enough, the right one had a small fire merrily dancing on her palm. She stared up at Ash, "Puck screwed up! He made me a mutant!"

The Umbreon laughed from behind Ash's legs and Jenn lunged for it, and was barely restrained back by Ash. "Down, Jenn!"

Jenn gave the Grand Master a dirty look, "That's not funny." She stepped back anyway, and waved her right hand, trying to put out the flames. They stuck like glue, and the fanning only encouraged them to grow a bit. "And I'll have you know it's not like I stepped back to obey you, you know."

"Oh, the memories," Ash gave a false sniffle.

"Say any more and you are in for some serious punishment," Jenn glared at the man.

'_And by serious punishment she doesn't mean the __Misty__ type!_' Umbreon grinned slyly.

Both Ash and Jenn turned beet red, while the blonde glared daggers at her hysterically giggling Pokémon. "You little wretch!"

Umbreon poked out a little pink tongue. '_Nyah._'

"I wonder if I can get someone to trade with me," Jenn muttered. "Oh Puck! Get that cute lil Fae butt of yours in here now!"

The chestnut-haired Fae materialised and then blinked. "Did you just say that I have a cute butt?"

"No, I said a cute _little _butt."

Shannon chuckled. "Just be glad that Mia did not overhear that comment, Jenn. You might have been thumped Puerto Rican style."

The blonde tossed her hair. "That's not very nice, Shan. Would I ever comment on a friend's boyfriend like that?"

"You just did!" Shannon laughed out.

"So what did you bellow for me for?" Puck interrupted. "I was busy…" It was then they noticed that he was dressed in a chef's uniform.

"Who you cooking for?" Ash asked.

"Mia," the Fae sighed, the love hearts almost visible in his eyes. "As they say, food is the way to a woman's heart."

"I thought that the saying went 'to a man's heart'" Shannon blinked.

"Man, woman, who cares?" Puck waved a spatula. "If the stomach is happy, the rest of you will be happy. Humans are mainly governed by their stomachs."

A low rumble was heard which built up to a loud growl. All three humans looked down at their stomachs then at each other and looked rather sheepish. "Heh...synchronised stomachs," Shannon giggled.

"I rest my case," Puck laughed. "But you've all digressed. What did you call me for, Jenn?"

"My flamin' hand!" the blonde waved it in front of the Fae. "While I think it's really cool and potentially helpful for when I have to face a ton of snow and cold weather once winter comes, I think you forgot to extinguish my fire power."

The chestnut-haired Fae stifled a grin. "Oops, my bad." He waved a slender hand. "There you go."

Jenn smiled as the flames flickered out completely. "Well, there goes any future career as a super heroine."

"Or a portable campfire," Ash laughed.

"Puck! Give it back!" Jenn reached out towards the Grand Master threateningly, "I have a weenie to roast!"

ooo

After a breakfast, which Jenn thoroughly enjoyed after being deprived of hands for so long, Ash suggested that they go to see Trish and Drake.

The blonde gulped slightly before nodding once. "Sure, is Drake going to send a driver to get us?"

"No, we're just gonna walk."

Jenn's eyebrows shot up. "You've got to be kidding me! That's a totally long way to the hospital. A Goddess like myself will not walk ten miles."

Ash just shook his head. "We're walking. Now follow me, I want to show you something."

ooo

Curious, Jenn followed her two friends up one level and down a couple of corridors in the villa. "I hope you guys know where you're going," she joked. "This place is so huge that you need a map just to get to where you're going!"

"Oh, we know _exactly_ where we're going," Shannon assured her older friend.

By the time her two guides turned right and pushed on a partially open door, Jenn was confused. When she walked into the room and saw Trish lying in bed there, surrounded by medical equipment, with Drake sitting bedside, she froze.

Ash, who was walking behind her, bumped into the blonde. "Hey!"

"Hey, yourself!" Jenn hissed at him, trying to shove her way by him out of the room. When Ash held her still, she glared up at him. "You could've warned me!"

"And perhaps have you run off, like you're trying to do now?" The familiar accented voice rang through the room.

"Well, you see, I could've worn something nicer," Jenn said weakly. She gulped when she saw Espeon curled up on Trish's stomach, especially as the lilac coloured animal turned its gaze on the blonde. Pikachu popped up from where she'd been sleeping on the girl's other side with a friendly chirp.

"Don't be silly," Trish said, "And stop looking at me like I'm on my deathbed. I'm doing just fine now that I'm in exceptionally fine surroundings. Plus Puck and Callie set up wards to guard against Lu or Rudy, or anything that evil creature could think to throw at us."

"I just…wasn't ready for this."

"Jenn, you're never ready," Trish chided her friend. "You're a procrastinator."

"…"

"I rest my case," her best friend chuckled. "Come on in, I won't bite."

"So you're not mad at me?" the blonde ventured, rather timidly. This was probably the third or fourth time this vacation that she had done something to upset Trish. She couldn't remember the last time she had managed to risk the wrath of her best friend so frequently. So far she had managed to escape unscathed, but you never knew when you were pushing your luck.

The Australian smiled. "No, I'm not mad at you, Sis. I know that it was Lu's doing, and that if you could have stopped it yourself you would have."

"Oh you'd better believe it!" Jenn was quick to agree. "I'd never hurt you or Drake. At least not on purpose."

"That and the fact that everyone knows that it is almost impossible for me to stay mad at you," Trish laughed. "For some reason, it just doesn't happen."

"Cause I'm a Goddess and everyone loves me," the blonde grinned saucily.

"Well I can think of at least two who don't," Shannon reminded her. "You wouldn't be welcomed with open arms by either Gary or Lu."

"They don't count," Jenn snorted as she moved into the room and sat down on a chair near the bed. "So what are you doing here instead of in the hospital, Tah? I thought you were such a wonderful patient that they wouldn't want to let you go."

"You're making it sound more like a resort than a hospital," Trish said wryly. "I'd like to see _you_ put up with the food and coffee for a few weeks."

"No, I'll leave that up to you, Dear Tah. You know how much I hate hospitals, and besides coffee is way unappealing."

"You're such a pal."

"I'm totally your best pal!" Jenn beamed.

Drake cleared his throat. "We're getting off track here…"

"We're in no hurry, are we?" the blonde looked confused. "There are no visiting hours here, or are there?"

"No, but Trish does need to rest," Ash said.

"After what happened last night, I thought it would be safer to move her here," the Orange Crew Leader continued. "Makes it easier for me to keep an eye on her."

"I bet that's not the _only_ reason why," Jenn said slyly. "Was Drakey jealous of all the attention she's been getting from all those hot male doctors?"

"Don't forget the interns!" Shannon added with a laugh.

"Right!" Jenn beamed, "And the interns!"

"No!"

"Hey, I'm not complaining about being moved here," Trish interrupted. "I wasn't about to stay there another night with the window broken."

_Neither would I,_ Jenn thought, _if I had a totally hot boyfriend who was loaded and willing to look after me._ She looked around at the pointed looks sent her way. "What? It wasn't my fault. Well, not completely."

"No, not all of it," Drake chuckled.

"But don't you still need medical treatment? While I'm sure that Drake's bedside manner is totally top notch…" Jenn smirked as the two in question blushed. "I don't think he's medically qualified."

"The doctors are still coming to check on me twice a day, in fact you missed them by a few minutes." Trish reassured her friend. "And I have a little emergency buzzer to press if I get into serious difficulties. I'll be fine."

"Besides the Absol attack makes it about the third attempt by Lu to try to kill Trish."

The dark-haired girl's eyes widened. "Third attempt? When did the _second _one happen?"

"Not long after we rescued you from the Hound. Lu tried to take you out with magic late one night when no one was in the room. Luckily Mew was around and threw up a psyshield around you."

"Mew?" A raised eyebrow.

"Now, T, we know you're not feeling like yourself after vacationing in Coma Country for so long, but if you want some milk, just say so," Jenn reached over and patted an arm. "You don't have to sound like a kitten."

"You knew what I meant!" the Australian rolled her eyes. "Why do I bother with you?"

"Because I'm a-mew-sing?"

"OY," everyone groaned, and Shannon picked up one of Trish's stuffed bears and threw it at the blonde.

Jenn sulked. "Respect is not being given to the Goddess as it should!"

"Not with those bad puns you won't," Ash shook his head from where he was sitting.

'_Piiiika_' the electric mouse agreed.

"So, Lu's tried to kill me three times?" Trish breathed. "**_Why_**? What have I ever done to him?"

"You did knee him in the balls in Dartmoor," Shannon pointed out.

"That was _after_ he brought me there to kill me," the Australian huffed. "And I'd do the same to any guy that suggested I should be his mistress."

"Even me?" Drake waggled his eyebrows.

"Consider yourself lucky I'm too tired to make a _repeat_ performance," Trish glared at Drake.

"She loves me!" Drake feigned a swoon, "She really loves me!"

"They always say that you hurt the ones you love," Shannon grinned.

"I dunno about that," Ash said with rueful smile. "I think Misty just likes the _hurting_ part."

"How _do_ you put up with that?" Drake enquired.

"I have a cache of aspirin stashed away," the Grand Master explained. "And I've always warned Misty that if she does me any serious damage, its gonna end up in the papers. That stops her every time."

"Luckily for you!" Shannon quipped.

"And the press wonder why I send them flowers and chocolates every year, thanking them for my continued health and wellbeing."

"So that makes them your best friends?" Trish grinned.

"You bet!"

"So, Jenn, how does it feel to be human again?" the dark-haired Australian asked her best friend.

"Absol-utely fabulous!" Jenn quipped, only to be pelted once again. This time by a pillow and a teddy bear.

"You really worry me sometimes," Trish shook her head. "Thank heavens that you managed to emerge from _this_ mess relatively unscathed."

"I have been in quite a few haven't I?" the blonde smiled sheepishly.

"A few? You're almost as bad at getting into trouble as Ash is."

"I'm not that bad," the man in question grumbled. Pikachu just giggled.

"Admittedly, you're not as bad as you were when you were younger," Trish conceded.

"Hey, I'm not as bad as Ash was!" Jenn protested. "Ash got into all those scrapes because of his temper and his big mouth…" she trailed off and reddened as she realised the hole she was digging herself into. "Er…I should totally shut up now shouldn't I?"

"Yes…" her best friend drawled with a raised eyebrow. "You were saying, dear Sis?"

_Open mouth, insert foot and whole leg_, the blonde moaned inwardly. _Le sigh._

"We do care about you, that's why we worry," Trish said gently. "Promise me that you'll _try_ to keep your impulsiveness in check and think _before_ you open your mouth? Promise me that you'll keep out of trouble from now until the end of the vacation?"

"I guess that's not asking too much," Jenn grumbled.

"I didn't think so either," her friend teased. "But seriously, I have my hands full worrying about you as well as trying to get better."

"Yeah well, I have my hands full too worrying about _you_!" the blonde retorted, then smiled sweetly. "In fact, I was thinking just now that I might stay here with you and Drakey."

Drake blinked. "You're welcome to do so but…why?"

"You've got a better swimming pool than we do," Jenn said with a deadpan expression.

"Jenn, we don't have a pool," Shannon said in a quizzical tone, "Though we do have a lovely tennis court."

"So like I said, you have a pool, Drake," Jenn tossed her hair, "And you've got your own private beach."

"Which makes me wonder why I have a pool," Drake mused.

"You've got more money than sense?" Trish's eyes twinkled.

"Hey, that's not very nice," the Crew Leader pouted to which his girlfriend just laughed before kissing him on the cheek.

"Just kidding. You just want to be able to go into the water whatever the weather," she squeezed his hand gently.

He squeezed back then grinned at Jenn. "So you're only here staying here for the pool, huh?"

"Uh huh," the blonde stretched lazily. "Well, that and the fact that I gotta keep an eye on you and T here. Who knows what shenanigans you two could get up to?"

"Jenn!" Trish gasped as she blushed furiously. "I'm a sick girl here!"

"I know," Jenn grinned smugly.

"You're lucky I have nothing to throw at you," Trish glared, "And besides, I don't have enough energy to stay awake for most of the day, let alone even think about doing _that_…"

"I wouldn't even think of doing that while she's so sick." Drake blushed. "I mean, that's sick."

"Well, I still should keep an eye on Tah here," Jenn shrugged. "She acts like she's a total angel, but I know that she can be a real imp."

"Who me?" the girl in question looked as innocent as she could be.

"Yes, ewe," Shannon stuck her tongue out at her eldest friend. Trish pouted.

"I'll help," Ash offered with a grin. "Since I'm staying on here at Drake's for a while."

"You are?" the blonde blinked. "But don't you have your own ritzy rental villa?"

"I do, but after all that's happened, there's reason to believe that I could be a target too. I can't put the lives of Misty and our unborn child in danger. And since Callie and Puck put wards around the whole place, and the with arsenal of high level Pokémon Drake has guarding the place, I think this is the best place for me to be."

_'Oh, well **this** is going to be enjoyable,_' Jenn thought to herself. '_Not only do I get to stay in the lap of luxury, but I also get to spy on two totally hot guys.' _The thought of seeing either Drake or Ash in little black swim trunks almost made her drool.

"You leaving all your Pokémon to protect Misty?" Shannon asked.

The Grand Master nodded. "All except the main team of Pikachu, Charizard, Bulbasaur, Feraligator, Meganium, and Espeon."

"Charizard came in handy last night," Trish remembered.

Jenn snickered, and Trish glared in exasperation. "You know what I meant!" Trish defended herself. "Your mind is more in the gutter than Chris's is."

"I calls 'em as I see's 'em," Jenn drawled out, then frowned. "Um. That wasn't very grammatically correct."

"Let's get back on track," Drake shook his head, smiling, "About Charizard being helpful, Ash."

"He was," Ash agreed. "I never go anywhere without him." There was an indignant squeak from beside Trish. "Or Pikachu."

'_Pika._' The electric mouse looked satisfied before snuggling next to Trish and having her fur gently stroked.

"The Charizard Express card. For a flaming good time, don't leave home without it," Jenn joked.

"OY," Shannon threw another bear at her.

"Hey, that's not beary nice!" the blonde snatched the bear before getting hit by it. "You're completely un-bearable, Shannon."

"Someone get that girl _out_ of here," Trish gasped while fighting a fit of the giggles. "She's hazardous to my present state of health."

"I am not a health hazard!" Jenn sulked. "That's totally not nice, Tah."

"Consider that payback for your earlier comments," her friend retorted. "It's hard enough for me to breathe normally without you making it worse by making me laugh so much!"

"They do say that laughter is the best medicine," the blonde said innocently.

"Yeah, well whoever said that, never took asthmatics into account."

ooo

The afternoon was spent with Jenn grabbing some essential stuff of hers and Trish's from their villa and taking it to Drake's.

The Orange Crew Leader stared in disbelief at the number of bags Jenn had piled up in the marble foyer. "All this is _essential_ stuff!"

"Of course it is!" The blonde placed both hands on her hips. "You can't expect Trish or me to survive without our hair care products, our beauty products, our styling tools, our…"

"Drake," Ash grinned, as Jenn rattled on. "You shouldn't be so surprised at this. You do have two younger sisters after all."

"Yeah, but they don't _live_ here."

"Oh, stop tetching, Drake," Jenn crossed her arms. "You've got one hundred rooms in this villa. I think you can totally spare one or two."

"Well yeah, I can," Drake said as he watched some of his hired help walk into the foyer. "You know, for your luggage," he muttered, then asked, "But what about you?"

"Whaddya mean, what about me?" Jenn glared at him. She walked forward, but froze when she found herself held back. She looked up at Ash, who had an innocent look on his face, as his hand gripped her shoulder to hold her back. "Remove your hand before you lose it."

Ash reddened, "I just didn't want you to…you know…go after Drake like that."

"Like what?" Jenn rolled her eyes in annoyance, "I was just kidding."

"Just kidding?" Ash snorted, "Your eyes flashed red!"

"They did?" Jenn gasped, then grinned. "That is so cool! I mean, that is so not cool because I know that you are so completely teasing me. Aren't you?"

"Got it in one," Ash said, then looked over at Drake. "She's sharp as a tack, isn't she?"

"Shrewishly!" Drake laughed, then directed his staff. "Edward, your crew can take the black bags to the east wing. Ah, the blue room. And Mirabelle, why don't you take those white ones with the crazy colours on it to the west wing. Jenn, don't complain, I know you won't want to be woken up by the sunrise. Give her the copper room."

"The blue room, the copper room…So many colours, Drake," Jenn raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not trying to tell us something?"

Drake glared at the blonde, "Do you want the dog house?"

"No," Jenn said saucily, "I'm sure you'll need it if you tick off Trish."

"Long walk, short pier," Drake said calmly. "I have one of those down at the beach. I know you enjoy the beach."

"Guys! Come on!" Ash stopped Jenn's retort in its tracks. "While the staff and I are fully enjoying this verbal tennis match, we've got a lot of stuff to do today."

"Okay fine," Jenn said, then followed Mirabelle and her small crew.

Ash stayed with Drake, and the two watched the blonde and all of the luggage vanish around the corner. The Grand Master was about to say something when Jenn shot back her retort, "And they're not crazy coloured bags! They're Louis Vuitton!"

The two males were at a loss momentarily. Ash looked at Drake, "I guess she had the last word."

"Not for long," Drake said dramatically. "This. Means. War."

ooo

The next day was so gorgeously warm and sunny that Jenn decided that she would treat herself to the ancient ritual of sun worshipping. She dressed in a black two piece swimsuit, slipped on a pair of designer shades, and went down to the private beach. She sprawled out on a deck chair and sipped on an ice-cold soda. A butler stayed in the shade of a small beach hut that reminded Jenn of an oceanfront concessions stand, and the man promised to bring out refills as she wanted them.

_'This is the life of a Goddess,_' she thought lazily. '_To laze around on a private beach, with a servant to cater to my every whim.__ Makes me wonder if I can swing it so that I can stay here permanently.'_

A sudden coolness was felt across her body and the blonde cracked open an eye to see a shadow across her midriff. "I know I didn't finish that drink all that fast. Did it go flat already?"

"I don't think so, but I can get you a fresh one if you really want," a familiar male voice said lightly.

Jenn looked up to see the Grand Master standing to the left of her chair, hands in his pockets and with a half grin on his face. She then reddened when she realised that she was semi-naked save for two thin pieces of material, even though it was Versace, in front of the man she had a massive crush on.

"Uh no, that's fine," she glanced over at her half full glass sitting on the table on her right. "I thought for a moment you might be the butler coming with a refill."

"A refill, huh? I can see that you've settled in here just fine," Ash grinned. "Unfortunately, I'm not the butler. Disappointed much?"

"No!" she squeaked out while wondering whether she should make a grab for her cotton shirt and sarong and cover up. Unfortunately, the said items were just out of reach. "Uh, can you hand me my stuff over there?"

The dark-haired man passed them over to her. "Do you need to go somewhere?"

"No, but I think I should be a little more decently dressed," Jenn shrugged on the light coloured shirt, "For one thing, you're the Grand Master, and for another thing I doubt you'd appreciate the quality Versace brings to a good bikini."

Ash laughed and sat down on the deckchair, forcing the blonde to scoot over a bit. "You can drop the formalities with me, Jenn. It gets a bit tiresome hearing 'Grand Master' all the time and being treated so formally. It's nice to be treated as just plain old Ash Ketchum sometimes."

"Old is right," Jenn snickered.

"Hey, I'm only a year older than you!"

"That's right. _Old_er," the blonde smirked.

Ash rolled his eyes. "How does Trish put up with you?"

"You're sounding like Drake," Jenn grinned. "She just likes me. Who wouldn't?"

"It's either that or she's on some strong medication."

Jenn frowned. "Hey, were you just insulting the Goddess?"

"Why yes I did," the Grand Master smirked. "In return for the insult you so kindly gave to me. Anyway we're friends right? Sharing is caring you know."

"I'd rather you shared something else," the girl muttered. "I can't exactly wear a diamond studded Absol collar in public."

"Oh, but I _do_ have something for you."

"Huh?"

"Remember that female Absol puppy that you rescued from its abusive trainer?"

"Like I could forget!"

"Last week, Tangelo's Nurse Joy spotted the boy and called in Officer Jenny. He was hauled before the Orange League Tribunal today."

"I hope they totally threw the book at him!" Jenn growled. "That bastard was going to throw the poor puppy into the ocean so Sharpeedos could eat it!"

"Don't worry, they did," the Grand Master reassured her. "I was sitting in on the hearing. They gave him a life ban from Pokémon training and confiscated any Pokémon he had."

"Good! What's gonna happen to all of them?"

"New owners have to be found for all of them but one," Ash paused as he fished out a small red and white sphere from his trouser pocket. "I've decided that the Absol puppy should go to you." He handed the sphere to Jenn.

"Thank you," Jenn said humbly. "I have Absol-utely wanted one of these!"

"Oyyyyy."

The blonde grinned, maximised the sphere and threw it, "Poké Ball, go!"

The ball opened, releasing the red energy which reformed into a very small Absol puppy with a thick black zigzag mark down its spine. The puppy looked at Jenn, then raised one paw hesitantly with a soft whimper.

"Here girl," Jenn coaxed gently, showing the Pokémon her open hands. The puppy's tail wagged a little before it took a few hesitant steps towards her. It sniffed her hands before gently licking it with a small pink tongue.

"That's a good widdle girl," the blonde crooned as she scratched gently behind the ears. "I'll take great care of you. No swimming in the ocean for you unless you want to."

The Absol's tail wagged even harder and it leapt up onto her lap and started giving her face a tongue bath.

Ash grinned. "I think she's taken to you."

Jenn gently hugged the puppy and smiled as it settled down on her lap. "Y'know, somehow I don't think that Trish is going to be too thrilled over this. Ever since the Incident, she has issues with any dog that's bigger than a small stuffed toy."

"Drake and I talked about that," Ash nodded. "And we figured you could use this puppy to help her get over her fear. Since this Absol is only a baby, it hasn't had time to develop any killer or feral instincts yet. It's just like any other young domestic canine. We need to help Trish get over her fear of large dogs otherwise she's never going to want to step outside the house."

Jenn eyed the puppy, which had abandoned Jenn's lap to curl up on the sand under the chair, taking refuge in the shadow cast by the chair. "I hope my own Growlithe will be okay with me taking her in."

"They'll be fine," Ash said reassuringly, then he looked out over the ocean. "It's a gorgeous day out."

It was, with an almost steady breeze coming in off the ocean, which carried the salty fishy tang of the water with it. The sand glistened white from the strong rays of the sun, and the occasional Pelipper frolicked around with a few sea gulls from the mainlands.

Jenn stood up and the puppy lifted its head, then stood to sit by her new mistress's feet. The blonde tied the sarong around her waist and fingered the Poké Ball. A stray cold breeze seemed to twirl around her and the puppy whined low. She narrowed her eyes, then recalled the puppy. "I think I'm going in now."

"So soon?" Ash asked, "Didn't you just get out here?"

"Yeah, but, I just don't feel all that safe with Lu still on the run," Jenn shrugged, grinning quickly, "You know?"

Ash stared at her for a second, with her body in a profile against the ocean as she walked by him and things seemed to go into slow motion. She turned her head to look at him, and for a brief second, Ash felt cold air and saw a different scene surrounding Jenn. A dark star lit sky, white fireworks, and screaming not unlike that in the Stadium during the match.

Then he blinked and the sun was hot on his shoulders and head, and Jenn was waving a hand in front of his face, "Earth to Ketchum, anyone home?" She poked his shoulder. "If people think I broke the Grand Master, I'll be in real trouble."

He snatched her hand and kept from being poked again, "One, those nails are sharp, and two I told you not to call me the Grand Master."

"Oh good! You're not broken," She looked over at the butler, who was walking over with a concerned look, and waved him off, "He's okay, I think he just dozed off." Then she muttered, "For a few seconds."

Ash stood, rubbing his arm where she'd poked him, "That really hurt."

"Aww, poor thing," She tucked the Poké Ball in the waist of her sarong. "I've been worse."

"How so?" Ash asked, "And shouldn't you put that someplace safer?"

"I've been "poke" balled, for your information, though I think you already know that quite well," Jenn teased, "And I've carried lots of cell phones like this and never lost one of them." She tossed her hair, "Besides if I put it in the pocket of this shirt, I'd need a second one for the other pocket or I'd look lopsided."

Ash stumbled on the transition part from sand to slate walkway, "Uh, you could always let me carry it."

Jenn pretended not to see his stumble, sipping the soda she still carried, "Nah, you already have a couple on you. Let's not give you too much to hold."

Ash froze at that, "You did not just say that!"

Jenn flounced around and pointed at his waistline, "I meant the ones on your belt, Mister Grand Master. Where's _your_ mind slumming at?" She grinned before walking off towards the back patio of the villa.

He could almost hear Pikachu teasing him, and he rubbed at his eyes. "Where _is_ my mind at these days?" He looked back at the ocean, and watched a Wailmer surface, then vanish. The butler had closed up the stand, and was walking towards the deck chair Jenn abandoned with a sand rake.

Suddenly, it was a little too bright out.

ooo

_To be continued…_

_Author's Note__: When two people have visions, it usually doesn't bode well for one of them. Then again, it could be the result of too much sun. _:P


	22. Chapter TwentyOne: Drenched In My Pain

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Puck. Lu is co-owned with Mia. I do own the storyline and Callie, Flory, Poppy, Poptart, and any other character. The lyrics in the title come from "Wake Me Up When September Ends," by Green Day.

A/N: If you can't cope with alternative storylines outside of the series then don't read. The whole point of fanfiction is to be found in the motto of the site 'Unleash your imagination and free your soul.' Write what you want to see. Don't flame stories that go against your beliefs or the series. That's immature and childish. Just don't read them. I don't believe in some 'ships' but I certainly don't flame them. It is a free world.

ooo

_Chapter Twenty-One: __Drenched in my pain again._

The small cruiser sped its way through the turquoise waters of the Archipelago with its cargo of sun seeking tourists. The person at the helm was a twenty-four-year-old brunette by the name of Maia. Raised in a seafaring family, she had earned her boating licence at eighteen and had a detailed knowledge of all the islands in the Archipelago. She had set up her own business in Pummelo, offering day cruises and charter boat hire to tourists. Wanted a secluded beach for a romantic rendezvous? Maia knew. Wanted to see the island where Cleavon Spielbunk shot his latest Hollywood blockbuster? Maia could take you there.

Today, she was taking a group of young tourists out to find an ideal beach to snorkel, swim and sunbathe without the crowds.

A delighted squeal was heard from one of the bikini clad girls. "Oh my gawwd, isn't that, like, the cutest little island? It looks, like, totally deserted!"

Maia looked to where she was pointing. The small island's peak was dominated by a rocky outcrop which towered above the trees before ending in gentle slopes and pristine white beaches. It looked like the perfect spot to stop…however the skipper felt that something was not quite right.

There were no wingulls or taillows darting about, no spheals or seels basking on the sand. Sailors are a traditionally superstitious lot, and Maia was no exception. She could see the birds giving the island and the immediate area a wide berth. _They only do that if there is great danger or some great menace..._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the girl who had pointed the island out. "Oh Maia, can we stop there for the day?"

"Look, I think we should search around a bit more before deciding to pitch anchor for the day," Maia began.

"But why? It looks good enough to me."

The skipper was afraid she might have to argue further with them when one of the group spoke up.

"The skipper's right. I think we should look around a bit more," he folded his arms. "There's some evil feeling about that place. I don't like it."

Maia gave the guy a grateful smile and started up the engines to take them as far away as she could.

How right they were. For hidden in the depths of a cave in that rocky summit, a red haired Fae plotted the destruction of humankind.

ooo

_Pummelo__Island_

Trish was trying to take a nap as the doctors prescribed, and as ordered, and enforced, by Drake and Jenn as well.

But try as she might, the girl just could not drop off to a proper sleep. Jenn had even peeked in on her and told her off for not being asleep as the Goddess had ordered. Trish had told her that her mind was just too active to go to sleep properly. Satisfied with the answer, the blonde left to go and bug Drake for fun.

The truth was, Trish was too afraid to go to sleep. The knowledge that Lu had made three attempts on her life haunted her constantly. If she went to sleep, there was the possibility that Lu might try again. And because she would not be awake to defend herself, he might very well succeed.

When she did sleep, it was filled with nightmares about the Hound and the recent attack by the Absol. Plus little voices would taunt her that Lu was going to kill her anyway, so why bother getting better?

Trish sighed as she turned over yet again and cuddled her treasured stuffy puppy. Sometimes she wondered if it would have been better if she had not come back.

ooo

Meanwhile, Jenn was busy helping setting a table in one of the garden gazebos. The faint perfume of the many roses that covered the trellises scented the air. Shannon, Ben, Mia, Puck, Chris, Jaime and Callie were joining her, Drake and Ash for a leisurely barbeque lunch.

"Mhmm something smells good," Shannon remarked as she came out laden with bread rolls. Drake who was at the barbeque, grinned at the girl as he turned over a hamburger patty.

"We've got a choice of hamburgers, steak, chops, or chicken," he noted. "And if you can't find anything in there you like, too bad!"

"Does Trish know about this?" Jenn asked. "If she did she'd be totally complaining that she's missing out on a ton of shrimp an tha barbie."

"Please, stop!" Mia groaned, "Abusing accents should be a crime."

"I don't think it was abusing, so much as mixing accents that don't belong together in any way possible," Chris smirked, "What accents were you going for anyway? Because I think you missed."

"It sounded like what would happen if you had an Australian imitating someone from the Bronx," Ben shook his head. "Definitely not music to the ears."

"ANYway," Jenn grumbled, "I think Drake was trying to say something before y'all interrupted him."

"Now she insults the south!" Shannon laughed.

"Well, kids, when it comes to Trish and a barbeque, things have already been taken care of," Drake smirked. "I've arranged for a butler to take some of this up to her, so she can have some as well."

"You're organised," Shannon laughed.

"Either that or he's too scared of what Trish might do if he didn't," Jenn said slyly.

"Do you want to eat charcoal for lunch instead?" the Orange Crew Leader threatened.

"Do you want me to tell Trishy on you if you do?" the blonde retaliated.

"Gee you two get on so well," Mia raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure Trish must be pleased that the two most important people in her life are the 'best' of friends."

"Aww, she knows we're only playing," Jenn grinned. "Drakey here really loves me, because everyone loves the Goddess."

"Do I?" The Orange Crew Leader raised one dark brow. "It depends on how you really feel about me."

"Oh you know I really love ya," the blonde assured him. "Not like that of course."

"Of course," Drake agreed. "Otherwise we'd both have to start planning our funerals. Cause of death, mauling by tiger."

"No thanks," Jenn wrinkled her nose. "Not only is it a totally messy way to die, but I might ruin my designer threads."

"We totally can't have that," Shannon smirked.

"Of course not! Do you know how much I paid for this outfit!" Jenn shook her head, "My Visa card almost had a stroke."

ooo

After a satisfying lunch, the group relaxed and chatted while watching the pack of Growlithes frolicking together on the lawns. Hamlet, Ophelia, Mac and Beth had made friends with Drake's Growlithe and the Fire puppies were currently involved in a game of chasings.

"Say, Jenn, why don't you let your new Pokémon out to meet the others?" Ash suggested as he sipped some wine.

"Because I did that earlier," Jenn picked a piece of lint from her pants.

"You did not!" The Grand Master chastised. "I just gave you Kigali earlier today."

"Okay, okay! You don't have to go all growly like that," Jenn stood up and whistled for her two Pokémon.

Mac and Beth's ears pricked up before the two came bounding over to sit by their mistress's feet.

"Okay guys…"

A snort from Beth.

Jenn rolled her eyes. "Okay, guy and _girl_. Better?"

Beth wagged her tail.

"Anyway, you two, there's someone new that I'd like you to meet." Jenn unclipped the new Poké Ball from her belt, maximized it and threw it. "Come out, Kigali!"

The red energy formed into the small Absol puppy. Kigali blinked at the bright sunshine, then shrank back a little when she saw the two Growlithe.

Beth trotted forward and sniffed the newcomer intently. Her tail wagged and she gave the young one a gentle lick. Mac soon added his approval too, with a welcoming lick.

Hamlet, Ophie and the other Growlithe ran up then, to inspect the puppy. Kigali was then fully accepted into the group and the Pokémon ran off to play. Jenn noted that Kigali stayed close by Beth's side.

"Awww they're getting along so well," Shannon beamed. "I loooooove Growlithe. They are soooo cute!"

"Really?" Ben raised an eyebrow as he waved over a hovering butler and whispered in his ear. The man nodded and walked back into the house.

The brunette slapped her boyfriend's arm, "Really! You'd better not be making fun of me!"

"I would never," Ben said seriously, and Shannon smiled at his sincerity.

The butler returned a few minutes later with a brown wicker basket adorned with a huge red bow. Ben took the basket, thanked the servant and turned to Shannon. "This is for you, sweetie. I think you'll like it, but I wouldn't drop it if I were you!"

The brunette's eyes widened and she gingerly took the basket off her boyfriend. "Oooh thank you so much," she squeaked. "It's heavy!"

"I wonder if it's a bunch of diamonds," Jenn rubbed her hands. "That would be totally awesome."

Ben's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "A basket full of diamonds? You've got to be kidding me! There no way in the world that I could afford that, I'm not that rich!"

"What would I want with so many diamonds anyway?" Shannon giggled. "I don't wear jewellery."

"Open the basket," Jaime urged impatiently. "I wanna see!"

The cover lifted with a slight squeak, and Shannon peered into the depths. A small pink tongue tickled her nose. "Oooooh Benny," she whispered as she carefully withdrew a small chubby Growlithe puppy with a blue bow around its neck. "He's sooo adorable!"

"Don't forget his brother," Ben grinned, pleased she liked his gift.

Shannon's eyes grew wide as saucers. "You gave me _two _puppies!" she squeaked. She handed the puppy to Jenn then threw her arms around her boyfriend in a tight hug. "Thank you so much! How can I ever thank you enough?"

Chris chuckled. "I guess someone's gonna get lucky tonight!"

"CHRIS!" Both Shannon and Ben turned scarlet and Jaime whacked him on his arm.

"What?" Chris asked, rubbing his arm.

"So what are you gonna call them?" Mia asked as she lifted the second puppy out of the basket.

Shannon looked thoughtful. "I don't really know, I can never think of really good names. Maybe I'll ask Trish later on, she's good with names."

"Onto it," Drake grinned as he drew out his cell phone and punched the speed dial. "Hey, hon, enjoyed the lunch? Good. Listen, Ben just gave Shan two male Growlithe puppies as a present. She wanted to know what you would suggest for names." He listened for a while before turning to Shannon.

"Trish suggested you call one Julius and one Caesar. Got to keep up with the Shakespearean theme."

"Oooh I like that!" the brunette beamed.

"She also said that Ben must really really love you. After all you've only been dating, what a month and he's already giving you large presents." The two blushed as the others laughed.

Drake turned back to the cell phone. "Yes, she loved the name, and yes they both blushed. Yes, honey, you are good."

"Shut up, Chris," Jenn said warningly.

"What!" The Scot defended himself, "I was going to ask for another hamburger."

"You haven't even finished your first," the blonde pointed out.

Drake hung up and slipped the phone back in his pocket. "That's enough bickering from you two, I think we should enjoy this little get together."

"You bet," Mia hugged Puck, then looked at her boyfriend with a solemn look. "Then we have to get back to business."

"That's very true," the chestnut-haired Fae frowned. "As long as Lu is on the loose, none of us can really relax."

"Puck's right," Callie sighed. "Not only is he overly ambitious but he's also a bit of a maniac. Couple that together and you have a very powerful and dangerous foe."

"And we already know what he's capable of doing," Mia shuddered. "I don't think he'll stop at anything to get his way."

"True," Callie agreed. "But Puck and I are more powerful in magic than he is. Plus we have the Chosen One on our side. His powers are untold and mostly unknown."

Ash reddened slightly as all eyes turned on him. "Hey you wouldn't know either if you were in my place. It's not as if being Chosen One comes with a job description. I never asked for it in the first place!"

"So if we all work together and come up with some sort of strategy, we can defeat Lu?" Shannon asked with hope in her voice.

"That's the idea."

"We should work out all the facts as we know them," Drake folded his arms. "The main thing is that Lu is out to destroy Puck for ruining his plans."

"So far, his only real target has been Trish," Chris frowned.

"Hey," Jenn glared at him. "I totally disagree with that. That Lulu freak has done stuff to me too!"

Chris nodded sincerely, "Like I said, so far the only real target has been Trish."

Jenn made a face, "Okay, Drake, you're off my poopie ookie list. There's a newcomer for that position."

"Oh, like I'm scared," Chris scowled.

"Not yet," Jenn smiled sweetly.

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise," Jenn picked up her Absol. "Isn't it cheeky, pookie poo?"

The Absol, unsure of what to do, just snuggled against her human.

"If only such emotions could be used against Lu," Ash sighed, "Then the world would be safe."

"First it turns to Ash," Shannon grinned, "Then it's saved."

"People, we're getting off track!" Mia stood up, her hands on her hips, "Don't make me force all of you to pay attention. We _have_ to make a plan against Lu."

"He's surely making plans against us," Puck nodded in agreement.

"Yes," Callie frowned prettily and folded her arms under her chest, causing Chris to grin dopily. "But as to what he is planning, we cannot ascertain."

"Well I'm ascertainly certain he's planning something big and evil," Jenn narrowed her eyes. "And whatever it is, we have to be ready for it."

The wind blew coolly over them, as if agreeing with the blonde's statement. The group then noticed the clouds that were gathering over the horizon.

"Looks like a storm is brewing," Ben said, "I hope it won't be a bad one."

"Or a magical one," Shannon shivered.

"I would not worry of that," Callie said nonchalantly, "Lu does not have much sway over natural forces and weather. He graded quite weakly in that area."

"Yeah, pitifully weak," Puck smirked.

"I do not see you making the weather bright and sunny, brother dear."

"One mustn't interfere with naturally induced weather patterns, sister dear," Puck chastised. "Or don't you recall Master Pairfene reminding us of that?"

Callie was about to reply when Drake gently interrupted the two, "I think we should move things inside." He gestured to the flickers of lightning that accompanied the approaching storm.

The group moved as one to help the servants clean up the barbeque. By the time all the food was indoors, and the barbeque closed up against the elements, the storm was even closer. A cooler wind began to blow more frequently, and the scent of rain was upon them.

Jenn stood on the patio, overlooking the whitecaps that formed due to the wind. She shivered, and rubbed at her bare arms. The cool air made goose bumps rise on her arms. She only hoped that the Faes' confidence in their ability to defeat Lu was not misplaced.

ooo

The day arrived for the Pokémon League Tribunal's hearing into Gary Oak's conduct arrived. As it concerned the Indigo League, calls were made to the Gym Leaders who were currently in the Archipelago for the celebrations, and arrangements to fly out those who weren't. Because the incident occurred in Pummelo Stadium under the auspices of the Orange League, Drake and the senior Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy for the Islands would be present. As Pokémon Grand Master of the overall League, Ash would be chairing the panel.

The hearing was held on the first floor of the Orange League Headquarters. This level was composed of various conference rooms and board rooms, used for press conferences, special meetings and hearings.

Gary Oak was made to wait in an adjacent room with a League Official in attendance. The Viridian Gym Leader was confident that the panel would acquit him of any wrongdoing. After all who would dare punish the Great Gary Oak, grandson of the world's foremost authority on Pokémon?

The official must have been alerted via his headset, for the man rose to his feet and opened the door. "It's time to go in Mister Oak."

The room was set out with a single desk with microphone facing a long u shaped row of tables. This was where the panel sat, each partition equipped with a microphone. A large video screen was set up behind them. A League secretary sat slightly apart from them, ready to type a copy of the proceedings into a waiting laptop.

Behind the single desk where Gary was to sit, were rows of chairs for spectators and journalists. A few reporters were busy scribbling notes as he was escorted to his seat.

Once everyone was seated and quiet, Ash opened the proceedings. "This League Tribunal hearing is called today for the purposes of looking into the misconduct of Viridian Gym Leader Gary Oak during a public match."

"The charges brought him are as follows: aggravated assault and battery against two Pokémon, personal conduct unbecoming of a League Gym Leader and tarnishing the Kanto League." He looked Gary square in the eyes. "How do you plead?"

Gary was rather gob smacked. He never thought that the Loser could sound so professional. He quickly recovered and shot back with "How do I plead? What a stupid question! Not guilty of course! How _dare_ you haul me before a panel!"

Ash was not impressed, neither were the other panel members. "Mister Oak," the Grand Master said coolly. "I might remind you that these League Tribunals are appointed by the law to prosecute misdeeds and misconduct by League trainers and personnel. These hearings are to be taken seriously and I would insist on them being treated as such. _No one_ is above the law, not even you."

Officer Jenny from the Orange Islands then spoke up. "And if you continue to insist on being such a jerk then we can haul you before a criminal court. I can assure you that they will certainly not tolerate such behaviour."

"Why should I listen to you?" the chestnut-haired Trainer sneered. "You're just in your position because you have tits and look good in a skirt."

There was a shocked gasp from all the female gym leaders and Gary suddenly felt himself unable to speak. Looking around he saw Sabrina glaring at him. She had used her psychic powers to silence him.

"Enough!" the Grand Master barked. "I don't want to hear another word out of you. You are not to speak until I ask you to. Got it? Good." Gary could only nod.

Video footage of Gary kicking Umbreon and the Absol were shown to the panel members and the Head Nurse Joy gave them copies of the medical report on Umbreon's injuries and the x-rays which showed faint evidence of past fractures.

Ash then read out from the official rulebook the requirements and responsibilities of being a Gym Leader. "As a Gym Leader you are a public role model to all the Pokémon trainers out there. You are supposed to be the embodiment of the ideals of the Pokémon League. Those ideals are to bring out the very best in you and your Pokémon. To bridge our two worlds with friendship and teamwork."

ooo

The panel deliberated for half an hour in the adjoining room before returning. Gary was relaxed and smirking for the press, flashing his best smile at the lady reporters. A tap on his shoulder from the official next to him alerted him to the fact that the tribunal was seated.

"Gary Oak, the tribunal finds you guilty on all counts. You are hereby stripped of your status as Viridian City Gym Leader, as well as any pokémon used for said status, and banned from training and owning Pokémon for one year. You will also be listed in the Pokémon Abuser Archives for ten years. "

There was a rumbling to the crowd, and flashes from cameras began to go off all around. Gary could only sit there, stunned. How was this possible? He was…he…

A waiting bailiff motioned for Gary to stand, and he when he did, he was even more surprised to feel his arms being pulled behind him as handcuffs were slipped on.

"It's a formality, sir," the bailiff, who was a woman, said in a slightly smug tone. The cuffs were tightened, almost painfully, "I hope you don't mind being led away by someone who has tits and wears a skirt."

Gary gritted his teeth and forced his expression neutral. This incident would do nothing to help his inheritance.

ooo

Ash tapped Surge and Drake to give the press conference, while he went back to his temporary office to make a phone call.

The Professor picked up on the second ring. "Hello, Professor Oak speaking."

"Hey, Professor, it's Ash." The screen flickered before showing the elderly visage of his long-time mentor and friend.

"Hey Ash, good to hear from you! How's Misty?"

"She's fine, Professor. The baby's completely healthy and developing as it should be."

"Good to hear," the researcher smiled. "Now how can I help you?"

Ash slightly clenched his fist under the desk. This was going to be difficult. How could he tell the world's foremost authority on Pokémon that his own flesh and blood had been convicted of wrongdoings against the very same creatures? How could he tell the man who advocated love and kindness towards these special animals, that his grandson had abused his?

"Well, Professor, we held a tribunal hearing for Gary today."

"Oh? Yes…I saw what happened during the match. I was very disappointed in him."

"He was…uh…found guilty of misconduct and abuse of his Pokémon. He's been stripped of his title as Viridian City Gym Leader, banned from owning and training Pokémon for a year, and listed on the Pokémon Abusers List for ten." The last part came out in a bit of a rush, Ash being unsure of his mentor's reaction.

"…I see…"

"I'm sorry, Professor," Ash apologized quickly. "The panel voted unanimously for the penalties and I didn't know what else to do…"

"It's okay, Ash," the professor said gently. "You did what you had to do. As Pokémon Grand Master, you have to put the welfare of the entire League above any personal feelings or obligations." He sighed. "Gary has to learn, like the rest of us, that he's not above the law. I sometimes wonder if he was spoilt too much when he was younger. I wonder if that's why he began to go wrong…"

Ash was beginning to feel rather uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going. He didn't want to be involved in matters which were private family affairs. "Anyway, I'd better be going, Professor. But I thought I should let you know before this breaks in the press. They'll most likely be wanting to speak to you."

"Maybe I can sic Muk on them."

ooo

Gary sat fuming in a chair in another room, still handcuffed and with two burly security guards flanking him, as Kanto League officials removed his Pokémon, the keys to the Gym, and his Pokémon license. How dare they do this to him! How dare they jeopardize the nice fat inheritance he was certain to get from his old Gramps.

In his mind, there were two people completely responsible for this humiliation. Ash and Jenn. His former childhood friend and his ex-girlfriend. If Jenn hadn't bit him on his butt, he would never have challenged Ash like that.

If Ash hadn't cheated in the match, Gary would have won. The Great Gary Oak never cheated, unlike that Loser. He had always suspected that his rival must have cheated to get this far.

_Damn that loser, damn that blonde bitch. Damn them to **hell**. They will pay for this._

ooo

When Drake and Ash returned to the villa later that afternoon, Jenn was waiting for them. She had decided that now was as good a time as ever to cure Trish of her Absol phobia by introducing her to Kigali.

To relieve the very probable tense reaction, she had phoned Shannon and asked her to bring over her two brand new puppies. Jenn knew that her best friend loved dogs, and she was sure that if Trish was made to see that Kigali was just like any other playful puppy, things would be alright.

Jenn wanted Drake to be there too, so he could reassure Trish and he would also be the first to be 'mauled' by her if things went wrong.

"Hey guys," she greeted the two men as they entered.

"Hey Jenn," Drake grinned as he shrugged out of his suit jacket which was taken by the waiting butler, as was Ash's. "What's up?"

"I'm waiting for Shan to get here with her puppies to show to T. Then I'm going to introduce Kigali to her at the same time," the blonde explained.

"Good idea," the Orange Crew Leader nodded. "Shows that Kigali is just like any other canine pokémon puppy."

"But isn't it a bit too soon to be doing this?" Ash frowned slightly. "It's only been a week since Jenn attacked her."

"That was not me," the blonde corrected. "Okay, so it was me in Absol form, but it totally wasn't me if you know what I mean." She frowned. "Then again, now I'm not sure what it is I meant."

A mischievous glint came into Drake's dark eyes. "Like, what_ever_?" He mimicked her perfectly. Ash went into fits of laughter.

Jenn glared at the Orange Crew Leader. "Do you want to be killed now or later?"

"Now, now, Jenn. Trish won't like you if you do that to me," Drake smirked.

"I've been her best friend before you were her boyfriend! And besides, what she doesn't know won't hurt her," Jenn countered smugly, then looked distressed, "Oh it was terrible, Trish! Ho-oh came down out of the sky and just snatched Drake up." The blonde smirked at Drake, daring him.

Drake was about to say something when Shannon came running into the foyer. The girl panted and waved her hand in front of her face. "Whew! It's hot out there!"

"Just a little," Drake grinned.

"Well we all know what an Orange Islander's version of 'little' is," Jenn rolled her eyes, "Don't we, Shannon?"

"Uh…I just want to help out Trish with her dog fear," Shannon motioned to her puppies, then winced a little. "I feel like I interrupted something important just now."

"Oh don't worry about those two. You just stopped another verbal tennis match between Drake and Jenn," Ash said dryly.

"Over what?"

"The usual," Ash shook his head, not masking the humour he felt at the situation, "like who is more important to Trish. Best friend or boyfriend."

"You two are silly," Shannon grinned at the blonde and the Pummelian. "You know that you're both just as important to Trish. In fact, if she knew you two were squabbling again, she'd bang your two heads together to knock some sense into you!"

"That sounds like something she _would_ do," Jenn said wryly. "Speaking of recovering tigers, how about we go and see her?"

ooo

The four entered the bedroom, to find the Australian just waking up from her nap. "Hey guys, what brings you here?" she yawned as she struggled up to a sitting position.

"The girls want to show you something," Drake informed her as he sat next to her on the bed and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Oh?"

Shannon grinned and whistled. Two pudgy Growlithe puppies came bounding into the room. "Meet Julius and Caesar."

Trish chuckled. "So you did use those names! And they are soooo adorable!"

The puppies, of course, knew that they were the ones being talked about, and so went to greet the human who had so wisely praised them. They scrabbled at the side of the bed until Drake reached down and lifted them both up. The Fire puppies proceeded to jump all over Trish's lap and attempted to lick her face.

"Down boys," the Australian laughed as she tried to fend off their licks. "You're absolutely adorable but I don't need my face washed at the moment."

"I've also got a brand new Pokémon," Jenn announced, fishing the ball from her pocket.

"Oh? Did you catch it or did someone give it to you?"

"Ashy gave it to me," the blonde beamed. "Meet Kigali, my newest little cheeky pookie poo!" The Poké Ball opened and the flash of red energy soon formed into the small Absol puppy.

As expected, Trish froze up at the sight of the Absol. Drake quickly gave her a reassuring squeeze and took her hand in one of his. "It's okay, it's only a baby."

"A b…baby?" she managed to squeak out of a suddenly very dry throat. "That's not a baby, that's a horse!"

Jenn frowned and looked at Kigali. The poor thing was barely the size of an adult house cat, "Yes, it's _just_ a baby. It hasn't learned any bad manners or adult instincts. If I didn't know first hand where this little girl came from, I'd say she's just like any other normal puppy."

"Go on Trish," Shannon coaxed. "Go ahead and pat Kigali."

"Yeah," Jenn chimed in, "She won't bite, I promise."

Her friend shot her a look which clearly said that she was going to be one dead Jenn if she was wrong.

Little Kigali could sense that this new human was a good person and liked animals. She could also sense that this human was terribly afraid of her. She remembered what Beth had told her.

_Be gentle with her, even though you yourself are little. Make slow motions around her so you don't startle her._

So Little Kigali did make slow gentle motions. Once Jenn had placed the puppy on the foot of Trish's bed, the little Absol made very gentle, but very slow motions. Almost as if mimicking the rocking walking motions of a chameleon, the Absol slowly inched her way towards the now startled looking Australian.

"Jenn…are you sure she's okay?"

Jenn, who looked torn between being alarmed at the puppy's slow movements and laughing at them, rubbed at her temples before patting Little Kigali between the shoulder blades.

The little absol was startled and stumbled over a fold in the blanket, and fell flat on her face. She looked up, blinking in surprise, and looked up at Jenn.

"You're silly," Jenn picked up the absol and scratched the puppy under her chin. "You didn't have to walk slow like that!"

"Well better slow than bounding all over me," Trish said wryly.

The blonde sat down on the bed next to her friend, Kigali in her arms. "How about you pet her while I hold her? Maybe that's better."

Trish hesitated as she looked at the puppy and Drake again gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Kigali remembered another thing that Beth had told her. _Looking soulfully with your eyes is a very important thing to master. Many humans will not be able to resist you if you can master this move. _The Absol puppy tried to look as soulful as she possibly could.

It seemed to work. "Awww, I'm sorry, little one," Trish said apologetically. "It's not that I don't think you're cute, but I'm just not...too…fond of large dogs at the moment. And I know you're not large yet," She gave Jenn a short look that said 'I know what you were going to say,' and then flashed a small smile at the puppy. "I guess you're here to help me over that fear, right?"

Kigali wagged her tail and gave a soft whimper. Trish slowly reached out one hand and rested it gently on top of the Absol's head before scratching behind the ears softly.

The puppy's tail thumped on Jenn's lap happily. Kigali began licking Trish's hand. She liked this human, she was nice.

"See Trishy, Absols aren't so bad!" Jenn beamed.

"Only when they're former humans turned Pokémon who've gone feral."

"Hey, I totally used to resemble that!" the blonde rolled her eyes and her friends just grinned.

Trish gently ruffled the shaggy fur on the Absol puppy's head. "Well, with this little one's help, I should be able to get over my fear."

Kigali yipped in agreement and Jenn grinned. "That's because she's Absol-utely adorable!"

"OY!"

ooo

_A few days later…_

Gary plonked himself down in a comfy chair, glass of wine in one hand and the cordless phone in the other. Ever since the tribunal, the chestnut-haired trainer had been stewing over the indignation and humiliation he had been put through. Drama that was all due to two people; Ash and Jenn.

Plotting his revenge, he soon realized a way that he could get back at both of them at the same time. Misty. The redhead was known to have a volatile temper and had never really tolerated the attention her husband received from other women. And being in the late stages of pregnancy, you had the perfect combination for an explosion.

Of course Ash, being the dumb loser he was, had never really taken notice of all his female admirers, and thus could never have been accused of being unfaithful.

Gary planned to fix that.

When the redhead in question answered the phone, Gary smiled to himself. _Showtime._ "Misty, how are you doing? It's Gary here."

"Gary? What are you ringing for?" There was a puzzled tone in her voice as Gary had not been a frequent caller to the Ketchum household of late.

"Misty, Misty, is that a way to greet an old friend?" the chestnut-haired Trainer said smoothly. "I know I haven't been in touch lately, but things have been rather busy."

"Yeah, they have."

"Anyway the reason why I called is that there's something about your husband that you should know."

Her voice was instantly guarded. "Like what?"

"Well, has he been around a lot lately?"

"No, but that's due to work and some situation that Puck's got everyone into. So he's decided that it would be safer for him to stay at Drake's villa and not put me or our unborn child in danger."

"Ah, but that's what he _wants_ you to think, my dear."

"What do you mean?"

"He's been keeping company with another woman."

"What! With Trish?"

"What?" Gary blinked in surprise. _Maybe being pregnant has affected her brain_. "No way! Drake may be easygoing and all, but he's not that laidback that he would let another guy stay at his place if he was after his girlfriend! Not her. I'm talking about one person: Jenn."

"Jenn." The tone was flat and cold, and Gary was pleased that Misty already disliked the girl. It would make his task of ruining Ash's marriage so much easier.

"Jenn has been around Ash quite a bit lately," the chestnut-haired Trainer continued. "And they might shrug it off as simple random encounters. But were they really random? Think about it." And he hung up.

ooo

Misty stared at the phone in her hand and frowned. _Now that was a strange phone call…_

She went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of juice, before sitting down on a comfy sofa in the living room. One of the things she hated about being pregnant was the almost constant backache from carrying the baby. The redhead felt she now knew what her mother must have gone through with her and her sisters.

Ash and Jenn…could it be true? Or was Gary telling a great big fat lie designed to turn her against her husband? Misty didn't know what to believe.

To be fair to Ash, in all the years she had known him, he had never been much of a skirt chaser – unlike Brock, or even Gary himself. Now there was a guy who couldn't talk about being faithful. Pokémon was Ash's main focus and obsessions, for a time there she had thought he would be oblivious to anything but the pocket monsters.

She reddened slightly at the memory of the time she complained to Daisy about Ash not taking any notice of her as girlfriend potential. 'What do I have to do to make him notice me? Dress up as a Pikachu?' she had grouched.

Not that Ash wasn't interested in girls as a teenager. On the contrary, he took great delight in pointing out the 'real' girls as compared to the tomboy redhead she was.

The Adult Ash still didn't take much notice of the females that swarmed around them, saying that they wouldn't want much to do with a married man. He obviously didn't know the female mind well.

Even though Ash had many female friends, Misty didn't consider any of them to be a threat, except for a certain blonde American girl. Ash genuinely enjoyed being in Jenn's company, and there was a certain spark between those two which Misty couldn't work out.

But the amount of times that Jenn had been around her husband had definitely increased since their arrival in the Orange Islands. There had been that fall into the surf, the fall off the cliff, Jenn taking care of the Pokémon Ash, the leather jacket, and a few other incidents. And now Jenn was staying at Drake's villa as well as Ash.

Was the Orange Crew Leader helping an 'affair' along? But after a moment, she dismissed that thought. Drake wouldn't help someone else cheat when _he_ went off his brain when it was thought that Trish was cheating on him with Danny.

But still, Misty couldn't help but worry about Ash. There was no telling what that blonde American girl might do if she could get her hands on him.

ooo

The blonde American in question was chatting with Trish in the 'Sick Tiger's Room' as the group had dubbed it, when her cell phone rang.

_Who could that be?_ she wondered as she fished the sleek silver device from her pants pocket. "Goddess Incorporated, you date him, I'll rate him!"

"Jenn, it's Misty."

Jenn blanched. Though it was a cute way to answer the phone, she knew how nutsy Misty was. She'd really have to start checking her caller ID. Of all the people, it would have to be the Mistress of Paranoia. Since when Jenn rate celly talky chatty status with Misty? "Yeah."

"Stay AWAY from my husband!"

Jenn winced and held out the phone for a moment. Then she heard Misty still going on, and she reluctantly held the phone back to her ear.

"…and I know you're staying there at Drake's place, as is Ash. Don't think that I don't know that you're there to try and lure him into your arms!"

"Who wrote your script!" Jenn's blood boiled as she listened to the rant. "Because whoever did missed out on one important thing." She held the phone out like a stage microphone, "I DO NOT WANT ASH! I HAVE MORALS! I DON'T DATE MARRIED MEN!"

Jenn caught Trish looking up at her with wide eyes, and she held the phone back, breaking in on Misty's retort. "Seeing as how you missed the global memo, I'll fill you in. I'm not staying here to shack up with Ash. I'm here to watch over Trish! Or did you miss out on the OTHER MEMO that was full of the 411 on how SICK SHE IS!"

"Well he's never around at home and he's always near where you are!"

"Wah, wah, wah! Practicing mimicking your baby, Misty? Ash isn't staying here because of me!" Jenn couldn't believe her ears. The woman was a total nutcase. "He's staying here to keep Lu, the potentially homicidal maniac, from hurting or killing you just to hurt Ash. Or would you like to see you or the baby in danger? Because if so, Drake can send Ash packing back to you." She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the hot anger she felt inside.

Jenn jumped slightly when she felt a gentle touch on her arm. She looked to see Trish gesturing for the phone with one of her 'don't you start arguing with me' looks.

"Hang on, Pissy," she barked at the redhead. "Someone else wants to talk to you."

Trish took the phone off the fuming blonde and placed it to her ear. "Misty? It's Trish here. I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between you and Jenn."

"You been _eavesdropping_?"

"It's a bit hard _not_ to overhear when you two are screaming down the phone at each other," the Australian said dryly. "Thing is, you need to calm down. Jenn is telling the complete truth. She offered to stay here to help look after me until I get back on my feet. And it's not a trait of hers that has just cropped up, she's _always_ been there for me. She's more than a best friend, she's like a sister to me."

Silence on the other end.

"And I can't believe that you would accuse Ash of being unfaithful. You, of all people should know better than to do that! You've known him since he was ten, and in all that time have you ever known him to stray? No."

Despite her anger, Jenn allowed herself a small smile. If Misty thought that was the end of the conversation, then she'd be wrong. From the sounds of it, Trish was just warming up. Her best friend could, when in the mood, embark on a marathon rant when she was worked up about something. The best way the blonde could think of describing it was to liken their tempers to volcanoes. Jenn's could be very explosive and very sudden, like Vesuvius. Trish was more like Mount Kilauea in Hawaii. A more gentle and less spectacular volcano. But the potential for a fiery explosion was still there. The thing was, no matter how mad the Australian was, she still was nice and polite. When Jenn was mad, all nicety and politeness went out the window. She let them have it!

"Whereas you, you hit on at least _two_ other guys during your journeys."

"I have never done that!"

"Yes, you have," Trish continued. "First of all you threw yourself at Danny even though he was only being gentlemanly to you. Then, and I can't believe you even liked him as he is such an obsessive maniac, Saturday Night Fever Rudy!" The Australian threw up her free hand in disgust. "I mean, mega ewww or did that Satanic Egg suck all the sense out of you at the time?"

"Do NOT insult my Togepi! It was always nice to me!"

"It doesn't matter now, does it? What matters is that you are unjustly accusing two people of something they're not doing. You're doing the same thing as Drake did when he believed Rudy's story that Danny and I were having an affair."

"Well what I know isn't a story. It's true and the proof is in Drake's villa!"

"Mud once flung, sticks. Whether it is true or not. You don't know what it's like to have your reputation tarnished in the media over a lie! I should know. And one more thing – you should thank your lucky staryus that you have such a great husband in Ash. I've never seen a man so concerned about the protection of his wife and unborn child from the likes of Lu. I KNOW what that murderous maniac is capable of, I nearly DIED at his hands – what more proof do you want that both you and the baby could be in danger?" She narrowed her eyes. "Oh and finally, you think it was rude of me to eavesdrop? Well it's also rude of you to go RIFLING through your husband's phone book for Jenn's number! Goodbye!"

Jenn grinned at her friend as she shut the phone off. "Grrr…the tiger has some teeth."

"I try."

The blonde cocked her head slightly to the side. "However you're still too nice and polite to people. Ya gotta be more dirty."

"Oh."

Jenn patted her friend's arm. "Don't you worry, I'll make an American out of you yet!"

"Er…thanks."

ooo

When Ash's cell phone rang, the dark-haired man sighed. It had been a very busy day, with problems all over the place. If it wasn't the press calling or otherwise harassing him about Gary's recent hearing, it was questions from Puck or Callie about how humans deal with magical displays.

Without looking at the external caller ID, Ash picked up the phone and pressed the little green button, "Ketchum."

"Ash."

He immediately set down the papers he was looking at, "Misty, how are you?"

Strain laced Misty's tone, "Not so well. I – "

"Is the baby okay? Are you okay? Did anything strange happen?"

"…No, nothing really peculiar." A pause. "I just miss you."

Ash smiled, "I miss you too."

"When are you coming back?"

"As soon as this is over," Ash winced at his wife's low groan. "I promise, just as soon as Lu is caught, I'll be back faster than you can say Psyduck."

"Or lucky staryu," Misty muttered.

Ash's brow knitted in confusion, "Or lucky staryu's, if you want."

"No, I don't want," Misty said quickly, "I just want you back and in my arms."

"I promise," Ash said, "It'll all be over soon."

"I hope," Misty said, though she sounded a little happier. "Bring me back something?"

Ash laughed, "We're in the same city! You sure you want a souvenir?"

"No, just you," Misty said, and she sighed, "And soon, okay?"

"Okay," Ash said, "I'll call later tonight, okay?"

"Okay," Misty said, "Love you."

"Love you, too." Ash said, and reluctantly hung up. Something nagged at the back of his mind. It wasn't out of the ordinary for Misty to call out of the blue, but her tone at the beginning of the call concerned him.

Right now, though, he could only hope that something could be done quickly about Lu.

ooo

_A few days later…_

Drake, Jenn, Ash, Shannon and Ben were talking in the living room, when the doctor came in from making his regular check-up on Trish.

"So how is she doing?" the Orange Crew Leader gestured for the man to take a seat.

Dr Campbell, who was a man in his mid-forties, smiled and sat down. "She's doing well, but not as well as I would like."

"What do you mean?" Jenn enquired.

"With the level of medication and therapy she's been receiving, I would have expected Trish to have made a near full recovery by now." He frowned slightly, "But she's still at the halfway mark. It's as if her recovery has hit a plateau and levelled off."

"So she's not getting any better?" Shannon squeezed Ben's hand anxiously.

Dr Campbell shook his head. "No, and it may well be that this is as fully recovered as she's ever going to get. Naturally, I hope that isn't the case."

"Is there a reason why?" Drake was looking slightly anxious.

The doctor shrugged apologetically. "Who knows? The human body is a very delicate and intricate mechanism, like a hi-tech machine. Sometimes you can put it back together and it works like brand-new. Other times you can fix it but it's never quite the same. It's different for everyone. It could be that something inside of Trish's body is irrevocably damaged, or maybe the brain has been traumatized beyond its limits." He paused. "Or it could be that something is holding her back from a full recovery."

Jenn frowned slightly as she heard this. What could possibly be holding T back? Knowing her best friend, she wouldn't tell them if there was. The blonde decided to pay her friend a little visit after her nap and try to find out. If anyone could get Trish to confess something, it was Jenn!

ooo

An hour later, Trish was sitting up in bed with a book when Jenn poked her head around the door.

"The sleeping tiger riseth!" the American girl wisecracked as she came into the room. She glanced at the book her friend was reading and saw the words 'Sherlock Holmes' emblazoned across the top. "You're not reading THAT puppy book again, are you?"

The Australian chuckled. "Of course not! I would be in serious need of some therapy if I was!"

Jenn grinned slyly. "I _already_ think you are in serious need of therapy, Tah."

"It takes one to know one," was the swift retort.

The blonde decided to get down to business. "The doc gave us your latest prognosis."

"And?"

"You have 3 days left to live," Jenn deadpanned.

"Suuuuuuuuuure," Trish stuck her tongue out. "The doc told _me_ I was doing okay."

"Keyword: _okay_," the blonde wagged a finger. "Not _better_ as it should be. That's what the doctor wanted to talk to us about. He's getting worried that you're not doing as well as you should be." She fixed her best friend with a narrowed blue eyed gaze. "And the Goddess demands to know why."

The dark-haired Australian looked taken aback. "How should I know why? There's nothing wrong with doing okay. It's a natural fact that some people take longer to recover from illnesses and injuries than others. You of all people should know that I've been through a lot of illnesses lately."

"True," Jenn agreed. "But you should be a lot better than this. You don't want to be stuck in here for the rest of your life when you've got Drake to take you out to ritzy restaurants, and you've got me to go shopping for fun things!"

"Jenn, I'm not a paraplegic…"

"Then get out of bed! Show the world you're still with the rest of the living population," Jenn held up a hand to ward off the upcoming protest from her friend. "I'm not telling you anything new, but Drake lives in a high social circle. You gotta be seen out and about with him to keep your hold on him. It won't be just the tabloids thinking Drake's a free agent if he keeps turning up alone when he goes out. You're going to have to deal with a lot of gold digging, social ladder climbing skanks."

"I think Drake's pretty good at keeping those hussies at bay himself.."

Jenn rattled on as if she hadn't heard her friend, and most likely she'd missed Trish's muttered retort, "And more importantly, how else are you totally gonna help us kick Rudey's and Lulu's big ole butts if you're stuck in bed? For one thing, you know how fun it is to take down the bad guys, and for another, I'm not going to save any for you if you insist on still being sick."

"I have never insisted that I was sick!"

Jenn arched an eyebrow. "Then why are you still in bed?"

"This is not something that can be fixed easily!"

"Uh huh."

"It isn't!"

"Whatever you say," Jenn stretched and walked out of the room. "I gotta go check on my new pokémon addition. I'll catch ya on the flip."

Once the door had closed, Trish sank back against the pillow, "Honestly. That girl is like a hurricane in human form."

ooo

Jenn made her way to the back gardens where Kigali was romping with the Growlithe pack of Drake's two, plus Hamlet, Ophie, Mac, Beth, Julius, and Caesar. Drake, Ash, Shannon, and Chris were watching the Pokémon play as the butlers served lunch.

"So how's my newest little baby doing?" Jenn asked as she slid onto a garden seat beside Shannon.

"Oh she's getting on just fine," Ash informed her. "In fact she's been spending so much time with the Growlithe that I think she might think herself to be one as well. I'm sure I saw her trying to imitate one of the moves earlier."

"Oh great," the blonde sighed. "Does that mean I'm gonna have a confused Absol?"

"Like Trainer, like Pokémon," Chris smirked from across the table.

"You know, I had been having a good day, but now I have good and bad news. The good news is that Drake, from now on you are permanently off my shit list. The bad news is that Skirt Boy has taken that position," Jenn glared at the Scot.

"It's a kilt, not a skirt!"

Shannon rolled her eyes. "How many times have we been through this routine already?"

"Do you mean today or the whole week?" Ash shook his head.

"And it's gonna continue," the blonde smirked, "as long as Christina insists on wearing a skirt."

"It's a kilt!" Chris growled out, "A national icon of pride!"

Jenn snickered.

"Gay pride is _not_ what I meant!" Chris defended his national icon. "A kilt is not a skirt!"

"Did you know your accent gets heavy when you get pissed?"

"Children," Drake raised his hands for quiet. "How about we move onto a different subject? Maybe something with more significance? Like perhaps a psychotic Fae that happens to be hot for our spilled blood?"

"He started it," Jenn glared.

"I did not," Chris glared back, "Maybe if you were less ignorant of other cultures, we wouldn't be having this discussion!"

"Excuse you! I am not ignorant of other cultures!"

"You sure fooled me."

"Oh go stuff it up yair haggis."

"See? Ignorant." Chris smirked, "And bad accent attempt, too."

"So, did you manage to find out from Trish the reason why she's not getting any better?" the Orange Crew Leader ignored the bird Jenn was flipping Chris with and talked loudly in an authoritative tone.

Jenn sighed, "Er…not really."

"No, she was too busy trying to figure out if Australians walk upside down."

"You are such a jerk!"

"Okay, that's enough," Ash said loudly, "Let's set aside this argument for later. Preferably _after _we catch Lu and Rudy." He looked at the two with a hard gaze. "Okay?"

"Fine," Jenn muttered, picking up Kigali and stroking the soft white fur.

"Yeah," Chris grumbled into his beer.

Ash looked back to Drake, "I believe you were going to say something."

"Thanks," Drake shook his head. "And I thought it was difficult teaching pre-teens how to care for pokémon. Anyway, what was Trish's answer to your questioning, Jenn?"

The blonde frowned slightly. "That it wasn't something that could be fixed easily."

"Anything else?"

"Like what?"

"Well if you can't get any more information out of her than that, then what hope do the rest of us have?" Shannon slumped.

Jenn shifted slightly in her seat. "Ah…actually I left before she could explain further," she admitted sheepishly.

**_"_****_Jenn_****_!"_******

"What?" she shrugged. "At least I got her to admit something was wrong."

"Yeah but we need to know what exactly is wrong so that we can help her," Drake countered.

"I'd like to see _you_ guys do better," Jenn sulked.

"Awww, we know that you always try your best," Shannon soothed the older girl. "Especially when it's to help your friends."

"Oh I do!" the blonde beamed.

"Well Shannon, how about you and I go with Jenn to talk to Trish later?" Drake suggested. "We're the closest to her, maybe she'll open up with all of us there."

"It's worth a shot," Shannon smiled. "Anything to help Trish recover completely."

"Yeah, and the first thing I'm gonna do is drag her shopping," Jenn nodded. "I hate going shopping alone and no one else really enjoys bopping around the mall like the three of us, right Shan?"

"Oh yes," Shannon looked momentarily weary at the thought of shopping with Jenn, "It's a treat."

The blonde was oblivious to the momentary wearisome of her friend and nodded, "You know it!"

ooo

Trish was surprised when, two hours later, Drake, Jenn, and Shannon trooped into her room, along with Kigali and the Growlithes. "Hello…so to what do I owe the pleasure of so much company at once?" she asked as she put down her book.

Kigali saw an advantage, so hopped up on the bed and crawled onto the girl's lap. Trish looked down at the Absol puppy and grinned. "Making yourself comfortable, eh? And here I was trying to read…"

"Not anymore," Drake smirked as he sat next to her, putting one muscular arm around her.

"So why are you three all here at once? Are you just being companionable or have you three decided to gang up on me for something?"

"Yes, we're here to beat you back into good health," Jenn deadpanned and cracked her knuckles.

"Eww," Shannon complained, "That noise is gross!"

"I'd rather hear nails down the chalkboard," Drake agreed.

"I can arrange that," Jenn held a manicured hand by the wall, poised to drag the nails down the smooth surface.

"NO!" Trish yelped out, "I _hate_ it when you do that! You don't even need a chalkboard."

"Okay, for the sick and tired, I'll relent," Jenn smirked, "But know that the threat is always there."

The other three exchanged wry looks.

"I think I'll take my chances," Drake shook his head in amusement, "However we really came to see what's going on with my sweetie pookie poops."

"Are you trying to make me relapse?" Trish grinned at the pet name anyway. "And don't you have more important things to do than to visit the sick and infirmed?"

"Oh, well there is a huge sale down at the seaside _Louis Vuitton_ outlet," Jenn made a moue of annoyance at Drake, "But the old guy wouldn't let me go."

"I'm not _old_," Drake protested, "And besides, I told you Henry would extend the sale especially for you."

"I know," Jenn said, "but it's fun to fight off the other shoppers."

Trish shook her head, "And this is supposed to make me feel better?"

"But of course!" the blonde said with wide eyes. "Drake and I don't bicker for just anyone ya know."

"Riiiight." A raised eyebrow. "It's great to see that you two get on so well."

"Oh we do!"

Trish looked at Shannon. "How have you been putting up with those two?"

"Just barely," the brunette wisecracked and received twin glares in reply.

Drake then sobered up and drew his girlfriend closer to him. "Seriously though, we came here to find out what's troubling you. Jenn told us that you said that it wasn't something that could be fixed easily."

"She _told_ you!"

"Hey, it wasn't as if it was some deep dark secret like you killed somebody!" Jenn protested. "Besides, it's for your own good. We're worried about you."

"She's right, you know," Drake dropped a kiss on Trish's forehead. "We don't understand why you're not getting any better. And we want you to get better. We miss not having you with us."

"Yeah!" Shannon nodded.

Trish was silent for a moment before sighing once. "_I'm_ the reason why I'm not getting any better…"

"Okay, Drake," Jenn wagged her hand at him, "Pay up. I won the bet."

Trish's eyes widened. "You _bet_ on me?"

Drake flushed, "It wasn't that sort of a bet…"

"Yes it was," Jenn said quickly, "Sorry, T, but he owes me a hundred dollars."

"DRAKE!"

Shannon only shook her head, trying to hide a laugh.

"That's all I'm worth? A measly hundred dollars?" Trish rolled her eyes, "If you're going to bet, then make it a good one."

The Orange Crew Leader hugged her tight. "You know you're worth more than all the money in the world." Trish blushed. "Besides, you wouldn't have liked it if I had bet my whole fortune on it and lost."

"True," the girl conceded.

"I would have _totally _loved that!" Jenn smirked.

"I just bet," Drake rolled his eyes before looking at Trish again. "So you should really be sore at Jenn and not me. She's the one who bet the problem was with you, not me. Not nice of a best friend is it?"

"Hey, she would do the exact same thing to me," the blonde protested. "I know T, and she's no angel. Besides, best friends can do that sort of thing. I can get away with a lot more things like that than you can."

"Sure you can…"

"Uh, guys…" It was Shannon. "We're getting off track here."

"Again," Trish rolled her eyes.

The two looked sheepish. "Uh yeah, so you were saying, Tah?" Jenn grinned weakly.

"I was saying that I'm the one who is holding myself back from a full recovery. Why I would do this to myself, I don't know but that's what's happening. And how can you fix that?"

Shannon propped her chin in her hands. "Well, can you try to describe how you're feeling?"

Trish was silent for a moment. "I guess a lot of it is fear," she finally said. "I know that Puck and Callie have set magical wards around this place to protect us from Lu. I also know that the Pokémon are on the lookout for him. But he still terrifies me."

The Australian shuddered at the thought of the evil creature, "He's tried to kill me three times. **_Three times!_** That Fae wants me dead and I don't think he's going to stop until he succeeds. I'm almost too scared to go to sleep just in case he tries again. And when I do go to sleep, it's full of nightmares of the Hound and Lu. It's almost as if he's taunting me that he's going to win anyway so why bother fighting?"

She sighed and leaned back against Drake. "Then there's a sense of guilt…"

"Guilt?" Shannon looked confused. "Whatever for?"

"For surviving," Trish said simply. "By all rights, I should have died that night on the moor. It's a miracle that I'm still here at all. And sometimes I wonder…if things wouldn't have been better if I hadn't come back…"

"What do you mean?"

The Australian looked down at her hands for a minute before raising her head and looking her friends steadily in the eyes. "I feel that by surviving Lu's attack, I've put all you guys in danger. He'd be as mad as hell that he failed and so, will take it out on one of you. While I was lucky enough to survive, he's going to make sure that his next victim doesn't." She paused. "Sometimes I wonder if I had died, if that would have satisfied his blood lust and he would leave everyone alone..."

Jenn jumped up and hugged the girl tightly. "I love you, but that's gotta be the dumbest reason for survivor's guilt I've ever heard. It's only natural to fight for survival. Look at Drake. He's survived for centuries."

Drake frowned at the blonde, who only grinned wickedly.

Trish returned the hug. "Thanks."

"Besides, if anyone's to blame for what happened to you it's so completely me," the blonde frowned. "It was only after I escaped from Lu that your big bad happened. Because of me, he took it out on you."

"But it's not your fault," Trish protested.

"Sure it is," Jenn shrugged, "I just told you why. Look at it closely and you can see it's true."

"It's neither of your faults," Drake interrupted firmly before the argument could go any further. "What we are dealing with here is one very disturbed Fae who will stop at nothing to get his own way. Therefore anyone and anything that gets in his way, he's going to destroy."

"True…" Trish conceded.

"He is really insane," Jenn said thoughtfully. "A shame since he's pretty hot."

"I think you're just about worse than Brock," Drake rolled his eyes. "Though I guess if you think Lu is good looking then that certainly explains why you date guys like Gary."

The blonde's blue eyes flashed angrily, "Hey, I'll have you know that guys like Gary have a lot of positives about them."

"Name one," Drake said flatly.

"Other than being hot?"

Drake raised an eyebrow.

"Their bank accounts are usually very positive," Jenn said smugly. "I am quite the spoiled one and I need a guy who can support the lifestyle I want."

Drake whistled low, "You are really something else."

"I know," Jenn said, taking the Orange Crew Leader's words as a compliment, which, of course, they weren't.

Shannon spoke up, "The thing that matters at the moment is to help Trish get better. Once that happens, we can concentrate on capturing Lu."

"I do want to get better," Trish nodded. "But…I just don't know how to fight…myself, as that's what it comes down to."

"Maybe we can ask Puck and Callie to help us get inside your head," Drake gave her a gentle squeeze. "Together we can fight it."

"Yeah," Shannon nodded. "We can do it!"

"Get inside your head, eh?" Jenn raised an eyebrow. "Hey maybe then I'll get to see how really disordered your mind is."

"Compared to yours," Drake smirked, "I'm sure it's a cakewalk."

"Yup," Jenn nodded absently before catching the insult. "Hey!"

"She's so quick on the uptake," the Orange Crew Leader grinned at the other two.

"Hey, watch it," Trish mock glared at her boyfriend. "That's my best friend you're insulting here…"

Jenn smirked at Drake. "See? Best friend over boyfriend every time."

"However, you have to admit it's true sometimes," Trish finished, causing Jenn to gape.

"Hey!"

The Australian chuckled and gave the blonde a quick hug. "Oh you know I still luv ya."

"True."

"Anyway, it's mean of you to expect me to take sides, when you're both just as important to me." Trish folded her arms.

"I just like beating him at things," Jenn shrugged.

"So you'd be willing to go through with it tomorrow if we can arrange it?" Drake asked.

"The sooner the better," Trish said. "The quicker I can get rid of this, the quicker we can find Lu and put a stop to this once and for all."

ooo

The Fae in question was livid. Lu stalked around the cave on the remote island, cursing at the top of his lungs, conjuring up glass objects and smashing them against the walls. Was the whole world against him? Why was everything going wrong? His perfect plan for domination of the Fae world had come undone due to that meddlesome Puck and his equally vexatious sister Callie. Then his infallible plan for revenge against Puck was unravelling slowly before his eyes.

First of all, his hold over Puck's ladylove Mia had been broken somehow by the reversal of the spell on her ring. Then Jenn had refused to help him, and escaped after finding out his plans. He had failed to kill Trish via slow and painful death from illness, and he had failed to turn Drake permanently against her. He had failed to kill the Australian twice more, on the moors and that night in the hospital – and she was one of the main keys to his plan's success. He had failed to completely humiliate Jenn by turning her into a real Absol, that damn Chosen One had saved her.

_Damn him. Damn her. Damn them all to hell. They were going to pay for tangling with Lucius._

ooo

_Author's Note__: Sorry for the delay in postings but I've just spent a month holidaying in __Europe__. Nice break from work and it was just what I needed. I'm back now and back to work and writing. I will say that come December and through to February I should be getting more writing done. Work is always very quiet around that time._


	23. Chapter TwentyTwo: Shake It Off

_Midsummer Nights_

_By __Trish_

Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me. Nor does Puck. Ashura the Mew belongs to Dragoness and borrowed with her permission and morphed into Flower Mew. But the storyline and characters such as Callie, Flory, Poppy, Poptart belong to me.

ooo

_Chapter Twenty-Two__: Shake It Off_

Mia sighed as she waited patiently in line for sodas at the beachside kiosk. The teenager was enjoying a lazy day on the beach with Puck, enjoying the water and each other's company. She had offered to get them some refreshments while Puck was engrossed in building an elaborate sandcastle. The chestnut-haired Fae had sent her off with a kiss and a teasing comment that she just wanted to see that hot guy who was behind the counter at the kiosk.

It was times like these when she could almost believe that they were just like any other young couple. Then Lu would rear his ugly head again, and she was once again reminded that she was in love with a Fae. Mortal and Immortal. A relationship that could never succeed, right? But then again, Riny's marriage to Flory put paid to that concept. Puck's cousin had renounced his Fae birthright and became human to stay with the girl he loved.

Since her reunion with Puck last month, Mia had never been happier. She was back with the guy she loved after two long years. The brunette had never admitted to her friends how tough it had been, seeing all of them paired up and happy; and her all alone.

_If only things could stay like this forever_, she thought wistfully. The truth was, she wasn't quite sure what status their relationship was at. Certainly Trish and Jenn were adamant that she was engaged or had at least promised herself to the Fae.

"Why else would you wear his ring on your ring finger and wait for him for two years?" Trish had pointed out.

Mia couldn't argue with that.

Not that she was sure if she should raise the issue with Puck or not. After all, it was a well-known fact that lots of guys were afraid of the "c" word and would flee screaming in the opposite direction. Was it the same with Fae males? She really should ask Callie about that.

Then again, it was probably best to leave well alone until after Lucius was caught and dealt with. Puck would be more relaxed about things, and so would she. The knowledge that the red-haired Fae was on the loose and plotting to kill her boyfriend and friends made her angry and, at the same time, rather nervous. The very sight of long red hair on a guy was enough to make her insides quake.

Twenty minutes later, she was on her way back to Puck, ice-cold sodas in hand. As she approached, she could see her boyfriend in earnest conversation with three other people. It wasn't until she was almost there that she recognised the three to be Drake, Jenn, and Shannon.

The teenager's heartbeat quickened. Had something happened? She hastened her pace and greeted the trio. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Hey, Mia," Drake smiled at her. "We just came to talk to Puck about getting inside Trish's head to help her overcome her fear."

"Yeah," Jenn nodded. "I'm looking forward to that. I've always wanted to know what makes that girl tick!"

"But, it's rather invasive of her privacy," Puck shuffled his feet in the sand.

"Maybe, but Trish has agreed to let us do it," Drake reassured the Fae. "She's determined to do whatever it takes to get better."

"Well, if you say so," Puck said dubiously.

"We know so," Jenn said confidently. "I mean, it's not like she's done well on her own so far."

"So what's it like going inside someone's mind?" Shannon asked, a little curious.

"Depending on the person, it can be rather surreal," Puck grinned.

"Then it's just as well we're not going into yours," Mia smirked at the blonde.

"Hey!" she whirled on Mia with mock anger. "I'll have you know that my mind is quite organised!"

"By which hurricane?"

"That's not fair," Shan protested. "I think Jenn is quite organised." The brunette ignored Mia's mouthing of, "Suck up."

Jenn sniffed. "Well at least someone realises the brilliance of my mind. It's hard being a Goddess sometimes. No one really appreciates me."

"I suppose this procedure is safe?" Drake asked, getting everyone back to business.

"Oh perfectly safe," Puck assured him. "No one's ever been stuck in another person's mind before."

"That's good to know," Jenn sighed. "I get claustrophobic."

Puck raised an eyebrow at the interruption, then continued, "Because the person whose mind it is would just kick the invading mind out if they wanted."

"Are there any tips or hints for doing this?"

"Be prepared for anything," Puck said, looking suddenly sombre. "In a person's mind, their fears and phobias can take any shape or form. And if anything can stop the intervention from being a success, it will be that person and that person alone."

"Well," Drake said. "All we can do is hope that Trish doesn't have second thoughts about it."

As Puck told them that it could take the greater part of a day, the group arranged to meet the next day.

ooo

Puck and Shannon arrived at the villa after breakfast and the small group gathered in the living room for a briefing.

"Okay, so we don't know what we'll be up against in there," Drake stated. "Will there be any need for any Pokémon to come along?" They all looked at Puck.

"It might be a good idea," the Fae nodded. "Lu could have cast a spell to hinder us. Does anyone have a Psychic Pokémon?"

"I can borrow T's Espeon," Jenn nodded. "I'm sure she won't mind."

"And I'm sure Esp doesn't mind helping either," Shannon chirped. "She's rather devoted to Trish."

"I wish I could say the same for Umbreon," the blonde grumbled. "I dunno why I got her instead of Espeon."

"Well, you did choose her," Shannon pointed out. "You prefer Dark Pokémon after all."

"And you did mess up her name," Puck added.

"Hey, that was only once!" Jenn protested. "It's not my fault she has a stick shoved up her ass."

"That's not very nice."

"But it's true!"

ooo

The trio made their way up to Trish's room where they found the girl sitting up in bed, and dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants.

"You're dressed!" Jenn blinked.

"Have I ever been not dressed when you come here?" her friend deadpanned.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. You're not in your pyjamas!"

"If we're gonna go in my mind, I am not gonna be the only one in my sleepwear," Trish crossed her arms.

"I wouldn't mind that," Drake grinned slyly.

"Drake!" The Australian squeaked, turning pink.

"Yeah, keep your bedroom fantasies to yourself," Jenn wisecracked.

"Jenn!"

"What?"

"How about we get on with the intervention?" Puck coughed.

"I agree," Trish huffed, if not with a little annoyance.

"Okay so we all gotta hold hands," the Fae instructed. "I'm going to perform an incantation, and things will go blurry for a bit, but then we'll be in Trish's mind."

The friends all took hands and Puck recited the spell. Their surroundings blurred and morphed into a meadow-like setting with boxes dotted all around. The entire group blinked.

"Are you sure you didn't take us to some park?" Shannon asked suspiciously. "It doesn't seem like we're in Trish's mind."

"Sure, I'm sure," Puck picked up a small box and turned it over. "See?" On the back of the box, it bore the line 'Property of Trish's mind.'

Jenn looked around and smirked. "And I thought you said your mind was disorganized. This is completely neat!"

"It can be disordered!" the girl in question protested. "I do pull a you sometimes."

The group all blinked as a chibi Jenn went running past.

"I knew it!" Trish was the first to recover. "I always knew that there was a chibi Jenn running around in my head!"

Jenn smirked. "What can I say, but that the Goddess is influential."

"Gee I hope I don't have a chibi Jenn in my head," Drake joked. "That would be the stuff of nightmares!"

"Hey!" the blonde sulked. "Having a chibi Jenn isn't so bad! Imagine if you had a chibi Rudey in your head! Now THAT is the stuff of nightmares!"

"Ewwwww," both Trish and Shannon chorused.

"You're not wrong there," Drake said with a grimace.

"I wonder if there's a chibi me in your head," Trish pondered. "I hope so, otherwise that's kinda not fair."

"Oh I'm sure there is one," the blonde reassured her friend. "I always seem to hear this voice that pipes up just when I'm about to do something silly." Then something caught her attention. "Why's that box different?" Jenn pointed to a black box with 'Private' written over it.

"Don't you _dare_ look in there!" Trish said quickly, causing a large padlock and chains to appear around the box.

"Ooooh, is there some deep dark secret that you're hiding?" the blonde said slyly.

"Noo, not deep and not dark," the Australian scowled. "Just very very private, that's all."

"What about diiirty secrets?"

"I said no," Trish's scowl deepened.

"Is it sexual?" Jenn flashed a wicked grin, "Hmmmm?"

"Jenn!" Trish's eyes widened, "I can't believe that you're trying to quote the Backstreet Boys while attempting to divulge my secrets!"

"It doesn't hurt to try," Jenn sighed most innocently, and wandered off humming the rest of the song.

"You sure it was wise to let her inside your head?" Drake asked his girlfriend.

"I may just end up regretting it afterwards," Trish said, flashing a sour look at her best friend who just grinned. "But she would have sulked for a day if I had said no."

"I would not," Jenn rolled her eyes in mock annoyance as she walked back. "Who am I to complain if you make me miss out on all of the fun."

"Who says this will be fun?" Puck raised his eyebrow. "It will be, all things considered, a rough time."

"I guess we should go and find these fears of Trish's now, huh?" Shannon intervened before things could escalate any further.

"So where are they?" Jenn looked at her best friend.

The Australian shrugged. "How should I know? I've never been inside my mind before!"

"Everyone's been in their minds before," Jenn said wisely, "they just don't realise it."

"And you're an expert since when?" Puck asked sarcastically.

"I'm not," Jenn shrugged, "But I don't think it's that hard to recognise."

"Your rationalization is scary at times," Puck said, "Now is one of them."

"Are you done with the insults?" the blonde huffed, crossing her arms. "I thought we were here to help Trish."

"We are going to help Trish," the Fae nodded. "Just that some of your comments can't go unchallenged."

"I don't see why not. I'm the Goddess and the Goddess is always right."

Puck ignored the blonde and turned to Trish. "Now the thing we need for you to realise is that you're the only one who can make or break this mission. If you block us from helping or if you decide to kick us out, we're back to square one."

"Way to pile on the pressure, Puck," the Australian rolled her eyes. "It might have been better if you hadn't said anything at all. Now I'm going to be paranoid about thinking or doing the wrong thing all the time!"

Drake pulled her to him in a hug and kissed her forehead. "You'll be fine. You won't mess up," he reassured her.

"Awwww," Shannon cooed while Jenn just rolled her eyes.

"How about you think about those fears, Trish?" Puck suggested. "Maybe we can make them come to you instead of wandering around ages trying to find them."

"Good idea," Trish nodded and began to concentrate.

Soon a sudden drop in temperature was noted and several in the group began to rub their arms.

"What's going on!" Jenn yelped as an icy breeze went past. "You got air conditioning on in here or sumthin? Turn it off already! You know how much I HATE cold weather!"

"It is the manifestation of fear," Puck stated solemnly.

"No shit, Sherlock," the blonde grumbled. "Figures that fear would be something totally cold. Knock off the being scared part, okay Trish?"

"We can't do that, Jenn," Shannon shook her head.

"Why not? Being this cold is utterly illogical."

"Because otherwise we won't be able to find these fears of Trish's," the brunette explained.

"But why does it have to be so _cold_!"

"Because that is how intensely afraid she is," Puck noticed Trish suddenly tense up out of the corner of his eye. "Hang on everyone. I think they might be coming."

"Who? The Backstreet Boys?" Jenn quipped then trailed off as she looked in the direction the Fae was pointing.

Great huge coal black beasts were slowly coming towards them. Beasts with an eerie fire flickering all around their bodies and red glowing eyes. Jenn thought they looked just like the _Hound of the Baskervilles _movie she'd been forced to watch for a high school English class, only here they seemed ten times more hellish. _Then again, things in the mirrors always seem larger than they are_, she told herself.

"Those are _not_ the Backstreet Boys," the blonde muttered. Clutching onto Espeon's Poké Ball she glanced towards Trish. The Australian girl was completely terrified and almost rooted to the spot.

"Come on, Trish!" Jenn yelled. "You can fight this!"

"I...I can't..." Trish breathed out, and a cloud of breath hung in the air, illuminating how cold it was getting. "I don't know how…"

"Drake, let's go!" Jenn shouted, maximizing Espeon's Poké Ball. "We'll start the battle, and she can join in." She threw the red and white sphere. "Go, Espeon!" The small lilac coloured canine appeared at her feet.

"Shannon and I will take care of Trish," Puck nodded towards the Orange Crew Leader. "You work with Jenn."

"Got it," Drake stood next to the blonde and pulled Dragonite's Poké Ball off its chain. "Come on out, buddy!"

A flash of bright light and the familiar orange coloured Dragon Pokémon soon materialised into solidity. Dragonite looked at the approaching beasts, and then at Espeon, Jenn, and Drake.

"Dragonite, we need you to work with Espeon to subdue these creatures until Trish is able to master her fears and join us," Drake explained to his Pokémon. "This is to help Trish get better."

The dragon trumpeted its agreement before it glared at the hounds. The Orange Crew Leader knew that his friend could be counted on to help out, especially where Trish was concerned. The Pokémon was very fond of the Australian girl, and thought she could do no wrong after she had given it a box of its favourite fruits. It seemed that much like men, the quickest way to a Pokémon's heart was through its stomach.

Meanwhile Puck and Shannon stood on either side of Trish, each taking one of her hands in an effort to reassure her and keep her calm. Shannon was afraid that if they did not succeed in calming her down, it might trigger another severe asthma attack.

"Trish, it's okay," Puck said soothingly. "We're here and they won't be able to hurt you."

_Of course, it's easy for us to say,_ Shannon thought. _We weren't the ones who nearly died and almost got ripped to shreds._

The menacing hounds crept closer, and then stopped when the gap between them was only about twenty feet wide. One that seemed a bit bigger than the rest appeared to be the leader. It growled in a low rumble that seemed to make the ground tremble slightly.

Jenn stood in a spread stance, "Trish, we so totally do _not_ need an earthquake!"

"Take it easy, Jenn," Drake said, almost teasingly and standing easily. "Don't tell me you can't stand straight when the ground does a little shiver."

"Bite me, Thayer."

"You wish, Jenn," Drake was irritatingly smug. "Then again, I'm sure _they'd_ oblige you."

"Oh, my kingdom for a really sharp sword!" Jenn groaned out.

"You don't have a..." Drake broke off as a sudden bright light shone around Jenn's right arm and then faded. "...a kingdom. Is that a sword?"

Jenn blinked in confusion and turned the item in her hand. "You know what? It really looks like a sword. I didn't mean it!" She frowned. "Does this mean I have to ante up a kingdom?"

"No, but it means you could help out Espeon!" Drake yelped as the hounds leapt forward. "Dragonite, Super Express Hyper Beam!"

Drake's Dragonite was used to calling up the express version of its most powerful attack, an attack that usually required a bit of a warm up. However this particular Dragonite was at a very high level, and as soon as Drake said it, the brilliant light was pooling in Dragonite's open maw and forming into a very powerful, very controlled, blast of concentrated energy.

"Espeon, use Confusion!" Jenn commanded. "Maybe they can fight each other that way."

With a sigh, Espeon loosened the attack on the pair of hounds that were coming their way. Almost instantly the two turned on each other, and their ensuing fight rolled them into a third hound.

Meanwhile Puck, Trish, and Shannon were watching the battle unfold. Puck and Shannon had matching worried expressions on their faces, while Trish was in a slightly catatonic state.

_Oh this just can't be happening again_, she thought to herself wildly. _This just can't_. Memories of that dreadful night on the moors came flooding back, the moonlit landscape, the spectral hound; turning the blood in her veins to ice. She had been all alone then…_alone_…

Just then the rational part of her brain registered the fact that Jenn and Drake were fighting off the hounds. Her best friend and boyfriend. And Shannon and Puck were beside her too. She was not alone. This was different.

But she could see that unless Jenn, Drake, and the two Pokémon had help, they could be soon overwhelmed. A small flare of anger welled up inside her. There was no way in the world that she was going to let the two most important people in her world to share the same fate that she nearly did.

_This is all in my mind…I can **control** what happens here,_ Trish told herself silently, remembering how she secured that box from a curious Jenn._ I can destroy these things. I have no wish to be run down again like that._

"I _won't_ let them overcome me again," she clenched her fists by her side, startling her two companions.

"Trish?" Shannon ventured hesitantly. "You're okay now?"

The Australian turned to Puck and said simply. "How do I help destroy them?"

The Fae grinned. "Simple really. You need to focus your mind's anger on the fear and renounce it. I'll help you to channel that anger and block out all other interference."

Trish nodded and fixed her gaze on one of the hounds. _You are not real. You do not exist. You are a figment of my imagination. You do not scare me._

The creature began to writhe and moan in agony, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Aiight!" she heard Jenn cheer. "I got one!"

"No you didn't!"

"Hello! I shoved the sword at it, and it vanished. I think that qualifies me as getting it."

Drake retorted. "You weren't even _near_ that one!"

"Well neither were _you_!"

"Actually," Puck called out to the quarrelling duo. "Trish got that one."

"WHO ASKED YOU!" came the unified chorus before the two finally realised what the Fae had just said.

"Did you say, _Trish_ got that one?" Jenn asked carefully.

"I got it all right," the girl in question answered, smugly.

"You're okay!" Drake cheered.

"It's about time too," Jenn mock-grumbled. "We could use your help here. Why did you have to summon a whole herd of hounds for?"

"That's a _pack_ of hounds, Jenn," Shannon corrected.

"Whatever. They're totally _ugly_."

"Somehow I don't think fears are supposed to look nice," Puck chuckled. "That's why they're called fears."

"Well mine wouldn't be that butt ugly," Jenn said determinedly. "They'd look much better than that."

"Of course," Puck said dryly, watching warily the remaining hound, the assumed leader of the pack, "I guess they'd be good looking male celebrities?"

"Hmm, not all of them," Jenn nodded and grinned, "There are some that are hott on the outside and butt ugly on the inside."

"Like who?" Puck said, while helping Trish focus her emotions. The dark-haired girl sighed and the thought crossed her mind to have Jenn face her fears. If not to overcome them, it would surely be amusing.

"Brad Pitt," Jenn grimaced. "I don't like him."

"I'm not quite sure which part of this discussion disturbs me more," Puck shook his head, "That you think your fears would look like male celebrities, or that you find Brad Pitt unattractive."

"Mmm," Jenn scrunched her nose, then pointed the sword towards the hound, which was growling loudly as it slowly advanced, "Maybe you want to help her defeat this last evil fear, and then we can get down to more important business."

The hound seemed to find that offensive, and it leapt at the blonde, who yelped, dropped the sword, and darted towards Trish and Puck. Espeon also ran towards safety, though she was faster than Jenn. "Oh real nice, Espy, leave me to my doom."

On Drake's command, Dragonite flew behind the hound and grabbed it from behind, hooking its strong forearms around the creature's thick neck. The dark hound thrashed and howled, but it couldn't drop its jaw to bite at Dragonite.

"Hurry up, Trish," Drake said urgently. "Dragonite can only hold it for so long."

"I won't need long," Trish said confidently, "It's going bye bye now." She gave the hound a long stare, and then said, "Say goodbye forever, you hell hound."

The hound looked startled and then shook violently. Dragonite released it and backflapped, flying away from the hound. The dark dog bellowed a howl before disappearing into a black smoke that dissipated quickly into nothingness. The howl echoed eerily, before also vanishing.

Trish sighed and sagged against Puck, who grinned down at her. "Nice work, for a mortal."

"Thanks," Trish grimaced, "I think." She then smiled up at Drake, who had run over to collect his girlfriend. "Hi," she said simply.

"Hi, yourself," the dark-haired Orange Crew Leader hugged her close. "I think we're having a nice dinner out tonight."

"Oh really?"

"You bet." Drake said.

"Maybe we should vacate the premises first," Jenn said as she recalled Espeon. "It may be getting warmer," and it was, "but I'm getting a little claustrophobic."

"You saying my mind is too small for you?" Trish glared at her friend.

"Mmmm…"

"You'd better stop thinking too hard about that," Trish narrowed her eyes, "Or I may think up some _cold_ air."

"Okay, okay!" Jenn held up her hands as if to ward off the cold air, "I give! Your brain isn't small…There just aren't any windows and I get a little claustrophobic at times."

Trish shook her head and looked over at Puck, "Can you get them outta here? It's getting too crowded."

Puck grinned. "Your wish is my command." Their surroundings blurred and reformed until the group found themselves back in Trish's bedroom.

"Better now?" Trish asked Jenn.

"Yeah," Jenn grinned. "This room has windows."

"Well I doubt that your mind has windows either," the Australian grumbled good-naturedly.

"More importantly, how do you feel now, Trish?" Shannon asked eagerly.

Trish tilted her head slightly and thought for a moment. "I don't think the change will be instantaneous, but I do feel much better than before."

"Yay!" the brunette cheered.

"I feel more energetic and stronger, that's for sure."

"That's what we want to hear," Jenn beamed.

Trish swung her legs off the bed and gingerly stood up. "Let me try staying up and about for a bit."

"Just as long as you don't overdo it," Drake warned as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

"I won't, promise," she hugged him back. "I've had enough sickness to last me a lifetime."

"Well, I say that this calls for a celebration dinner," the Orange Crew Leader grinned. "How about we gather all the gang for dinner at the _Articuno Atrium_? My shout."

"The _Articuno Atrium_?" Trish raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that even more expensive than _Le Chateau Pidgeot?_"

"I think I can afford it," the dark-haired man laughed. "Your recovery is cause for celebration!"

"Yeah, don't knock it back, T," Jenn protested. "An offer of a free dinner at an expensive restaurant? You'd have to be completely insane to turn that down!"

"Nice to know you can be bought with your stomach," Shannon chuckled. "You're too much like Ash."

"There's nothing wrong with that!" Jenn defended herself. "I mean who knows. He's done well in the League, so maybe I can too!"

Drake shook his head, "The day _you_ run the League is the day I retire."

Jenn blew a raspberry at the tall man, "You're rude."

Trish cleared her throat, interrupting the two, who had the decency to look sheepish. "It's not that I don't want to go out," Trish sought to explain herself. "I just don't see why a great big fuss has to be made, that's all."

"Um, _hello_!" the blonde said with mock exasperation. "You've been bedridden for centuries, you know."

"Well you try fending off magical attacks that leave you in a coma!"

Jenn wrinkled her nose, "Nah, I think I'll leave that to you. You just make sure to keep Lu's attention."

Trish's eyes widened, "What!"

"It'll keep him forgetting to target me," Jenn winced at the thought of the easily pissed off Fae. "I did completely ruin his plans."

Trish shook her head, "With friends like you..."

Jenn blinked at the trailed off sentence. "With friends like you, what?" The blonde's brows furrowed in confusion, "You get better shopping deals? I knew that already."

There was a collective groan from the others.

"At the restaurant," Drake stage whispered to Trish, "We'll sneak off one by one and let _her_ pay the bill!"

Jenn's gaze narrowed at the Orange Crew Leader. "I _heard_ that!"

ooo

Later that night, Jenn was standing in her fluffy bathrobe in front of her wardrobe, in deep contemplation of what she should wear. Silky black pants with a thin band of silver down the side were laid out on the bed, all that was needed was a suitable top.

Jenn wanted to look her best, not only for herself but just in case there might be some hot looking single male diners there. If they were dining at the _Articuno Atrium_, they had to be loaded. And having tons of money, or at _least_ one ton, was one of the prerequisites that Jenn looked for in a man.

The blonde finally settled on a silky halter neck top in an iridescent silver shade that reminded her of platinum. It had a dusting of Swarovski crystals along the neckline and hem that shimmered and glittered with each move she made. She quickly got dressed and slipped on a pair of slinky silver Jimmy Choo sandals. After putting her hair up in a French twist, the blonde was putting on her makeup when a knock came at her door. "Come in!" she called.

The door swung open to let in Trish. Ophelia bounded in close on her heels. The dark-haired Australian was dressed in a silky emerald green lace top over a short black skirt and Manolo Blahnik black heels. A dainty emerald and gold pendant hung around her neck and matching earrings glinted in her lobes. "Hey, Jenn, you ready yet?"

"Just about." The blonde looked over at her friend. "Nice to see you back in the land of the living."

"It's nice to _be_ up and about," Trish grinned.

"And it's about time too," Jenn continued as she put in some diamond dusted silver hoop earrings. "Any longer in bed and Drake might have been considered on the market again."

"Not that he would take any notice of them."

"I doubt he would have," Jenn said, fingering at a smudge of mascara under one eye. "But I don't think that would've kept back any of the many, _many_ females that have been eyeing him."

"You really know how to comfort a friend, you know."

"I will ignore that sarcasm and move to tomorrow's activities. Tomorrow, you, me, and Shannon are going to go shopping!" Jenn grinned. "You have no idea how bored I've been."

"Trust me, I can imagine," Trish shook her head, then pulled an angled eye shadow brush from her friend's grip. "Come on, or you'll be _walking_ to the restaurant instead of riding in the Hummer."

"Fine," Jenn rolled her eyes, "But without the shimmer, I won't shine."

"You shine enough already," Trish said dryly. "Now let's go. I'm famished!"

ooo

The group met up without any incident outside the exclusive restaurant, though Puck wisecracked that Jenn's outfit was so shiny that he needed sunglasses.

Drake's status was enough to guarantee them a private room and the very best of service.

Jenn sat down next to Trish. "Now this is the life. Five star service and food to match."

"At the price people pay for this place, you'd hope so!" her friend cracked.

The whole gang was there, Drake, Trish, Jenn, Ash, Puck, Mia, Shannon, Ben, Jaime, Chris, and Callie.

"So, now that you're all better, does that mean you're gonna move back to the villa?" Mia asked.

Trish went to answer but Drake beat her to it. "Actually, I was hoping she would stay on for a while," the Orange Crew Leader smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Oooooh," Mia squealed. "Things are starting to get serious between you two!"

"What do you mean _starting_ to?" Jenn rolled her eyes. "It's been so serious for so long that they're practically married already!"

"Well, if you really want me to, I'll stay on," Trish smiled back at her boyfriend.

"In that case I'm in no hurry to leave," the blonde piped up. She was privately elated. Here was the _perfect_ excuse for her to continue to live in the lap of luxury.

"Oh really?" Drake raised an eyebrow.

"Really," Jenn nodded emphatically. "I am Trish's moral guardian, you know."

The whole group had instant disputes about that! The girl in question nearly choked on her wine at that statement but the blonde ignored it.

"Oh come off it!" Chris laughed, "You have _no_ morals!"

"Like you're one to talk!" Jenn protested, "Besides, Trish's no angel…"

"Takes one to know one," Trish murmured loud enough for Jenn to hear.

"Well who knows what shenanigans could go on between you two if I'm not there!"

"When have _you _ever used the word shenanigans!" Trish laughed.

"I just did," Jenn said, "It was fun."

"Let's be honest," Drake said smugly, "You just like my villa."

"I could never be that shallow!" Jenn defended herself. "You just have better beach access."

Drake just laughed, "Point proved!"

"At least I can be honest about it!"

"I'm still there," Ash reminded Jenn. "I can keep an eye on them if you really want."

"Thanks, but I'd rather be there myself," the blonde smiled at the Grand Master. "I take my guardianship seriously."

"I think Drake's on to something," Trish said with a wry smile. "Though it is a lovely beach."

"You guys should stop pointing out my little faults and realise that I have your best interests at heart," her friend smirked. "Not everyone is lucky enough to have a Goddess as a guardian."

"Now that Trish has recovered," Callie interrupted. "We can get down to the business of defeating Lu."

"He's a psychopathic menace to society," Trish shuddered. Drake put a comforting arm around her.

"Psychopathetic is right," Jenn muttered, "The guy is a complete pathetic mess."

"Hey Trish, didn't you say that your guardian spirit told you that Jenn would be next?" Chris piped up.

"He did."

"Gee, thanks for reminding everyone," Jenn sighed.

"Anytime."

"So, Jenn, shouldn't you have someone to protect you?" Shannon asked worriedly.

The blonde tried to think of someone she could name. Sure she had Trish, but who else? Her friend had Drake as well as Jenn. Boyfriend and best friend, whereas Jenn only had a best friend and no boyfriend…._Gary, you totally suck._

"Don't worry, Shan," Ash spoke up. "Since I'm staying at Drake's, I can help protect Jenn."

"Thanks, Ash," Jenn said gratefully, then drank her water. Thoughts flashed through her mind, mostly concentrating on trying to not read between the lines. Her constant mantra was quickly becoming, _Ash is married. Ash is married._

"No problem," the Grand Master smiled. "Anything for a friend."

"If we can figure out exactly what Trish saw in her vision maybe we can get a jump on Lu and prevent whatever it is from happening," Puck frowned. "What was it again, Trish?"

The Australian frowned slightly as she tried to recall. "It was like a massive ballroom, with lots of elegantly dressed people."

"So no more League dances for you," Chris smirked at the blonde.

"My heart breaks," Jenn rolled her eyes.

"Hang on, I wasn't finished yet," Trish glared at the Scot who had the decency to look sheepish. "The strange thing was, the style of dress wasn't like what we would wear. It was more period style, like early to mid nineteen hundreds, like pre First World War."

Ben looked at his brother. "We don't have any theme costume balls planned, do we?"

"No," the Orange Crew Leader shook his head. "They're just normal dances."

"Maybe it's a private costume party," Shannon ventured.

"But who?" Jenn frowned, confusion written all over her features. "Apart from Drake and Ben, I don't know anyone who could throw a big themed party. Unless one of you guys are throwing a party and I didn't get invited."

"Don't ask me," Trish shrugged. "As you said before, I've been bedridden for centuries, so how could I plan a party? Besides, I don't have the figure to carry that style off. I wouldn't have a costume theme that doesn't make me look good."

"It doesn't make me look good either," Shannon mused.

"Awww, but that doesn't matter to me," Ben assured her. "I'll always think you're beautiful no matter what." The brunette flushed a deep red.

"Awwwwwwwwww," Trish cooed. "It's true love." Ben flushed and was soon the exact same shade of red as his girlfriend.

Drake sniffled. "Aww, my little brother is all grown up and in love." He pretended to wipe away a tear. "They grow up so fast. I remember when you thought all girls had germs."

Ben rolled his eyes. "I'm only two years younger than you."

"It doesn't matter how old you are, you'll always be my baby brother," the Orange Crew Leader grinned.

"Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome."

"So if none of you are throwing a costume party, then maybe it won't happen," Jenn said hopefully.

"I sure hope so," Trish grimaced. "I wouldn't want anyone else to suffer like I have."

"You have had a pretty crappy vacation so far," Mia agreed.

"I just hope that it improves from now on until it's over."

"But you know what they say, it's always darkest before dawn," Puck mused then blinked as everyone glared at him. "What? Well it is."

"Are you saying that things are going to get even worse before they get better?" Trish blanched. "I think I've already been through the worst Lu has had to offer, thank you very much."

"I don't know," Puck answered honestly. "But I do know that Lu probably hasn't finished with us yet. He's already shown that he's not going to stop at anything to get his revenge. We just have to work together to stop him before anyone else gets hurt."

"Oh great, we've got a Fae with a one track mind," Jaime moaned.

"Yeah, why did you have to go and piss him off, of all Faes?" Jenn griped.

"Just how many Faes do you know? Because if you know more than us three, we're going to have to wipe your mind from having known them."

"That shouldn't take long," Chris snickered.

"Come on, Puck, you know I only know you three!" Jenn said, "Don't get your thong in a twist."

"I didn't know that he'd be this psychotic!" Puck defended himself. "And what would you have had me do instead? Stand by while the rightful king is overthrown and perhaps killed? Stand by while the innocent citizens are enslaved and tortured?"

His voice was getting heated and Mia gently took his hand to try to calm him down. "Would you have stood by all for the sake of not pissing off someone because they could be psychopathic?"

Jenn raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, don't blow a fuse. I didn't know that's what Lulu had planned. You did the right thing. I would have done the same, with the addition of pummelling him to a pulp. I just think you picked the worst person to piss off."

"Don't you think I know that by now?" Puck scowled before settling down at Mia's warning glance. He sighed. "I just couldn't stand by and let him do that to my people. Especially since he had the worst plans in store for Callie. Nobody hurts my sister and gets away with it!"

Beside Callie, Chris gave a nervous gulp.

"Aww, that so sweet. A protective lil brother," Callie gave her brother's cheek a gentle pinch.

"Cal…" Puck whined. "Don't embarrass me like that. I'm not ten you know."

"I feel your pain," Ben murmured.

"Come on guys, let's not ruin a good evening together by arguing all the time," Trish stated firmly. "Let's just forget about Lu for tonight."

"I agree," Jenn sipped her water. "I hate to see a good time out ruined."

ooo

The next day, Jenn was as good as her word and took Trish and Shannon out for a day shopping. The Australian didn't mind so much as she was not averse to a spot of 'retail therapy'. Shannon on the other hand, tried to avoid shopping as much as she could. The two older girls managed to coax her along with the promise of toy shopping and chocolate cake.

The three were browsing in the _Giorgio Armani_ boutique when Jenn decided to ask a question that had been bugging her since she found out she could be Lu's next victim.

"Hey Trish, when Lu grabbed you and took you to Dartmoor to play with the Hell Puppy, did you have any warning?"

Trish stopped with her hand on a satin top. "No there wasn't. All I remember was starting to read my book…and the next thing I knew, I was in Dartmoor."

"So Lu didn't physically grab you."

"No. There was no warning at all."

"I guess there's only one thing I can do," Jenn said in resignation.

"What?" Trish eyed her friend warily.

Jenn nodded, "I'm going to have to read a lot of heavily romantic novels."

"I should've known," Trish groaned. "It's just such a _you_ thing to say."

"What? I know you read those of types of novels as well."

"Sometimes," her friend conceded. "But only you would think that Lu would be so nice as to transport you into a novel where you're in the middle of hot lovin' with some tall, dark and handsome guy."

"There's always hope!"

"Well it sure didn't happen to me," Trish shook her head as she continued looking through the rack of tops.

"That's because you were reading the wrong type of book, Tah," Jenn quipped as she found a deep purple top in velvet with gold braiding along the bodice. "Now if you had been reading a romance novel, you would have been in some passionate clinch with some hot hunk, instead of playing with the puppy from hell."

"Jenn!" her friend nearly choked. "Just as well nobody else heard that."

"What? What are you so paranoid for?" the blonde shrugged. "It's not as if it ever happened."

"I know but after the 'supposed affair' with Danny, I don't want to give people any reason to think there may be some truth to the rumours after all." Trish grimaced at the memory of the debacle started by Rudy. "That's not something I want to go through again anytime soon."

"True, that was totally sucky," Jenn agreed.

"Besides, Lu would never be that nice. He wants to _kill_ us, not reward us. I doubt he'd spirit you into something that you would enjoy!"

"He'd more likely to have the guy stab you rather than ravish you," Shannon said. "Or maybe he'd ravish you then stab you."

"Well then, at least I'd die happy," the blonde quipped.

"So you're quite okay for a deranged Fae to kill you, so long as you have a smile on your dial," Trish raised an eyebrow.

"I never said I _wanted_ to die," Jenn sniffed as she placed the top over a pair of black pants with gold braiding down the side. "But if I had to choose a way to go, it would be that way. Uh…and preferably pain free too."

"I'd rather go in my sleep, but Lu didn't comply," Trish stated. "His way is preferably full of terror and full of pain."

"Well that sucks," the blonde griped. "Hasn't he heard of honouring last requests?"

"Jenn, that's for prisoners on death row," Shannon pointed out.

"Yeah, well I think being on Lu's Hit List as the equivalent of death row."

"Maybe they don't have that system in the Fae world," Trish mused. "Anyway, enough of the morose talk. Let's pay for these things and go have some lunch. My shout."

ooo

The three girls soon decided on a small but inviting café located within the mall and were seated in a secluded booth near the back. None of the friends wanted to be spied on by any lurking paparazzi.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything," Jenn said as she perused the menu. "But what's up with buying lunch?"

Trish feigned insult. "You questioning my motives? Me, who has always been generous to you."

"I know, I know," the blonde raised her hands. "I'm just curious."

"I know," Trish grinned. "And the answer to your question is that it's a way of thanking you two from me."

"No problem," Jenn shrugged with a broad smile. She leaned over to Shannon. "What are we being thanked for?"

The brunette shrugged. "I don't know either."

"Well you're _supposed_ to know!"

The waitress came by to take their orders then; Trish ordering a chicken and mushroom crepe, Jenn took grilled fish, and Shannon chose a cheese enchilada. After the woman left, the friends resumed their earlier conversation.

"This is to thank you two for your friendship and support these last few months," Trish explained. "You two have always been there, through the illness, the messy break-up with Drake, and the Hound. I can't begin to tell you how very grateful I am for that."

Jenn grinned, "You would have done the same thing for either of us."

"That's right," Shannon chirped. "You've always been there for us."

"Well at any rate, I haven't been able to say thank you properly until now," Trish stated firmly. "And that's the end of that."

"Shimmery sparklies also say how grateful you are," Jenn mused.

"I'm not loaded," Trish said wryly, "Drake is."

"Yes, but you could use his credit card."

"I'm sure he'd be thrilled."

"Why not? After all, Shan and I have helped in the recovery process of his beloved. He could show his gratitude."

"I don't think gratitude would equal a ten thousand dollar necklace," Trish said wryly.

"Okay so maybe that's a little pricey."

"Jenn, that's more than a _little_ pricey!" Shannon laughed, "Boy did Gary spoil you or what!" Her eyes widened and she put a hand to her mouth, "Um, I didn't mean to bring that up."

Jenn shrugged nonchalantly, "It's okay, I'm completely over him."

There was silence for a moment and Trish watched Jenn sip at her drink. She knew her best friend was far from being completely over it. She'd spent two years in a relationship only to see her boyfriend being publicly intimate with another female. It had been a difficult way to end her first serious relationship. _Time to bring up a different subject.__ Think, Trish, what will cheer her up. _Trish thought over things and quickly came up with a distraction,_ I know!_

Casually, Trish said, "You know, Jenn, I think I remember hearing about a _Louis Vuitton_ outlet opening up down in the Crescent."

Jenn slumped back in her seat, "I know, but I got a butt load of souvenirs last week."

"You already brought back souvenirs on the last trip here!" Shannon blinked. "You got more?"

"I couldn't not."

"Always a little cryptic with you," Trish grinned, "But I should say that you're right about one thing."

"Whazzat?"

"I _do _have Drake's credit card."

An instantly interested response, "Which one?"

Shannon blinked again, "What do you mean, which one? And how would _you_ know if he has more than one!"

"C'mon, he's Drake Thayer. Like he'd be turned down for _any_ credit card!" Jenn leaned forward, looking eager to shop. "So? Is it the platinum or the titanium?"

Trish grinned, knowing she had her best friend's mind off her ex. "The titanium."

"The card with 0 APR!" Jenn looked exceedingly happy. "We gonna party now!"

ooo

_Later that evening..._

"And I also got _this_ sparkly number," Jenn held up a slinky silver dress with Swarovski crystals sprinkled around the plunging neckline and hem.

The girls had returned from their shopping trip to find Drake, Ben, and Ash having a convivial cup of coffee. Of course, Jenn just _had_ to show off her latest acquisitions.

"All this was on _my_ card?" Drake asked Trish, one brow raised.

"Oh not all of it," she said.

Drake sighed in relief.

"Just most of it," his girlfriend finished with an impish grin.

"What?"

"Don't have a Miltank, Drake," Jenn said cheerfully as she carefully folded her new purchases and placed them back in the boutique bags. "We didn't even make a tiny dent in your bank accounts. You can _totally_ afford it."

"She's right you know," Trish said. "Besides you haven't really thanked them for all their help when I was sick."

"Uh.."

"And you know what they say about wealth, 'You can't take it with you."

"I know, I know," the Orange Crew Leader chuckled. "But I don't think the idea is for _Jenn_ to take it with her either."

"It can't hurt to try," the blonde in question shrugged.

"Yeah, but could you try not trying so hard?"

Jenn looked over at Trish, "And you say _I'm_ cryptic."

ooo

Meanwhile a certain red-haired Fae was not feeling so charitable towards the blonde American. Because of Jenn's escape from his clutches, all his subsequent perfect plans had gone awry.

Lu paced back and forth like a caged tiger, trying to rack his brains for ways in which he could destroy Jenn. While she had been held captive, he had probed her mind for clues on how to control her. Or in this case, how to destroy her.

He snapped his fingers triumphantly as he finally remembered. _This time_, he vowed, _there will be no escape, no happy endings. This time, my victim will **not** be so lucky._

ooo

_A few nights later…_

Trish placed her dessert spoon down with a contented sigh. "That was a wonderful dinner."

Drake smiled, eyes twinkling in the candlelight. "Well, the _Delphi_ isn't known as the best restaurant in the Archipelago for nothing."

"With prices to match, of course."

"Of course. But you deserve it."

The Orange Crew Leader had decided that he'd take his girlfriend out for dinner and a night at the theatre. It was the opening night for _Phantom of the Opera, _and Drake had told Trish that the dress code was after five wear.

Trish was glad she was wearing her burgundy satin and lace cocktail dress, the one that was scattered with beads and sequins. The _Delphi_ was the most exclusive restaurant the Australian had ever been to in her life, and the dress code was definitely to the nines.

"Mmm, maybe you should take Jenn here as well. She would say that the Goddess totally deserves the best."

"As long as she doesn't eat the place out! Maybe Ash should take her since he's got the appetite to match, plus he has more money than I do."

"Jenn's not that bad!" Trish defended her friend.

"Tell that to my titanium card," Drake said wryly.

Trish opened her mouth with a witty retort in mind, when someone walked over to their table. It was the head waiter, who was followed by two assistants. One carried a bottle of Cristal that was in a container of ice, and the other carried a silver domed platter which was placed in front of the Australian. "For you, Madam."

Trish was confused. "I didn't order this…"

"I know," Drake grinned rakishly, "This is just a little something extra."

ooo

Back at Drake's villa, it was a perfect setup for a private Friday night movie party. Drake's state of the art home theatre system was already on and surrounding the Great Room with deep booming bass of previews. _Jurassic Park _3 was the movie of choice (and Jenn had pulled a Puppy Eyed Look on Shannon, Ben, and Ash to get her way, and Ash had joked that she was a natural at that look anyway.) and the movie was close to starting.

Though she hadn't said anything to anyone, Jenn had been worried about Lu. She'd stopped reading books that weren't the happy ending sort, and she refused to go anywhere without at least two people with her at all times…other than going to the bathroom. Not to mention how sleeping had posed a problem until she figured her Pokémon would be excellent guards.

As for tonight's movie night, Jenn had figured Lu would stay away if there were people around her. She'd always heard that there was safety in numbers and surely Lu wouldn't be crazy enough to whisk them _all _away. At least, that's what she was counting on. That and Drake had the hook up when it came to electronics.

Drake had a special television, one that Jenn coveted a lot. The sixty inch plasma television did not hang on the wall. It was recessed _into_ the wall and when not in use, a screen slid up from a panel in the wall below the television to cover it in a way that made it look as if Drake had a sixty inch painting of sunflowers. The sunflowers had been Trish's idea.

To add to Jenn's electronic envy was the sound system. A powerful subwoofer was matched by speakers hidden around the room in perfect locations for prime movie viewing. The speakers themselves were the kind made for movie theatres and had been custom made for Drake's Great Room.

Jenn had just put a huge bowl of buttered popcorn on a low table (which was in front of the leather sofa and dead centre of the television) when the cordless phone rang. Ash, Shannon, and Ben were busy fixing up drinks in the kitchen. Wiping her 'greasy by popcorn' hands on her jeans as she walked over to it, she sighed, picked it up, and cheerfully said, "Hello, Goddess Incorporated."

"Jenn!" It was Trish and she was striving to make herself heard over the noise from the restaurant. "How are you going?"

"Fine, how was your ritzy dinner while the rest of us mortals starve on bread and water?"

"I thought you said you were a Goddess."

"I am."

"Well, you just demoted yourself heaps by your previous statement," her friend laughed.

"No I didn't," Jenn mock pouted. "I was just being dramatic, that's all."

"Always the drama queen."

"Someone totally has to be! What are you calling for? I thought you were going to see the Bantam of the Opera or some junk."

"You mean, _Phantom _of the Opera."

"Bantam, Phantam, same thing," the blonde shrugged.

"Somehow the idea of seeing a musical about a chicken who haunts the opera doesn't appeal to me as much," Trish said.

"I prefer to eat the chicken, but whatever floats your boat."

"But seriously…" and her friend's voice sobered up. "I saw an Absol again tonight. You know what they say about that…"

"Well it wasn't me!" Jenn wisecracked, "Maybe you're just gonna have an Absol-utely good time."

"Jenn! Be serious! This is not funny."

"I know, I know," the blonde sobered. "But sometimes you have to make light of a serious problem."

"Are the others there with you?"

"Yeah."

"Well don't go anywhere without them. Okay?"

"I won't, promise. Now you go and have fun at the Chicken of the Opera."

"That's Phantom!"

"I know…" Jenn was puzzled to hear a tremendous roar of a dinosaur in the background and felt the vibrations of its footsteps. "Trish, why do I hear dinosaurs?"

"Because we're watching _Jurassic__Park__ 3_," came a male voice that was definitely _not_ Trish's.

Jenn frowned, then opened her eyes to find herself lying on the couch with her head in Ash's lap. The Grand Master looked amused while Ben and Shannon just grinned from their cuddle spot on the leather love seat to the right.

"I fell asleep?"

"You sure did."

"Trish didn't call?"

"Nope. Phone's been quiet."

The blonde sat up and put a hand to her head. "That was the _strangest _dream…" But before she could elaborate, the cordless rang. She snatched it up with a quick "Hello?"

"Jenn, It's Trish!"

"You aren't calling to tell me that you've seen an Absol, are you?" Jenn asked warily.

"No," her friend sounded confused. "We just finished dinner. Why, have you seen one?"

"Other than my cheekie pookie poopsie poo, no," Jenn shook her head. "Whatcha calling about?"

"I've got news…"

"There's a clearance sale at the _Prada_ boutique?"

"Seeing as how they're closed for the evening, no." A deep breath. "I'm getting MARRIED!" The last word came out in an excited shriek.

Jenn winced and rubbed her ear. "While I'm totally happy for you, Tah, I can only guess that you knew I didn't need to hear out of that ear."

"Sorry, Jenn," the girl sounded apologetic. "I'm just so excited that it seemed like the time to shriek."

"So Drakey finally proposed, huh? It's about time," the blonde grinned and made a gesture towards Ben to hand over money. Ages ago, they had made a bet that Jenn had now won. The younger Thayer rolled his eyes and fished his wallet out of his jeans pocket.

"He did."

"And you accepted?"

"Of course I accepted!" Trish was again confused. "Why would I ring you up to tell you I refused?"

"You can be strange sometimes," Jenn teased.

"Takes one to know one."

"I'm totally happy for you guys," the blonde beamed. "But you know…"

"What." The tone was a little wary.

"Marrying such an _old_ guy like that," Jenn tsked, "Really, Trish. You're so young and have so much _potential_! You could marry any _young_ guy!"

Trish just laughed and said something to the Orange Crew Leader. There was a second before there was much spluttering and a retort of "I'm NOT old!"

"You're a nutcase you know that?" she then continued.

"I'm the Mistress of Insanity," Jenn confirmed.

"Too true."

"You go and have fun at the theatre," the blonde closed off. "I'll be up when you get back, and you'd better show me the rock and tell me all about it."

"Okay, I'll see you then," Trish could hardly keep the excitement from her voice, "Byee!"

Jenn just chuckled as she hung up. "Kids these days."

"Spoken like a true immortal Goddess," Ash said dryly.

"And don't you forget it, mister," Jenn stood up and stretched. She glanced at the screen, where velociraptors were gathering menacingly around the four humans. "My favourite part!" She sat back down. "You can just about put words to their actions."

"The humans?" Shannon asked with a mild amount of confusion.

"No, the raptors," Jenn grinned, "That one says they could eat them with a dash of lemon and some Grey Poupon, and the other said they're too stringy looking."

"Oh that's gross!" Shannon snuggled with Ben, who didn't mind the cuddle. She looked over at Jenn, "Is that your cellphone ringing?"

Jenn cocked her head and nodded, "Yep."

"You're not going to answer it?" Ben asked.

"Nope."

Ash laughed, "What if it's important?"

"Nothing is more important than my movie."

Shannon shook her head. "Even though you fell asleep in the middle of it?"

"Yep."

"And woke up with your head on Ash's lap?" Ben added cheekily.

"On that I plead the fifth," Jenn said, never taking her eyes off the screen. "And if you say anything else, I'll hurt you for interrupting my movie."

"…The one _you_ fell asleep through?"

Jenn gave a long suffering sigh, "I didn't get a whole bunch of sleep last night, okay."

"Oh really?" Ben wagged his eyebrows.

"Shut up, mini-Chris."

There was about a minute of quiet, broken only by the velociraptors as they ran off, leaving the group of humans intact, before Jenn's cell phone rang again.

"Is that a Beck song?" Ash listened intently.

Ben nodded, "I think it's 'Loser' if I'm not wrong."

"No, Ben," Ash agreed, "I don't think you are wrong."

The corner of Jenn's eye twitched and she clenched her teeth.

"Hey Jenn, didn't you customise your calls so that certain songs ring for certain people?" Shannon asked.

"Yes."

"Isn't that the one you set for Gar…"

"Enough!" Jenn growled out and stalked around the couch. She went into the kitchen, where her cell phone had been recharging, and flipped open the Razr. "What!"

"Hey, babe."

"What do you want?" Jenn unplugged the cell phone, which was fully charged, and stormed out onto the front portico. There was some gravel on the marble pavers from the walkway and it crunched under her sneakers. The door shut behind her gently.

"Wanna come hang out with me?" Her ex's voice slithered over the line, "I'm at _Club Mystique."_

_Club Mystique_, where they'd gone so many times. Loud music blared in the background and competed with the murmur of voices. Jenn shook her head in amazement, "I'd rather just hang _you._ How _dare _you call me!"

"And here I thought you'd miss me," Gary drawled out lazily, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry and that I...I want another chance with you."

Anger boiled over and she fought to contain it, momentarily regretting letting Puck take away her fire power. It would _so _come in handy now. Her eyes flicked to her watch. It was only quarter to nine and it was still bright outside. An internal war was quickly fought and decided.

"You stay there," Jenn said in a low biting tone, "I'll be there in ten minutes."

She closed the phone, cutting off the call, and jogged to her Freelander. Placing her palm against the handle, the door unlocked and she got in. Since the keys were hanging on the key rack in the hall adjacent to the five car garage, she was grateful that she opted for the touch sensitive alarm and starter. She put the SUV in gear and drove down the long winding drive.

The gates opened at her approach and she waved at the guard in the booth. Henry, the head guard who was staffing the entry booth tonight, knew all of their cars and never asked questions. The gates closed after she left and swung onto the main road. It wouldn't take but five minutes to get to _Club Mystique_. It was another of the great things about Drake's villa. It was close to the beach _and _the nightlife.

ooo

Gary hung up the cell phone and turned to see Lu. The ex-gym leader grinned. "She'll be here."

"Good," Lu scowled, "I can't wait for this. Not only is she going to die, it will be at the hands of someone she thought loved her."

"She never was bright."

"Well you are not one to talk, mortal," Lu looked disgusted, "That glamour will only last so long, Rudy, so do not ruin this for me. This time my plan is flawless. Not even that idiot Puck can foil it."

"But what's gonna happen next?" whined Rudy who looked like Gary.

"You are going to take that idiot blonde out onto the patio," Lu pointed out a private dining patio that was currently devoid of patrons. "I will make sure that no one will get close enough to stop you from what you have to do."

Rudy smiled evilly, "I can't hardly wait."

ooo

Jenn parked the Freelander a block from the club in front of a small boutique called _De La Mer._ It was closed, as was most of all the other small shops in this part of the city. The night belonged to the clubs and the people that frequented them. Police patrolled in pairs, though Drake's city rarely had any ill-intended people.

As she neared the club, it dawned on her to at least let Ash know that she'd even left the villa. Quickly, she dialled the villa's number. There was only three rings before it was picked up, and Jenn sighed when Ash's voice came over the line.

"Ash, it's me," Jenn broke into his greeting. "I had to come down to the Quad to pick something up."

"At five till nine at night?" Ash sounded unconvinced. "Just about everything is closed."

"Yeah well…_Ye Olde T-Shirte Shoppe_ is open."

"You've never bought anything from that store."

"The holidays are coming up, okay," Jenn walked quickly by the closed t-shirt shoppe. "Maybe I have to pick up a present."

"After Gary called you? I seriously doubt it."

"How did you know…"

"Shannon told me you had that ring tone set if Gary calls," Ash said, then paused, "Or you could just realise I'm omnipresent and that I know everything."

"Somehow I doubt that," Jenn said and paused at a busy intersection. "Listen, I won't be late, okay? Plus you keep dropping out. My battery must be low."

"But you just…"

"I didn't hear that," Jenn lied, "What did you say?"

"You…"

"Gotta go, Ashy, see you later!" With that, she hung up and set her phone's ringer to silent. She felt a little guilty, but she knew she couldn't let Ash try to change her mind. Gary was priority Number One. He was the only loose end she had towards getting her relationship ship sailing smoothly again. Granted trying to meet up with him on Hamlin didn't pan out, but she had a feeling this time would be different.

She had no idea how right she was.

_To be continued…._

ooo

_Author's Note__: Read and review Broken Wings and Nemesis under my profile. I dare you._


	24. 23: Far Across The Distance

_Midsummer Nights _

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the character of Puck, based on a _Midsummer Night's Dream_ by William Shakespeare. Ashura the Mew was borrowed from Dragoness with permission. I own the rest of the characters and the storyline.

_A/N: If you can't deal with alternative storylines that deviate from the show then don't read. _

ooo

_Chapter Twenty-Three: Far Across the Distance. _

Ash frowned at the cordless in his hand. The conversation he'd just had with Jenn really bothered him. The answers she gave him, answers that he _knew_ were lies, and even the way she cut him off before he could correct her. Couple that with the fact that he knew she had just received a phone call from Gary and it all spelt trouble.

The Grand Master sighed. He really hoped that the blonde had not gone to meet her ex. The former Viridian City Gym Leader would only have it in for her (as well as himself), especially since she beat him in the recent Pokémon battle and caused him to be stripped of his gym and Pokémon Trainer's licence. Defeat and public humiliation was not something that Gary Oak took lightly.

But all signs pointed to Jenn doing exactly that. The dark-haired man ran a hand through his hair. He wished that the blonde wouldn't be so rash, so hot-headed, so impulsive. Not that he was one to talk, but he had only been guilty of the same traits when he was in his teens. Brock had assured him that he had matured and mellowed somewhat since becoming Grand Master.

Ash had to do something. Though Jenn clearly didn't want him to interfere, he knew that he had to keep a close eye on the girl. It was far too dangerous for Jenn to go off alone with Lu on the war path – and Trish was told that the American blonde was to be his next victim.

Not only that, but he and the others would be in deep trouble with Trish when the Australian returned from her date. The dark-haired girl was very protective of her best friend and would be raising hell if she found out she had gone out alone at night. _Though she has every reason to worry, more so than the rest of us_, he thought. _Trish_ _knows exactly what that maniac is capable of doing._

A slight frown creased his features before he sat up decisively. "Gengar!" he called. A squat purple Ghost Pokémon with red eyes materialized before him. Sometime after he had become Grand Master, Ash had returned to the tower in Lavender Town and persuaded the friendly Gengar that he had met to come and be part of his team.

'_Geng…_' The Pokémon cocked its head to the side.

"No, I can't see your new comedy routine just yet," Ash smiled apologetically. "But I have a very important job for you."

'_Geng_ _Gengar?_'

"I want you to go and keep a look out on Jenn for me. She's meeting her ex-boyfriend and I don't have a good feeling about this at all. But you can't let yourself be seen. Can you do that?"

The Pokémon grinned widely. '_Gengar._'

"No practical jokes, okay," the Grand Master warned.

Gengar pouted.

"Report back to me immediately if anything bad happens."

The Ghost Pokémon nodded before vanishing into thin air.

Ash settled back in the sofa. He felt a little bit guilty for doing this to Jenn, but after what happened the last time she went to confront Gary, he felt it was more than warranted.

ooo

Meanwhile Trish was enjoying watching the _Phantom of the Opera_, her hands entwined with Drake's, when she suddenly shivered.

"You okay?" the Orange Crew Leader whispered.

"Oh, just felt a little cold, that's all," Trish smiled at her fiancé.

"You need my jacket?"

"I'm fine now, honestly," she reassured him and turned back to watch the musical. What she wouldn't say was that it felt more like someone had walked over her grave. The Australian settled down in her seat and tried to ignore the feelings of foreboding sweeping over her.

ooo

Jenn's blue-grey eyes scanned the crowds of _Club Mystique_. It had been ten minutes since she had been in the club and the only thing she'd seen had been couples and groups of friends. The club was packed, with throbbing rap music combined with pulsating strobe lights, and the air was very warm despite an excellent air conditioning system.

She had gotten a soda, but hadn't enjoyed it at all. It had an undercurrent of taste to it that seemed very much like alcohol of some sort. She'd told the bartender she didn't want any alcohol in it, but she had a feeling the man hadn't heard her.

Settling at a spot against the rear wall near an outdoor patio area, Jenn once again scanned the crowds. Still she saw no spiky haired idiot who was very much going to get a verbal smackdown. Spotting a trash can, she dropped the soda inside and sighed when she heard the plastic cup slosh against some other trash. It had been a four dollar drink and that was all down the trash.

A group of giggling girls walked by and Jenn heard snatches of conversation. Mainly talk surrounding cute guys they'd seen on the beach earlier that day. However it was their clothes that made her uncomfortable, mostly because of how she was dressed. It was casual, but a little sloppy. She hadn't been counting on going to _Club Mystique_ at the drop of the hat.

Jenn scowled briefly. _Me and my short temper._ _One of these days it's gonna get the better of me._ She thought a little on that. _Well, more so than it usually does. Still I wish I'd dressed a little better this morning!_

A morning of training her absol went right to a swim in the large outdoor pool at Drake's villa. She had let her hair dry in the hot sun, and had dressed in cut off shorts, a red tank top, and her sneakers. No socks, as the small blisters forming at her heels were currently reminding her. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and she _did_ mean _messy_.

A hand gripped her shoulder and Jenn spun around, ready to fight and defend her own honour.

"Oh, it's just you," she said blandly and relaxed. "I thought I had something to worry about."

Gary scowled, "Nice to see you too."

"What do you want?"

Gary looked her over and said, "Come with me."

Jenn rolled her eyes, but followed. She was a little surprised to see that he was leading her to the private patio balcony she'd seen earlier.

He paused by the door and a man walked over. Jenn saw that it was the bartender from earlier and a little quell of suspicion rolled through her. The doors opened and cool night air drifted into the warm dance hall. Gary beckoned for her to follow.

"I don't know," she said warily, "I think I'm just going to go back…"

"Oh come on," Gary sighed. "What are you? Chicken?"

"I am not!" Jenn retorted and stomped out onto the patio before he did. The night air was cooler here, with only a hint of warmth. She shivered and crossed her arms against her stomach. A table for two was set by the balcony railing and Gary walked over to it.

A candle in a glass tapered lantern was lit and flickering at the centre of the table, illuminating a place setting for two.

"Looks _real_ romantic," Jenn said mockingly. "You _never_ did romantic while we were dating."

"I didn't?" Gary said with mild surprise, "How pathetic of me."

"That's for sure," Jenn walked over to the balcony, looking over the edge. She gulped at the sight. The three storey height of the club had a great view of the parking lot, which was currently crammed, that served the building the club was in.

Beyond that was a cliff that overlooked the ocean, and this was the view that people who ate on the balcony saw. Nothing but sweeping views of the ocean. At this part of Pummelo, the waves crashed spectacularly against the rock-strewn surface where cliff met water, and while that wasn't seen from the balcony, patrons could hear it.

"Nice view, isn't it?"

Jenn frowned a little. Gary was never one for small talk. "Um, yeah I guess."

"And look out there," he pointed towards the horizon. Barely seen were twinkling white lights. "Looks like a ship."

"Yep, Pummelo is a great port for cruise lines."

"If you look close enough, you could almost imagine yourself on it." He looked at her, "Can't you?"

"No, I really can't," Jenn cast a suspicious gaze at him, "What did you _really_ want? I know it's not to chit-chat." She looked around, "Is this some sort of revenge? Do you have hidden cameras? Or maybe you have some sort of prank set up."

"Revenge?" He looked thoughtful, "Maybe, but it's not mine."

"Come on, it's not like I pissed off anyone you know." She smirked, "It's not like you have a huge group of friends or anything."

Gary's dark brown gaze flicked from behind her to looking directly at her, "Now if I _really _was who you think I am, that comment would really have pissed me off."

"What are you talking about?" she frowned, "And since when did your eyes turn brown?"

"Brown? I guess the gig is up." He stepped to the side and Jenn saw someone standing on the balcony at the doors.

"The bartender?" Jenn looked puzzled, "Did he spike my drink? I _knew_ I tasted alcohol in it."

"Yes and if you would have just consumed the whole thing, the actions that follow would have gone easier for you." Though the man was several feet away, his voice carried on the air.

"Huh?"

He looked up through the heavy fringe of ruby bangs and even from that distance, Jenn could see that his eyes were a piercing shade of emerald green. Her own eyes widened in shock, but before she could move, he did.

In a flicker of movement, he was suddenly standing in front of her with his hands on her shoulders, shoving her against the high stone balcony railing. His eyes reflected the candlelight, making them flicker red and yellow before settling back to green. "You have been a thorn in my side for the very last time, Mortal. And I do mean _very_ _last_ time"

"Lulu?"

The evil Fae's grip tightened, "Desist in your insults, Mortal, or I will take your voice from you."

Jenn gulped, but kept quiet.

"Is the barrier up?" Gary walked over to the two. "I would so hate for Gary to have any more dirt on his shoulders."

Jenn couldn't resist yelping out, "What!"

"Come now, Mortal, surely you do not believe _that_ to be your ex-lover?" He laughed at the flush that spread over Jenn's face. "You are certainly simple! You _did_ believe that was Gary Oak!" He didn't take his gaze from Jenn while he answered Gary's question, "Yes, Mortal, the barrier is up."

"What barrier?" Jenn struggled, "What are you blabbing about? _What_ _barrier_?"

"It is quite straightforward, human," Lu said calmly, "I have set a barrier spell. Any human who looks out onto this balcony will only see what I _want_ them to see. Currently they see a human couple eating dinner. They will then see a yelling match which will lead to a very upset human female doing something very unnatural."

"Like what?" Gone was all her bravery and Jenn felt a trickle of fear creeping along her spine.

Lu leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Suicide."

Jenn's eyes widened, "NO! I would never do that! Especially not over _Gary_!"

"I think you will," Lu cocked his head to the side, "You look especially hysterical right now, my dear. Particularly to those people looking at us."

He pulled Jenn up, allowing her to see beyond his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a small group of people looking and pointing, but not doing anything else. Jenn saw a flicker of movement above the door. Red eyes and a flash of purple.

"What are you looking at?" Lu looked back, "I see nothing." He looked at Jenn. "A pitiable endeavour at a diversion, mortal. Your distractions will not work on me."

"Can we just get on with it?" Gary whined from behind Lu, "I'm getting bored."

"You!" Jenn gasped, "Rudy! But how…"

Lu almost rolled his eyes, "How dense are you? I applied a basic glamour to alter Rudy's appearance, nothing more and nothing less."

"PUCK!" Jenn screamed out suddenly, startling both males.

Rudy, for the glamour faded completely then, looked around with fear on his face. Lu simply grinned maliciously at the blonde. "Save your breath, human. The barrier also prevents you from contacting that audacious Fae."

"I figured it couldn't hurt to try," Jenn said glumly.

"Oh trust me," Lu said with a glint of amusement, "It _will_ hurt."

ooo

Ash was pacing back and forth on the large ground level terrace at Drake's villa. How on earth would he be able to explain to Trish if anything happened to her blonde best friend? He knew he wouldn't be able to, and so he hoped against hope that nothing horrible was going down between Jenn and Gary.

His black boots tread on the terracotta tiles as he paced and he paused to rest his hands on the waist high marble balustrade. It was still warm from the heat of the day, but it did nothing to chase away the chills of apprehension he felt. Not only was there no word from Jenn, but he hadn't heard from Gengar either.

_Calm down, _he told himself, and tried to look calmly at the dark ocean waters. _It's only been a half hour since Gengar left. If he hasn't been back yet, then it's gotta be good news. Maybe Jenn_ _and Gary_ _have kissed and made up._

Yet deep down he figured that would be about as likely as Moltres hooking up with Articuno.

He was about to resume pacing, or try to call Jenn again though she hadn't answered the last ten times he'd called, when Gengar appeared suddenly directly in front of him. "Gengar…" The Grand Master broke off when he saw how upset the ghost looked. Gengar was _never_ upset about anything.

"What's wrong?"

"_Gen…Gen gar."_

Ash paled, "Can you take me there?"

The ghost's answer was to touch the Grand Master's shoulders. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared.

ooo

Despite the flashy effects and the poignant music, Trish couldn't help not being able to shake off the nagging feeling that had been pestering her since they arrived. Drake sensed her anxiety and looked over, "Trouble enjoying the show?"

Trish sighed and nodded, "I've had a creepy feeling ever since the show started."

People in the balcony box next to them shushed them softly, and Trish leaned over to whisper to Drake. "I think there's something wrong at the villa."

"Can't you just put the creepy feeling to the authenticity of the set?" Drake whispered back, "I'm actually enjoying this."

"Well…I guess it could be the set," Trish said dubiously, "I'll just call the villa during interval."

"That's my gal," Drake leaned over and kissed her gently, "Just think about it. You can brag to all your female friends on how you got a man to enjoy a play."

Trish groaned at that, "You're insufferable!"

"But you love me for it!" Drake chuckled, then squeezed her hand reassuringly, "I'm sure everything is okay. I mean, come on, we left Ash in charge of that motley crew. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to a single one of them."

"Okay," Trish nodded, "After all, you're right. Ash is there. What could possibly go wrong?"

ooo

There was a huge crowd of police and people milling around the car park when Ash appeared with Gengar. "Gengar, make yourself invisible, we can talk telepathically." The Pokémon nodded before melting into the background.

Heart in his throat, the Grand Master pushed his way through the crowds until he reached the police tape that was sealing off the scene. He felt sick to the stomach when he saw a sheet covered body lying on the ground. _Jenn_…

He went to move forward when a police officer came forward to stop him. "I'm sorry, sir, but you can't go any further, this is a crime scene."

Ash looked at him. "Listen, I _know _the victim, okay? And I know her family. I'm going in there."

The policeman then recognised the Grand Master and stepped back. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't recognise you, Mr Ketchum. Please, step through."

"What happened?"

"According to eyewitnesses at _Club Mystique_, she was having an argument with her former boyfriend, Gary Oak. She became hysterical and then jumped over the edge," the policeman explained.

Ash thanked the man, then walked slowly towards the body. He knelt down and gently folded back the covering sheet from her head. Jenn was lying with her head at an awkward angle, her messy blonde locks trailing in the pool of blood underneath.

:_Gengar, what **really** happened?_: He telepathically questioned the Ghost Pokémon. The explanation of Jenn committing suicide just didn't ring true with the Grand Master. The blonde was stronger than that, and had said she would never consider such an option just in case she ended up in Hell rather than Paradise. Nor would she ever give her former boyfriend such satisfaction as to remove herself completely from the scene.

_:That's_ _not Jenn:_

Ash blinked. _It_ _isn't:_

The Ghost Pokémon put one paw on the Grand Master's head and images of what had happened played before his eyes. Jenn being led by Gary onto the balcony. Jenn's terror when Gary was revealed as Rudy and Lu made his presence known. Then the moment when Jenn was spirited away and her double appeared.

_The double had no soul_: Gengar explained. :_Even_ _if it was Jenn and her soul had gone on, there would have been a residual energy for at least a day.:_

The dark-haired trainer nodded. He remembered the first time he had met the Pokémon in Lavender Town. He and Pikachu had been crushed under a falling chandelier and Haunter had withdrawn their souls so the three lonely Ghost Pokémon would have some playmates.

Ash re-covered the body, and stared into space for a few minutes. "Oh Jenn," he whispered. "If only you hadn't snuck out and lied to me. Now Lu has you and we have no idea where you are."

When Jenn came back, he was going to sit her down for a nice long _talk_ about letting her quick temper get the better of her. That is, if Jenn _ever_ came back. With no clue as to where she was sent, he could only hope that her temper had not caused this to be her _final_ mistake.

_How am I gonna explain this to Trish?_

_ooo_

When interval came, Drake and Trish made their way to a relatively quiet corner of the theatre foyer where they could make a call. Fishing her cell phone out of her evening purse, Trish dialled the villa.

Shannon answered on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hi Shan, it's me," Trish said.

"Trish!" There was an excited squeal. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," the Australian smiled.

"You two must be over the moon!" the brunette sighed happily. Trish could almost imagine the stars in the girl's eyes.

"We're very happy and very excited," she confirmed. "Is Jenn or Ash there?"

"I think so," Shannon said. "Jenn had a call on her phone and went out in the gardens. She could still be on the phone. Ash went to check on the Pokémon. You want me to get either of them?"

"Oh no, I was just wondering if everything's okay there."

"Everything's fine, fret not," the younger girl assured her friend. "You go and enjoy the rest of the evening with your man."

"Okay. See you later then."

"Toodles!"

Trish clicked off her phone to see Drake looking at her.

"So, is everything okay?" the Orange Crew Leader asked.

"Shannon said that Jenn was probably on her phone and Ash was checking the Pokémon."

"See, everything is fine. There's nothing to worry about," he slung a muscular arm around her waist. "Let's enjoy the rest of this musical, then you can go home and do a headcount of your 'brood' if you insist."

"I guess you're right," Trish said slowly. But why did she still feel so bad?

ooo

When Jenn regained consciousness, she was lying on something soft and comfortable. _Okay, so I'm not dead_…which was a relief. The last thing she remembered was Lulu circling his hands around her throat.

The blonde cracked open one eye warily and, when she was satisfied that her would-be murderer was not there, opened the other one. Rich oak panels lined the walls and dark jacquard curtains covered the windows. A low throbbing noise seemed to pulsate through the room, but instead of being annoying, it was almost soothing. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling and by turning her head she could see she was lying on a large bed. _This isn't so bad…_

She sat up slowly, just in case that psychopath had broken any of her bones, but nothing hurt, so she took that as a good sign. It was then that she noticed her clothes. Jenn was surprised to see she was wearing a dress. It was a light navy coloured dress with a white silk empire waisted top dress, with white ankle high leather boots that had a slender heel to them. There was something about what she was wearing that nagged at her.

'_Maybe Lulubelle totally messed up for once and I won't get killed.' _Callie and Puck always said that Lu was not very good with magic. She hoped that this was true in her case!

Slipping off the bed, the blonde walked over to the full length mirror that stood in the corner of the room to examine her appearance. Her hair was swept up in an elegant style and held in place with a diamond encrusted band. Diamond drop earrings glittered in each earlobe and a beautiful large blue diamond heart shaped pendant graced her neck.

Jenn had to admit, she looked totally sophisticated. Trish had always said that she had the figure to carry off the fitted dresses from the nineteen hundreds. The Australian was right, as usual. When she got back, she'd have to tell her friend, and in response would be an inevitable 'I told you so!'

She fingered the necklace gently. It really was beautiful and the colour was like that of the ocean. _Reminds me there was something like that in…_The blonde forced herself to get back to the matter at hand. _Nuh uh, first figure out **where** you are, then fawn over the sparkly diamonds._

Here she was in some place, Lugia only knows where, that the insane Fae had sent her. _Find out where the hell I am first_, she thought to herself. _Then try to contact Puck or Callie_ _if I can. I wish I had asked Trish_ _what she did to get in touch with them when she had her big bad problem._

Stepping out of the room, Jenn found herself in a long white corridor. Doors were on either side of the elegant carved wooden hallway and a woven red carpet lined the floor. It had a slightly plush feeling to it. Was she in some sort of hotel? All was quiet around her with the exception that low throbbing noise which she had heard back in the room. _Maybe it's the air conditioning_.

Many corridors and staircases later, the blonde finally made it outside – only to find herself on the wooden deck of a ship under a moonless sky. The cold night air whipped around her and made her shiver. She had a really bad feeling about this.

"There you are!" Before the blonde could move, she found herself swept into strong arms, and being kissed passionately. Shocked, Jenn pushed away from her 'assailant' and got an even bigger shock when she saw his features.

"Danny!"

"I must be a good kisser," he smiled down at her, "if you've forgotten my name! I was afraid you'd forgotten we agreed to meet here for a secret tryst."

"Secret…tryst?" Jenn was really confused. Who was this guy and what was he playing at? She'd never had a secret tryst in her life!

The Danny doppelganger looked concerned. "Why… Rose, darling; don't you remember what happened between us the other night?"

Jenn's eyes widened. _Rose? What the hell…._

Then the cry from the crow's nest came, "ICEBERG, DEAD AHEAD!"

Waves of horror swept over Jenn as she saw a massive white shape, at least two stories high, looming out of the darkness ahead. Then it all came together; Old fashioned dress. Necklace. Ship. Iceberg.

She was on the _RMS Titanic_.

The liner collided with the iceberg and the vibrations from the impact were felt beneath her feet. The screeching sound of metal against ice reverberated loudly in the still air.

"_You have been a thorn in my side for the very last time, Mortal. And I do mean **very last **time."_

She could almost hear Lu's voice around her and she shuddered. _I am in **such** trouble._

ooo

The musical now over, Trish and Drake were walking back to the car when a rustling in the bushes ahead stopped them.

The Australian froze when an Absol stepped out of the bushes and faced them. She hadn't had this nightmare since Kigali had arrived. But unlike Kigali, who was just like any other small puppy, this Absol had an air of great menace about it.

The Disaster Pokémon fixed its red eyes on the girl and growled low. '_Absoooooooooool._'

Drake reached for Dragonite's Poké Ball, which was attached to his belt; ready to call out his friend if needed. But the Absol just turned and disappeared the way it had come.

Trish slapped Drake's arm, "Next time, we use valet parking!"

Drake frowned after the Absol, "Well, that was random…"

Looking at the shrubs, Trish shuddered. "Maybe, or maybe it isn't." Legend had it that Absols only appeared before a great disaster was about to happen. Her feelings of unease only intensified. She couldn't wait to get back home.

ooo

Back at the villa, Ash had informed Shannon and Ben of Jenn's predicament; and all three were waiting in the living room for Trish and Drake to get back from the theatre. The Grand Master was pacing the floor, while a worried Pikachu looked on from the couch. Shannon was fretting.

"I _knew _I should have checked on Jenn when Trish asked," the brunette groaned. "She's gonna kill me!"

"No, she won't," Ben tried to reassure his girlfriend.

"What makes you so sure about that?" Shannon demanded.

He shrugged. "Trish just doesn't seem like the type to kill anybody, that's all."

"Yeah?" Shannon snorted. "I can think of at least one person she would. Rudy."

Ben looked thoughtful. "Oh yeah, forgot about him."

"I just hope that no one from the media managed to contact Trish on her cell phone to ask about Jenn's 'suicide," Ash ran a hand through his dark locks.

"That's for sure," Ben agreed, "Otherwise, we'll be hearing about Gary's sudden and messy death! Not like that would be a huge tragedy."

A key was heard turning in the front door, and Trish and Drake entered the living room a few minutes later. "Hey guys," Drake greeted. "What are you all still doing up?"

"First of all to say congratulations, of course," Ben rose and gave his older brother a clap on the back. "It's about time!"

"Yes, congratulations!" Shannon smiled.

Trish, meanwhile, looked around the room for a certain blonde friend. The uneasiness that had been plaguing her all evening changed into alarm when she saw Jenn wasn't there. "Where's Jenn?"

Ash, Shannon and Ben gulped nervously. They were not looking forward to this at all.

The Grand Master took a deep breath. _If I'm gonna die, may as well be now_. "Well, Trish, Jenn is missing. Lu snatched her." There, he had said it. Now for the fireworks.

"What!" The Australian exploded. "How the hell did this happen! Why didn't anyone _tell_ me!"

Drake put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hold on there, sweetie. I know you're upset and angry, but that's not going to help Jenn at all, wherever she may be." His words seemed to calm Trish down a bit.

"Sorry, guys," she looked apologetic. "It's just that I'm so afraid for Jenn, because I _know_ what that psychopath is capable of doing."

"No need to apologise, Trish," Ash smiled. "We understand."

Drake led Trish to a lounge and the two sat down. The Australian girl sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I saw an Absol when we were going back to the car. It was just like in those nightmares I'd been having. It freaked me out."

"So what happened?" the Orange Crew Leader asked.

"We were watching _Jurassic_ _Park_ _3_ at Jenn's insistence," Ben explained. "Then her cell phone rang."

"From the ring tone, it appeared to be from Gary," Shannon continued. "But she went out of the room to answer it and never came back." The brunette sighed unhappily. "I really should have checked on her when you asked, but I didn't."

"At five to nine, I got a call from Jenn on her cell phone," the Grand Master continued. "She told me that she had to get some gifts from _Ye Olde T-Shirte Shoppe_."

Trish blinked then shook her head. "That girl never could lie well. She's never bought anything from there before. She always told me it was too low brow for the Goddess."

"When I tried to question her about the phone call she received earlier," Ash went on, "she said that her battery was running low. I knew that was also a lie because I had seen her phone recharging in the kitchen. Being the sneaky guy that I am, I had Gengar shadow her."

"So Jenn snuck out," Trish said flatly then gave a huge sigh. "That girl causes herself nothing but trouble. Honestly, she is gonna be the death of me one day!"

"Where did she go?" Drake questioned while giving Trish a reassuring squeeze.

"_Club Mystique_," Ash answered. "I guess that's where she used to hang with Gary when they were dating."

"That's right," Trish confirmed.

"Anyway, Lu used a glamour spell on Rudy to make him look and sound like Gary, then Rudy lured Jenn onto a private balcony away from the other patrons. Lu also put up a magical barrier to make anyone who saw the on the balcony think they were seeing something else."

Drake noticed Trish's eyes blaze at the Trovita Island Gym Leader's name; but to her credit, managed to keep her rage in check in order to hear Ash out.

"As soon as he sent Jenn away, he conjured up a body double," He shrugged helplessly, "So the police and anyone who saw it think that Jenn committed suicide after a huge fight with Gary."

The Orange Crew Leader let out a low whistle. "Incredibly sneaky and incredibly evil. I just…don't know what to say…"

"Yeah," Shannon agreed. "I guess he was hoping to throw us off track by making us believe the real Jenn was dead."

Trish grimaced. "Jenn _is_ going to be dead unless we can work out where she's been sent and _fast_. Without any clues to work on, it looks like Lu might just win this time."

ooo

The panic between the passengers was spreading fast, as people fought and scrambled to reach the deck and get into the lifeboats. Jenn was being jostled from all sides and it was all she could do to try to keep her footing. One stumble would see her trampled to death under the horde.

Fighting off feelings of claustrophobia, the blonde allowed herself to be pulled by the Danny twin, who insisted his name was Jack. Tall, dark, and mysterious was leading her towards the back of the ship. She knew that it would be the best location on the ship to actually survive.

The only other option would be to get on a lifeboat and she had already refused to get into one without Jack. It wasn't just because she didn't want to steal someone's seat; she couldn't leave someone to die who was a dead ringer for someone she knew.

And so they were fighting against people running for the lifeboats in order to get to the back of the ship. Oh, she knew that there weren't enough lifeboats for the 2,227 on board, and she knew that in two hours and forty minutes (depending on what time it actually was now), the unsinkable liner would vanish beneath the waves. She also knew that most of the fifteen hundred plus deaths weren't going to be from being sucked down with the ship, it would come from hypothermia due to floundering in the icy water, waiting for lifeboats that would never come back for any of them until it was too late.

As she ran behind Jack, she could hear her consciousness berating her '_This is no time to be noble. You **have** to save yourself!'_

'_What good will that do if this is **really** 1912?_' Jenn panicked inwardly. '_None of my family would have been born yet! And my friends…they won't exist for several decades! I can't wait that long!'_

'_You won't even have an **hour** if you don't do something!_'

The great ship was beginning to list more and more. Jenn wanted to stop and hold onto a railing and try to shut out the panicked screams all around her. For the umpteenth time she wished that she had not let her temper get the better of her and that she had not lied to Ash. If anyone could have saved her, it would have been Ash, Callie, or Puck.

Knowing what they were in store for, Jenn didn't fight as Jack pulled her through the crowds. She found it funny that she wasn't cold. The adrenalin running through her, plus the number of people around her, made for unparalleled warmth. She almost felt like she was in a mall filled with last minute Christmas shoppers. Unfortunately, most of the people around her would never see another Christmas, much less shop for one.

The tilt was growing greater and Jenn knew they had to step on it. They were just beyond the middle of the ship, right where she was sure it would split in two. There was much to be said about fighting against hundreds of people, going in the direction opposite of the lifeboats, when you were on a ship longer than most football fields.

'_Next time, Jenn_,' she grumbled to herself. '_Just accept that you can't get along without the help of your friends. It really helps with the continuation of living._' The blonde hoped that she had enough strength to hang on until help came. Otherwise, she would certainly freeze to death in the icy waters that surrounded the ship.

As they ran, thoughts and memories flew thick and fast through her head. Would her friends notice she was missing? What would they do when they discovered she was gone? Had Lu done something to throw them off track? What would her family say when she never came back? What would happen to her beloved cats?

Jenn didn't want to die. She was _not_ ready to die. She was too young and there was so much she still had to do. She wanted to see her family, her cats, and her home again. She wanted to see her friends get married and have kids, and to tease Drake and Ash. She wanted to pick on Chris. She wanted to give Gary a verbal smackdown. Hell, she wanted to _kill_ Lu.

She especially did not want to die the way she feared she was going to now. The blonde could almost hear the evil Fae's voice mocking her.

_Who's going to save you now, Mortal? Not Ash, not Puck, and certainly not Callie. No one will be able to save you. **No one**._

They finally reached a section familiar to her. It was a double set of stairs near the rear of the ship. One went down half a deck, which led to a short deck, and then another going back up towards the poop deck. She'd have laughed at the term poop deck if she wasn't already in a load of poop herself. To her horror, she saw the gate was blocked chock full of people trying to get from that area. Jenn looked around and over the railing that kept the classes separate.

Jack looked over the railing and then back at Jenn. "Do you trust me?"

"For what?" Jenn took a breath, which was growing cooler.

"I'll take that as a yes." He said with a smile, "All you have to do is get over this railing and I'll lower you down. Okay?"

Jenn looked over the railing with a little wince, "That's quite a drop."

"It's not so bad," Jack said, "Only six or eight feet. Trust me, you'll be better there than over here."

The ship gave a little shudder and panic flared through Jenn. She had no watch, so she didn't know for sure if it was time for the end to rise up out of the water. Without another thought, she gathered her dress hem and pulled herself over the railing. Letting go of the hem, she stood on the railing facing Jack.

"Give me your hands," he said, and took them when she did. "Good thing you don't have gloves on!"

Jenn wasn't sure about that, but enjoyed the heat from his hands as he lowered her down to the deck. With a nod, he let go and she dropped about three feet. Nothing bad, compared to what could happen. Jack lowered himself over and dropped next to her.

"Ready for more running?"

Jenn sighed and they ran again. To her relief, the stairs going up were not as crowded and they made it up those with relatively little hassle. She looked around at the confused, yet panicky people around them. Most of them had shocked looks in their eyes. An almost glassy look that seemed to accept the inevitable. As if they'd already given up.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of death…"

Wide-eyed, Jenn looked around and saw a preacher holding on to the railing near her. There were about fifteen or so people at his feet, crouched in prayer. She gulped and thought, _That_ _is **not** the valley I'm going through._

Jack tugged her hand and they ran along the poop deck. The crowds were easier to get through here and it was almost ridiculous how quickly they got to the back railing, the railing made famous in the _Titanic_ movie for finding and losing love.

The two looked over the edge and Jenn could see some people who had already jumped off. Though they were paddling around, she knew they'd jumped off too soon. The ship would probably crush them after it rose into the air and then fell back down.

Beside her, Jack gave a little laugh and she turned to him. "What's so funny?"

He sighed and looked over at her, "I just think it's amazing that we should end up here. We'll end up jumping from the place you almost did."

Jenn's face flamed. Though she'd never consider jumping to her doom, she knew that the Rose character she was being mistaken for almost did do just that. "Well, let's not jump just yet."

"I agree," Jack nodded and looked back at the front of the ship, which was completely submerged, "I have a feeling this has just begun."

ooo

The two Faes had been called immediately, and both appeared instantly. While Puck and Callie tried to ascertain Jenn's location by magic, Trish was pacing the floor.

"Trish, if you could just sit for a little," Puck sighed out.

"Why."

"Because you're making him patio sick with all of your moving around," Callie explained gently. "Not to mention that the calmer you are physically, the easier it will be for us to dig through the residual energies left by Lu."

The five, for Drake and Ash were also there, were on the patio balcony at _Club Mystique. _It had been hard for Trish to step out onto that patio and look over the edge where the body double Jenn had apparently jumped.

Trish sat at one of the ten tables that were spread out around the patio. Callie and Puck had cleared the area where Lu had cornered Jenn, in order to sort through the remaining magic.

"So how long will that take?" Trish demanded. It was a beautiful early afternoon, with brilliant blue skies and a warm gentle breeze. But with Jenn missing, it may as well have been overcast and cold.

"Not long at all, if we wouldn't keep getting interrupted," Puck said it slowly.

"Puck, I'm worried!" Trish said, exasperated, "My best friend is missing and a deranged Fae is the one responsible for it!"

"You think I don't know that?" Puck leapt to his feet, "He's getting at you lot just to make me miserable! And you know what? It's working! I can't help but to be worried over all of you. Compared to us, you are frail and weak. You have no magic to aide you, and no link with nature to encourage you. And because of me trying to take Lu down, I can't help but to fear that one of you _will_ die because of me."

There was a long pause, broken only by a momentary chiming noise near Callie, and Trish sighed out. A Pidgey darted from a nearby tree to land on the patio. It picked up a dropped crust of bread and flew away.

"I'm sorry, Puck," Trish said finally, "I know there's a lot of pressure on you and I shouldn't have exploded like that."

"Don't worry about it," Puck rubbed at his forehead and sat back down, "We'll find her."

Time passed slowly and Drake came out with drinks for everyone. He told his fiancée that Ash had to leave for some League business, but would return for dinner. Trish watched the sea beyond the railing, watched a pod of whale Pokémon breach the water and disappear. Sea birds soared over the waves, ducking now and then for a quick snack.

She sat with Drake in a chaise lounge that rested near the doors of the club, and the Australian was growing sleepy, resting against Drake, when she unexpectedly got chills up her spine. Suddenly, a cold breeze wound around Trish, snapping her from any sleepiness, and her eyes widened when it vanished as soon as it came.

Drake also revived quickly, "What was that!"

Puck's brow furrowed, "Ah…I think we found a path."

"A path?" Trish shivered, "What's that?"

"A path is what we were looking for," Callie stood up and dusted off her lilac coloured gown. The dress looked gossamer thin, but showed nothing of the body beneath. "Imagine if you will, the residue left by Lu's magic. Try to picture a ball of yarn that has been unwound and left in a huge heap. The path is the one string you're looking for in all of that."

"But…"

"The path leads directly to where Jenn was sent," Puck finished, "And that was the cold you felt."

"Jenn hates the cold," Trish said absently, and Drake hugged her reassuringly.

"We know that," Puck stood up and looked to his sister, who shrugged, "And apparently, Lu knows that too."

ooo

Jenn winced at the sound of people screaming all around her. She knew it would get worse. The ship shuddered again and to her horror, she felt it start to rise. In her panic, she lost track of what happened when. Climb over the edge now or not? She started to and felt Jack hold her back.

"Not yet," he said calmly, "I have a feeling it's not going to go down just yet."

His calm air made her feel calmer, and Jenn had to remind herself that this was just something Lu cooked up. There was no real Hound of the Baskervilles so he had to make something up there. There _really_ was a _Titanic_, but she knew Danny hadn't been on it, so maybe Lu made this up. Only the cold air around her said it was real. The desperate people jumping off of the ship said it was real. But she didn't _want_ it to be real.

The ship didn't care though. As the front sank deeper into the water, the rear began to rise. The rear didn't have water in it, while the front had tons of water flooding its lower compartments and the lower rooms. It started to feel like an amusement park ride, but there was nothing amusing about what was happening. People began to fall forward with the increasing tilt. From inside the ship came thundering noises.

"What is that?" she asked uncertainly.

"Sounds like anything that wasn't bolted down is going all over the place," Jack murmured, then he looped an arm around her and the other around the railing. Jenn grabbed onto the railing for dear life. She didn't want to put too much weight on Jack. She looked over and saw with some surprise the one person she knew would be back here.

The head chef.

The head chef was a portly man wearing his work uniform. He also had a silver flask in his hand, and took a drink before tucking it safely in his jacket, which was puffed from the lifejacket. He smiled at her, then looked forward at the water that was rushing up the deck, sweeping people off and breaking windows.

The end of the ship rose higher and higher until Jenn thought for sure she'd be pulled forward, when there was a huge cracking sound and Jenn saw the ship break in two. Then there were several thundering sounds and the end of the ship slammed back down into the water. While the front vanished under the waves, the back stayed afloat for a little while longer. Then even that began to fill and tilt forward once again.

"Before the tilt gets too great, we must climb over the edge," Jack said warningly. This part was the worst for Jenn. She waited and her stomach knotted with fear and she jumped a little when Jack prodded her in the back.

"Now," was all he said. He helped her over the railing and she held on while he did the same. Several other people saw what they had done, and did the same, including the head waiter. Jenn almost envied his alcohol warmed cheeks.

Her heart thudded loudly in her ears as the rear of the ship rose almost completely straight up in the air. People who were on the other side of the railing fell to their deaths when they could hang on no longer. Being at the top of the rear of the ship was like being at the top of a fifteen storey building. It bobbed there for a few moments and Jenn wondered if she'd be trapped up here until daylight. Unfortunately, there would be no such thing.

She heard a popping noise and her stomach dropped as the ship began to sink under the surface, following the severed front. To her, the movement felt like an elevator going down in a mall. Portholes began to burst and air rushed from them as water replaced it.

_Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod,_ was all she could think of, though she said nothing out loud. She was hypnotised by the water pulling the ship down into its dark icy depths.

"When I tell you to, I need you to take a deep breath, got it?" Jack said, while his eyes never wavered from the oncoming water. "The ship might suck us down with it, but you must not let go of my hand! Do you hear me!"

"Yeah, I hear you," Jenn whispered, feeling his powerful warm hand squeezing hers, but was thinking, _Someone_ _get me out of here!_

ooo

It was some time in the early evening when Puck and Callie finally made a breakthrough. Ash was back, along with the others, in Drake's villa. They were on the back veranda, and Callie and Puck were standing in what they called a circle of power.

The circle didn't appear to the others, yet every now and then a flare of pearlescent blue or red would illuminate the circle as a sort of bubble around the two Faes. The two magical creatures had also put a larger circle around the villa and its grounds, in order to keep out Lu and anyone he might have working for him. That circle had briefly appeared as a neon green ring of power, before fading away. It would protect them invisibly.

Trish was sitting with the others in lawn chairs on the veranda. They were on hand just in case anything evil would follow Jenn back from her ordeal.

_Only I don't think this will be like the ordeal I went through,_ Trish thought grimly. _I doubt we'll get a whole ship following Jenn._

She winced, _At least, I hope there isn't a whole ship coming through._

Ever since Puck had revealed that Lu had sent Jenn to a parallel dimension that merged the real events of 1912 with those of the movie, she'd been worried. She knew her friend wouldn't back down from a rampaging dog, even one the size of a pony, but face her with a little cold weather and the blonde was a wreck.

"How much longer?" Trish asked out loud, "I almost can't stand the suspense!"

"You're not the only one," Ash said from his place on the thick stone railing, "But I'm sort of torn between saving her and yelling at her."

"Trust me, Ash," Drake said with a calm smile, "You have to stand in line behind Trish for that."

Suddenly, Puck looked over at Ash, "We're ready."

Trish stood up and Drake with her, "What do you need to do? How long before she can be back here? Do you know if she's okay?"

Puck held up his hands at the rapid fire succession, "As for what we need to do, you'll just see it. She'll be back here as soon as we can start. All we know of how she is, is alive. Good enough?"

"Ouch," Ash winced, "That was harsh, bro."

"Can't be helped," Puck said, and turned back to his sister. The two stood six feet apart and raised their hands. Mirror images of each other's posture, they chanted something in their lilting, lyrical language, and power shimmered between them.

Trish shivered at both the cold air coming from the portal, and the magic that was visible in the glow from the eyes of the two Faes.

ooo

Lucius laughed from his cave. He'd been watching the blonde in her struggles through a viewing orb and he congratulated himself for this night of terror. After scanning through her fears and picking out the one with the most gruesome end, he wondered if it would work.

Though he had worried some that Puck would manage to find the blonde, he knew now that his enemy had failed. The dark night revealed that the blonde was on the end of the ship and it was very nearly fully under water. The icy waters were just about to reach the blonde and pull her to a watery doom.

"It is very much like watching the sun set," the evil Fae mused, "How something that big can sink below the horizon so fast is fascinating."

The red-haired Fae held his breath the very moment the ship sank under the surface, saw the terror on the blonde's face as she tried in vain to get a deep enough breath of air. He would make sure that no amount would be enough. He pulled the blonde deeper into the water with a quick chant, ensuring that she would be pulled deep enough under the surface that she would have no hope to reach the surface alive. He made a grabbing motion with his fist as the girl went under with the ship and then released.

He did not have the capability to send the viewing globe in that dimension under the water's surface, as the salt water would destroy the globe, but he could sense the blonde's fear and hopelessness due to the emotion sensing spell he had woven into the metal of the tiara she wore in her hair. The salt water would nullify that effect as well, but not before…Yes, there it was, the final burst of fear before blessed nothing, then the salt water neutralized the minor spell on the tiara.

"One down," Lu said calmly, "And not that many more to go."

ooo

Trish was filled with apprehensive anticipation as she watched the Faes chant. Then the portal's surface shimmered teal blue and a wall of water broke through the portal. There were exclamations of surprise, for when the water washed over them, it was icy cold.

The water was still rushing out until Puck and Callie quickly closed the portal.

"No sense bringing the whole ocean here when we have enough of our own," Puck wisecracked.

Callie slapped her brother's arm, "Stop that, Puck, and be serious! We have a human to resuscitate."

The water receded to reveal a stiff, crumpled and waterlogged figure in a navy coloured dress.

"Jenn!" Trish gasped and rushed over to her best friend, along with Drake and Ash. The two men exchanged glances before beginning cardio pulmonary resuscitation. Drake timed the compressions on her chest while Ash forced air into her lungs through her mouth.

Trish knelt down next to them, holding Jenn's limp icy cold hand and praying that the blonde would live. _Come on, Jenn_, she urged silently. _You can do it. You've got so much to live for._

The rest of the group were watching anxiously. Jaime was hugging Kigali tightly to her chest, and Shannon was clutching Ben's hand like a lifeline.

To the younger girl, this scene brought back memories of when Trish was brought back from Lu's clutches. Just like before, there was no pulse. Just like before, Drake had to help perform CPR. Just like before, there was the unbearable suspense of not knowing whether they were going to live or die. Only difference this time, was that Jenn was the victim, and Trish was supporting her best friend.

Mia was holding tightly onto Puck for reassurance. The girl was close to tears; another one of her dear friends had been targeted. Yet another one could die. _Oh this can't be happening_, she thought to herself. _First Trish, now Jenn. Is that demented Fae determined to kill all of us?_

Just when Drake and Ash were losing hope, Jenn's slender frame shook violently with the sounds of coughing. Trish stepped back as the two men quickly but gently turned her over onto her side, with her head tilted slightly up. The blonde coughed, and heaved onto the grass beneath.

"She's alive!" Chris cheered and grabbed Callie in a surprise hug. The female Fae was so shocked that she hugged back without thinking.

"Ben," Drake called his brother over. "Call the doctors to come over here immediately and tell them we have a case of hypothermia."

"Sure," Ben pulled his cell phone from his pocket, then hesitated. "Shouldn't she be put into the hospital?"

"Not after our experiences with Trish in the hospital," Drake shook his head. "Lu tried to kill her three times. I don't want to take the risk."

"Jenn would be much safer here at Drake's villa with all the guard Pokémon and the wards that Callie and Puck have put around the entire area," Ash explained.

"Besides," Trish spoke up as she knelt at her prone friend's head. "Jenn _hates_ hospitals worse than spiders."

"Whazzat…about…spiders?" came a hoarse whisper. Blue-grey eyes opened and blinked numbly up at the Australian. "I…so…totally…don't need spiders right now."

Trish grinned and smoothed back some of Jenn's messy locks from her forehead. "Glad to have _you_ back in the land of the living, Sis."

"I'm ..so…cold," the blonde started shivering. Her face was paper white and her lips were tinged a bit blue.

Drake rapidly gave commands to his staff to get blankets to Jenn's room.

"I know," Trish squeezed her friend's hand., "You're going to get warm soon. The doctors are on their way and soon you'll be in a nice warm bed."

With a strength that surprised them both, Jenn gripped Trish's hand tightly. "I'm not gonna go to the _hospital,_ am I!"

Trish patted her hand. "You're not gonna go into hospital. Drake's going to arrange it so you can recover here."

Jenn relaxed a bit and closed her eyes. "Aiiight. You know how I hate hospitals."

"We know."

"I've never been so terrified in my whole life," the blonde whispered. "I really thought that I was gonna die…The cold…it was like a million knives cutting into me at once…"

Her friend squeezed her hand. "While it wasn't the same thing, I have some idea of what you went through. But it's over now. You're safe, you're back home."

Jenn nodded half-heartedly. "Aiight. You're not gonna go anywhere are you?" The blonde really didn't want to be left alone, not after what she went through. She just wanted someone to be there, so if she woke up she could see she was safe. Who would understand better than her best friend?

"I won't budge from your side, promise."

Jenn was content with that. When Trish made a promise, you could usually count on her to keep it.

ooo

When Jenn woke up the next morning, she found herself in her own bed, nice and cosy under a comforter and hooked up to an IV line. Trish was curled up in a nearby armchair with a book, she glanced up and saw that the blonde was awake.

"Morning," the Australian greeted with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," Jenn sighed before motioning to her left arm. "What's this for?"

"It's just to keep your fluids up," Trish informed her. "Depending on how you go, it will be out in a few days."

"And they managed that how?" the blonde was mystified. "I hate needles."

"You were so out of it, you didn't even flinch."

Jenn winced as she arranged the pillows so she was sitting upright. "So what did the doctors say? Do I have six months to live or somethin'?"

"What you have is a mild case of hypothermia, plus a few scratches and bruises," her friend told her. "But they think you'll live. So a week of bed rest for you, young missy, maybe two. Doctor's orders."

"Yeah, yeah," the blonde laid back against her pillow. "So, let's see your new rock."

Trish blinked. "Rock? What new rock…."

Jenn raised an eyebrow and pointed a finger towards the girl's left hand where a medium sized diamond solitaire glittered in a gold setting and band.

The Australian looked down and blushed. "Oh….that rock!"

"Yes, _that_ rock," the blonde grinned. "Seeing as how the diamonds Lu had me wearing were apparently part of the whole elaborate illusion he made up. I mean come on, you say that _I'm_ forgetful. You seem to have already forgotten that you're engaged! Just wait until I tell Drake on youuuu."

"Oh hush," Trish threw a nearby pillow at her friend. "I've been too busy worrying about _you _to think of anything else. The night I get engaged, I had to spend fretting about my best friend."

"That's the way it should be," Jenn joked. "The all important Goddess and best friend over boyfriend now fiancé."

Her friend just rolled her eyes. "Of course."

The blonde nodded, satisfied. "I knew you would agree with me." She picked at the corner of her comforter. "So, how did you guys know I was in trouble and that Lu had taken me?"

"Well, I felt uneasy all evening…" Trish began.

"Gee, I wonder why," Jenn teased. "Just look at the old guy you're hitched to."

"I can see that your ordeal hasn't affected your sense of humour," the Australian said dryly.

"I can't see why not."

"Anyway, before I was interrupted," Trish continued, shooting a mock glare at Jenn. "I kept on feeling that something was wrong all night and it wouldn't go away. Plus I saw an Absol when we were leaving."

"You saw an Absol, too?" Jenn baulked. "That's freaky. I had a dream before all that went down that you called me to tell me that you saw an Absol."

"Wow, that _is_ freaky," the dark-haired girl agreed. "Also Ash sent Gengar to follow you to _Club Mystique_ and he saw what happened and notified Ash."

_Uh oh._ The blonde cringed. "So you know everything?"

"_Everything_," Trish smiled benignly. "But I'm not gonna yell at you."

_Phew_, Jenn was relieved.

"That will come _after_ you get better!"

_Why am I not surprised she said that_, the blonde groaned inwardly. "You're so thoughtful."

"I know," Trish grinned, then sobered. "You know you were _very_ lucky that Ash decided to snoop on you. Otherwise we would never have found you."

"I know," Jenn winced. "Trust me, I've learned my lesson this time."

"I sure hope so! Unlike your cats, you do not have nine lives."

"With Lulu on the loose, that would definitely come in handy," the blonde muttered.

Drake walked in with a mug of coffee on a small tray which he handed to Trish. "I brought you a cup of coffee," he began before trailing off at the sight of Jenn sitting up. He smiled, "Good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been fished out of the icy Northern Atlantic," the blonde smiled up cheekily, "How about you?"

"Feel like any breakfast?" the Orange Crew Leader asked.

"Uh huh."

"I'll get Jean-Michel to cook up something for you, and sent up," Drake nodded as he sat down on the end of the bed. "So, has Trish blasted you yet?"

"Excuse you, I'm _not_ leaving my stomach up to Jean-Michel's imagination. Need I bring up the great breakfast fiasco of the week we got here?"

"So-rry!" Drake sounded utterly unsympathetic. "Shall I have him prepare the fattened calf?"

"No! That's a _dinner_ item, not breakfast," She glared over at Trish, who was chuckling at the exchange, "And you hush. You're supposed to keep your puppy, no matter how old he is, on a tight leash."

"Hey!"

"Hush, puppy," Jenn commanded, "The Goddess is unwell today and would like scrambled eggs, not runny and not dry but somewhere in-between. There shall be finely shredded cheddar cheese mixed in _before_ the eggs go on the frying pan. Also, please make sure Jean-Michel uses _real _butter when he cooks the eggs, and not that disgusting imitation crap he calls margarine."

Drake gaped at the order, "…Anything else?"

Jenn frowned and looked thoughtful, "Can I have some bottled water? Cold, to be ironic."

"Any particular brand? _Evian_? _Penta_? Tap?"

"Har de har har. Tap water is not bottled," Jenn looked at him sourly, then looked away while quickly saying, "_Penta_, please." She looked back, "Aren't you going to write it down? I'm not saying I'd think you'd forget or anything but…well…you know…"

Drake glared at the blonde, "It's only because you're recovering from an attack from Lu that I won't yell at you. Once you get better…"

"Yeah, I know," Jenn pointed at Trish, "Just like Mizz Considerate here, I'm sure you'll wait until I'm all better and then you'll gang up on me to yell at me."

"We're not the only ones," Drake grinned. "Ash was torn between yelling at you or saving you. I haven't seen him so worked up about something for a long time."

Jenn gulped. How many of her friends had she unintentionally pissed off with this lil boo dee boo?

"Don't forget about Gary. He's probably pissed off at you for all the unwanted publicity he's been getting over his role in your 'suicide,'" Trish mused.

"_What suicide!_"

"The one that Lu…" Drake looked down at Trish, "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"I was about to," Trish said dryly, "Or would you like to?"

"Oh, no, I'll let _you_ tell her," He gave his fiancée a quick kiss, then mock bowed to Jenn, "I'll take your order to the kitchen right away, miss."

Jenn didn't answer, beyond looking at him with a steely glare.

Once the door closed behind him, Jenn looked over at Trish with nearly the same glare. "What. Suicide."

"You remember the patio, right? And Rudy being revealed as being Gary?"

"Yeah."

"Well at the same time that he sent you to the parallel dimension, he had his barrier make it look as if you jumped from the patio."

Jenn looked shocked, "And _that_ fooled people!"

"No, the body Lu had land in the car park below the patio did," Trish patted her friend's hand as the glare was replaced by a pale, blank look. "Splatters and everything. It was unbelievably messy."

"And the news got a hold of that?" The blank look was replaced by one of amazement. "Ash…Ash didn't do anything to stop them? No cover ups?"

"Not yet," Trish said soothingly, "But he'll be able to figure something up now that we have you back safe and sound. Of course, Gary's reputation is _so_ going straight through the blender!"

"Ah, who cares about _him_," Jenn snorted. "It's because of that a-hole that I'm in this mess!"

"True, but you _didn't _have to go after him, y'know" Trish said casually with a raised eyebrow. "After what happened last time, I would have thought you would have been more wary."

"I was," Jenn said defensively, "I went someplace that had a lot of people in it."

Trish raised her eyebrow again.

"Well I did," The blonde looked thoughtful, "How far did this fake suicide get? Out of the archipelago?"

Trish's eyes widened with comprehension, "Your family…"

"You didn't warn them? Tell them?" Jenn sighed, "I'd better call home and let them know there were some fake stories being told."

"Ah, the life of a celebrity…"

"Celebrity by proxy, puh-lease," Jenn sank back against the pillow. "And don't count on me being laid up too long. I'm itching for some paybacks."

"I bet you are. Just don't go thinking you're Buffy with her super fast healing powers and try getting out of bed _too _soon."

"I won't."

"Good," Trish sighed.

"Cause I'm better than Buffy," Jenn grinned.

"Yeah right," her friend rolled her eyes as she handed over Jenn's cell phone. "Why don't you make your 'back from the dead' call now?"

"What do I say if they _have _heard anything?" The blonde winced. "How about this. Hey guys, people are trying to spread fake stories about me, so don't think any of them are true unless you hear from my friends."

"Just play it by ear," Trish advised. "They might not have heard about it yet. Just say that you're checking in to let them know how you're doing."

Jenn nodded and hit the speed dial on the keypad. "Hi Mom? It's Jenn. Just thought I'd check in with you people, slaving away at home."

The blonde turned to her friend and mouthed '_They haven't heard.' _"How are things here? Oh they're great! I got myself a new Pokémon which you will absol-utely adore. And Trish got engaged. Yeah, it's all good. Is everything okay at home? Sweet. Love ya too. Aiight…Byeee."

The blonde clicked off her phone. "Okay, that was strange. I can't believe that they didn't hear about my supposed death."

Trish grinned. "I can. There's a saying that if you want to see your country disappear, read an American newspaper."

"Stop it!"

"It's true! Why would an incident in the Archipelago make the news over there?"

"I don't know. Usually things _do_ get reported in the papers. If anything, most Americans love their entertainment news." Jenn shrugged. "I'm just glad my family was in the dark about all of that. It would have been impossible to explain."

"Makes me wonder how Ash and Drake are gonna handle the news over here?" Trish mused.

"What news?" the blonde looked confused. "Did I miss something?"

"Oh I meant if the news of your 'suicide' got in the newspapers over here," Trish explained. "I haven't seen any of today's papers yet."

"Beats me," the blonde sighed. "Hopefully it will get forgotten with the engagement announcement."

"Not sure if I'm looking forward to that," the Australian shifted uncomfortably.

"You should be!" Jenn exclaimed. "It's a totally good thing to announce. Not only do you get to publicly give Rudey the kiss off, but you get to flip the figurative bird to all those gold diggers that are always chasing Drake."

"That's true," Trish mused.

"You know it's true. The Goddess is always right."

"Uh huh."

A knock came at the door.

"Come in," Jenn called.

The Grand Master came into the room with Pikachu perched on his shoulder. The tiny electric mouse squeaked happily and leapt onto the blonde's lap.

"Heya, Lil Pik," Jenn greeted the Pokémon affectionately, scratching her behind the ears as she liked best. Pikachu purred contentedly.

"She was really worried about you," Ash grinned as he sat down on the end of the bed. "So was I."

"I was worried about me too," Jenn winced as she recalled her ordeal. "But if you want to yell at me, you'll have to get in line behind Trish and Drake."

"I have first dibs," Trish grinned. "But I told her I'd wait until she recovered."

Ash chuckled. "I guess I have to wait then, too."

"You're all so thoughtful," Jenn said, dryly. "I have so much to look forward to." The blonde then noticed that her best friend was giving her a pointed look. "What?"

Trish inclined her head towards the Grand Master.

Jenn frowned, "Trish, I'm not psychic."

"Let me try again, then," Trish said patiently, "Jenn, Ash sent Gengar after you and the dear Pokémon saw what was happening and went to get Ash which led to a chain of events that led to you being saved from certain death."

Ash covered a laugh behind a cough as Jenn suddenly understood what her best friend was trying to tell her.

"Thanks, Ash."

Trish was gobsmacked, "Jenn!"

"What!" Jenn sighed out, "That's the same thing my mom said when she asked me to say grace over last Christmas eve's dinner."

"What did you say for the prayer?" Ash asked, genuinely interested.

"I said 'Grace' and started to eat," Jenn shrugged, "She told me to say grace. I said it."

"Well he and Gengar saved your life," Trish nodded, "I think he deserves a little more than a simple 'thank you'."

"It's not a big deal," Ash grinned, "We were just glad to have helped."

Jenn was nodding in agreement when she saw the stern look on Trish's face. The blonde sighed again, and said, "Thank you for sending Gengar to spy on me the other night. I would've been dead if you hadn't."

She looked over at Trish, "Better?"

Trish's stern look softened, "Ah, you're probably still tired. You just need more time to think of a better apology. I know how you hate being put on the spot."

"You are so not wrong about that," Jenn said with a yawn. She gave the yellow mouse one last scratch before the little Pokémon leapt off and scampered after Ash and Trish. The door closed softly behind them, and Jenn laid back and fell asleep.

_To be continued…_

ooo

_Author's Note: I don't own the rights to Titanic, movie or the real thing. Coming up next is either Nemesis Chapter 4 or a Twelve Kingdoms fic or Chapter 24. _


	25. 24: Not Crazy, Just a Little Unwell

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Puck. Ashura the Mew is borrowed with permission from Dragoness. I do own certain characters and the storyline. The chapter title comes from '_Unwell'_ by Matchbox 20.

ooo

_Chapter Twenty-Four: I'm not Crazy, just a little Unwell_

Lucius woke up the next morning, feeling far more chipper than he had been in a long while. _Ding, dong, the meddlesome blonde is gone,_ his heart sang. Finally, a part of his plan had succeeded without being ruined by either of his nemesis's, Puck or Callie.

The red-haired Fae sat down for a hearty breakfast of pancakes and syrup. As he chewed on his forkfuls, he relived last night's satisfying events. He took particular pleasure in the fact that Jenn had suffered _most_ horribly before she died.

It was sweet justice indeed for all the pain and trouble she had caused him since her unfortunate escape from his clutches. Jenn had blabbed to Puck, Callie and that dratted Chosen One, Ash about his plans; and thus had foiled him. If it had not been for Jenn, Lu would have had been well along in his plans to ruin Puck and would have had at least one other death to add to his record.

The evil Fae chuckled as he thought about how Jenn's pathetic mortal friends must be feeling at this very moment. Sorrow at the passing of a dear friend? Or cursing her for taking her own life over a former boyfriend? Little did they suspect the _real _cause of her death.

Now it would easier for him to dispose of the remaining humans. They would never suspect, now that he had changed his tactics.

Just for fun, he decided to tune into their feelings – see how miserable they were. Lu focused on the Australian girl, Trish, who would certainly be upset over her best friend. His green eyes snapped open in horror when the feedback from her emotions told him exactly what he didn't want to know.

Jenn was _alive_.

Someway, somehow, despite all his precautions – the blonde had survived her ordeal. Dammit, she should have been dead! As stiff and cold as that iceberg that had collided with the _Titanic_.

Startled wingulls and taillows took to the skies as unearthly shrieks of rage echoed around the small deserted island.

ooo

Trish placed the brush down and looked over her work. She had offered to look after Kigali while Jenn was laid up in bed, and had just finished bathing and grooming the little absol.

Kigali yipped and licked the girl's hand, little tail wagging furiously.

"You're a little cutie, aren't you," Trish grinned as she fastened the velvet and diamante collar that Jenn had bought for her Pokémon around its neck.

The doorbell rang, and Trish picked up the little puppy and carried her with her to the foyer. She got the shock of her life when she opened the door to see Rudy standing there, a large bunch of flowers in his hand. "Rudy!"

The Trovita Island Gym Leader offered the bouquet to the gawking Australian. "Oh Trish, I'm so so sorry to hear about Jenn. I didn't think she was the type to take such _drastic_ action."

A still shocked Trish blinked as she took the flowers. "What on earth are you talking about? Jenn's going to be just fine…"

Now it was Rudy's turn to be shocked. "What do you mean she's gonna be just fine…Lu said…"

The mention of the evil Fae's name snapped the Australian back to her senses and her dark eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute…_you_ were there weren't you? Helping Lu get rid of Jenn…"

The Trovita Island Gym Leader gulped nervously and took an involuntary step backward. This was not going how Lu had planned. Jenn was supposed to be dead, and he was supposed to be able to go and comfort his poor darling over the loss of her best friend and win her that way.

Little Kigali looked hard at the human in front of her. Though still very young, she could sense that this human was not good. She could also sense the anger coming from the human that was holding her. The nice human was saying that the bad human in front of them had done something bad against her owner. The little Pokémon felt anger rising within her and the fur started rising along her back.

Meanwhile, Trish's emotions had undergone a full transition from shock to anger. She glared at the man in front of her. "How _dare_ you show your face here, Rudy! You have the bloody gall to come here and offer 'sympathy' over a 'tragedy' that _you_ helped to create.

"If you think that I would have been so distraught and out of my mind with grief that I'd go willingly into your arms…then you're more than ready for the lunatic asylum!" A low growl was heard from her arms but she didn't take any notice.

"But I _love_ you," Rudy whined pathetically. "I'm the best man you'll ever have the fortune of knowing."

Trish looked disgusted. "You trying to make me puke? You're succeeding! You 'love' me – now that's a joke! After that stunt you pulled by spreading lies that I was having an affair with Danny. Thank you for putting me through Hell."

Rudy took another shaky step backwards.

The Australian smiled sweetly. "I really suggest that you leave the premises before Drake finds out…" She held up her left hand where the diamond ring flashed in the sunlight. "And my fiancé might punch the living daylights out of you."

The blood drained out of the Trovita Island Gym Leader's face, so white did he become. "What!" he croaked.

Trish looked down at the Pokémon in her arms. "Sic 'im, Little Kig."

The Absol puppy leapt down from the Australian's arms and assumed a fighting stance.

"Ice Beam."

Rudy's shrieks were heard clear down the street.

ooo

Jenn stared up at the ceiling for what felt like the ten billionth time. She was bored, restless, and itching for a fight. Being stuck in bed would've seemed like a sweet deal to her a week ago, but getting kidnapped by Lu and sent to a parallel dimension to face her doom on the _Titanic_ had really ruined the idea.

She looked over at the IV in her arm and glared at it. If she knew how to pull it out without the fear of bleeding all over the place, she'd do so. Anything to get out of bed. She flexed her arm a little and winced when she felt the IV in her vein. There weren't many things that would make her feel like puking on the spot. An IV was one of them.

The partially closed bedroom door was nudged open, and a familiar tiny electric mouse scampered in and leapt up on the bed. '_Piiiiiiiika_.'

"Heya, Pik," the blonde greeted the little 'chu. "Come to keep a bored Goddess company?"

"Hey, whaddabout me?" another voice revealed itself as Meowth entered as well.

Jenn was surprised. "Hey Meowth, what are you doing here?"

The Scratch Cat Pokémon grinned. "I came to visit Ash and Pik here. I'm watchin' all da kiddies for her while dis business is goin' on."

"Unca Meowth," Jenn teased.

"Dat's riiiiight!" Meowth puffed out his chest. "And prouid of it too."

"Well I'm bored," Jenn sighed. "I wanna get out of bed and kick some butt."

Pikachu just Looked at the blonde and waved a tiny claw. '_Pik-uh-uh-uh_.'

'Dat means no way in hell,' Meowth translated helpfully.

"I know that," Jenn scowled. "I've taken a course in basic Pikachuese."

"Trish woint like it if you do get out of bed before you're recovered."

"I know that too! She never likes anything bad that I do."

"Maybe youse sholdn't be doin' anything bad."

"Aren't you calling the kettle black," Jenn arched an eyebrow, "Besides, it's not my fault bad follows me. I can't help it."

"Well, woid youse like it if it was da other way 'round?"

"It's already _been_ the other way around," Jenn picked at her fingernails, "And no, I did not let her leap out of bed when she felt like it, but she was the one in a coma, not me."

Pikachu grinned and chattered away rapidly. '_Pikakapika pi chu pikachi cha._'

Jenn looked to Meowth, who had discovered a small stuffed Rapidash on the floor. "Translation please?"

Meowth smirked. "I thawt dat you knew basic Pikachuese."

"I told you basic. That was _not_ basic." The blonde rolled her eyes. "Honestly, give me a break, Meowth. I'm a recently tragically befallen Goddess here."

"I thouit y'said bored."

"There's that, too," Jenn nodded. "So what did the Pik-ster say?"

The Scratch Cat Pokémon grinned. "She said dat Trish set your Absol on Rudey when he came ta offer sympathy on your death."

"What!" Jenn's eyes widened. "She didn't."

"She did," Meowth was smug. "Ash said dat youse could hear da guy screaming like a goirl all da way doiwn the street. And it's a big street."

The blonde punched a hapless cushion. "Dammit! I wanted to be the one to give Rudey a smack down!"

"You already did," another male voice said. Ash entered the room, carrying Jenn's lunch tray with him. The blonde had requested fish, deboned and lightly fried in butter sauce. The dish was accompanied by French green beans and julienne fries. Freshly squeezed orange juice, with no pulp, came in a tall glass.

The Grand Master set the tray down carefully on Jenn's lap before sitting in the nearby chair. "Drake said that you punched Rudy in the face when he came to see Trish not long after her ordeal."

"I forgot about that," Jenn sighed, then glared again momentarily. "I still owe him one for this."

"I'm sure Trish has been eager to get back at Rudy after all he's done to her," Ash grinned. "I'm sure she relished the moment."

"Definitely," the blonde chuckled. "She's been thinking about all of the possible torture methods she could use on him."

"How on earth he can still think he has a chance with her is beyond me," the Grand Master shook his head. "In all my travels, I've never met anyone who is quicker to delusions of love than Rudy."

"What about Brock?" Jenn grinned slyly.

"Ah, yes, well Brock is a little bit different. His obsessions tend to not last longer than ten minutes," Ash mused. "Or until he sees the next pretty girl."

"I guess so."

"But Rudy is a trip. He's been obsessed for two years now, right?"

"Yup," Jenn nodded. "Two years and he still hasn't got a clue that she hates his guts."

"Maybe she should take out an ad in the paper," Ash mused, "Or a billboard."

"Or a jail sentence," Jenn said. "Stalking, stalking, and more stalking."

There was a stretch of silence, at which Pikachu looked from Ash to Jenn. Finally the little mouse went to her best friend and poked him with a diminutive paw. "_Pikapi, pika chu?"_

"I haven't forgotten, buddy," Ash rubbed behind the mouse's ears.

"Forgotten what?"

"There were some things that came back with you from your ordeal," Ash said, looking at Jenn to take in her reaction. Her eyes widened a little, but she looked more surprised than afraid.

"What things?"

"There was a dress and some jewellery."

"Uh huh, like what?"

Ash could just barely imagine what she was thinking, "There was a hair pin, a necklace, and earrings."

"They weren't a dream then! There were so many diamonds," Jenn could hardly breathe, "Could you get them looked at to see if they're real?"

Ash raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, why?"

"The diamonds you were wearing were from an ordeal!"

"I earned them," Jenn shrugged slowly, "That's how I see it."

Ash shook his head, "You are one strange person."

"I know."

Trish walked into the bedroom with a satisfied grin and an equally satisfied Kigali in her arms.

Jenn smiled at her best friend, "Looks like someone had fun..."

"That felt so good," The Australian sighed contently, "It really is true that revenge is a dish best served cold."

"Ash, didn't you tell me that my cheekie pookie poops went after Rudy?" Jenn blinked. "I didn't know there was pie involved."

"It was just an expression," Trish rolled her eyes. "And one that had no mention of pie at all."

"Oh...I knew that."

"Sure..."

"Ash said that I still have the dress and the jewellery from the _Titanic_," Jenn switched subjects excitedly. "Did you keep anything from your puppy encounter?"

"Well, I have the dress, and the necklace," Trish admitted. "But I haven't been able to bring myself to use them."

"Because it reminds you of your ordeal?" Ash said gently.

"Yeah...I think if I did, I'd start to seize up."

"Well I wouldn't be seized at all," the blonde declared. "They're nothing more than proof that I survived. I took on Lulu and beat down his ass."

"Just barely," Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Hey," Jenn arched an eyebrow back at him, "Schematics, my dear Watson. Schematics."

Ash shook his head, "I think you meant semantics."

"You say potato, I say po-tato."

"Jenn, there are _no_ similarities between schematics and semantics!" Ash looked incredulous. "It's like saying a potato is the same as a tomato!"

Jenn tilted her head to the side, "You do have a point, don't you?"

"You are completely insufferable."

Jenn beamed. "But you still love me."

The Grand Master sighed while Pikachu just giggled.

Trish laughed at the exchange. "You two are nuts."

Jenn beamed even more. "I try."

"You succeed!" her friend shook her head good-naturedly.

"Any doodles, Ash is gonna find out for me whether they're real diamonds or not."

"Why wouldn't they be real diamonds?" Trish was mystified. "If you were supposed to be Rose from the movie, they would be. She was dripping in diamonds!"

Jenn shrugged, "You never know. I always figured Lulu would be a cheapskate. Come on, have you _seen_ where he lives? In a cave! A bare, stinking – and by stinking I mean smelly – cave with zero in the way of furniture. The Goddess was totally uncomfortable there."

"Uh…Jenn, when you're kidnapped, you're not meant to be comfortable," Trish pointed out. "Lu hates all of us, so he's not going to go out of his way to be nice to you."

"I don't see why not."

Her best friend rolled her eyes. "You never do."

"…Hey."

ooo

Lucius paced the floor of his cave like a caged tiger. His emerald eyes seethed with anger, his cheeks were flushed and hectic.

He couldn't believe that he had failed yet again in his bid to rid himself of those pesky mortals. They had no power, no magic to aid them - they had no right to defy his will!

The red-haired Fae clenched his fist. It was all because of that damn Puck and that wench sister of his, Callie. They would be the ones crying for his mercy by the time he was through.

ooo

The group had gathered in Jenn's bedroom for a brain storming session.

Jenn sighed, "I just want this freak caught before anyone dies, or worse – gets stuck in a publicly socially humiliating experience."

"You really need to get your priorities straight," Ben said, "There's _nothing_ worse than dying before your time!"

Jenn narrowed her eyes, "I know you haven't been turned into a Pokémon and gotten yourself dropped into a battle against your ex-boyfriend only to win and really piss him off and then get turned back into your bootylicious self and then fast forward to being tricked into thinking some moron you really hate looks like your pissed off ex-boyfriend and getting shoved off a balcony to fall into the past only to have an evil fairy make it look like you jumped and killed yourself via a drop to a car park etcetera till now, so I _know _you don't know what you're talking about."

There was a short stretch of silence.

Ben's eyebrows furrowed, "I can't…I just can't even continue to try to decipher what she just said. It's giving me a headache."

"I'm just trying to figure out when you had a _boyfriend_, Lil Bro," Drake joked.

Ben sobbed loudly, "I told him I'd never let go…never…let go…"

Jenn glared at him. "Brute."

"Tart," Ben smirked back.

"When I get better, you're toast." Jenn settled for glaring at the younger Thayer.

"As much as I enjoy the banter," Ash said calmly, "We need to get back to business."

"Amen to that," Trish agreed, as she snuggled against Drake. "Dealing with Lu has been a never ending nightmare."

"It's been a nightmare, that's for sure," Ash scratched Pikachu behind the ears. The diminutive mouse was perched on his shoulders and leaned into the scratch with a slight purr. "But it'll end."

"It just has to," Shannon said quietly, then laughed a little, "I don't want to sound rude, but I don't want to be next! I'm not as strong willed as Jenn or Trish."

"Now, hon," Ben reassured his beloved, "You shouldn't mix up strong will with being extremely stubborn. Trish is strong willed; Jenn is so stubborn she makes a mule look amenable."

"If I didn't need this pillow, I'd so throw it at you," Jenn said warningly. "Show you amenable."

"I quiver with fear," Ben said wickedly. "Completely quivering."

The blonde glared at Shannon. "You, you need to keep that puppy of yours on a tight leash!"

The younger Thayer widened his eyes. "Hey! I am not a puppy!"

"Whatever, Benji," Jenn smirked.

"You know I don't like being called that nickname," Ben grumbled. "It's bad enough that Drake insists on teasing me with that ridiculous name, I don't need the rest of you getting on the teasing wagon. It makes me sound like some small harmless dog."

"And that's exactly the reason why I insist on calling you that," the blonde smiled evilly.

"I guess you'd know all about what name would make someone sound like which sort of dog."

"There's gonna be a time when you realize that I did _not_ want to be a dog, okay?" Jenn snapped defensively. "It's not like I joined up with Lu and asked for it. Lu could've turned me into any number of different Pokémon, so shut up, Benji."

Shannon broke into a fit of giggles, causing her boyfriend to glare at her. "Hey, you're supposed to be supporting _me_ here."

"I know, I know," the brunette forced herself to calm down. "But you forget that I've know Jenn longer than you, and she always makes me laugh." She paused then grinned. "Besides, I was just visualizing you as a fluffy puppy and you looked soooo cute!"

Everyone snickered as Ben flushed tomato red. He went even darker when Shannon kissed him.

"It's Puppy Love!" Drake teased causing matching shades of red in both. "_Puppy love, it happened so fast…"_

Jenn caught up on the song, "_He got kissed and fell flat on his ass. Puppy love, driftin' away."_

"I just can't get a break," Ben sighed.

Puck coughed to get everyone's attention and ended the impromptu musical. "We're getting off track here everybody. If we don't work out a way to stop Lu, then the next time we get together will be at one of your funerals."

That sobered everyone up immediately.

"You're right," Drake said after a moment's silence. "You're absolutely right."

"The best thing to do is to take it step by step," Callie said. "We must go through everything that has happened so far and try to remember every single detail."

"That is definitely too much hard work," Jenn joked. "My brain is already strained."

"Too right," Ben smirked and immediately got hit with a small stuffed Rapidash from the blonde.

"Dare you disrespect the Goddess!"

"Oh he dares," Trish said dryly, with a look at the younger Thayer. "But Jenn, you have to admit that you left yourself open to that one."

Jenn sighed. "I don't want to agree that you're right, but I will say that I blame it on my recent polar swim."

"It was wide enough to let the _Titanic_ through," Drake nodded. "And sideways at that."

"Enough, okay!" the blonde glared at the Orange Crew Leader. "I get it already. She was right and you were right, and I _really_ hate it when you're right."

Drake just looked smug, while Trish smacked at her fiancé's arm. The dark-haired man smirked. "Well you're just gonna have to learn to put with me being right more often as Trish is going to marry me."

Jenn mock scowled at her best friend. "You should have listened to me, y'know. Getting chained to such an old guy when you could have someone way hotter than he is. I could've found you a hottie. I totally have the best taste in men."

Trish didn't know whether to laugh or choke at the statement. "The best taste as in what? Some hybrid between the super arrogant and the unobtainable?"

"What can I say. I know what I want," The blonde shrugged. "Any diddles, my guy needs to be able to support the lifestyle I require."

"The lifestyle you require means you have to snag a celebrity," Ben shook his head.

"You say that like I couldn't do it," Jenn's blue grey eyes flashed at the challenge.

"I say it like I _know_ you can't do it!" Ben cocked his head to the side, "Just look at your previous attempts!"

Jenn grit her teeth, "Gary was just untrainable."

"Oh, if he could hear you now," Ash laughed. From his shoulder, Pikachu shook her head and sighed out a soft, "_Chaaa…_"

"I don't think he meant Gary," Drake said. "There was Cole, Zane, Darius…"

Ben ticked names off his fingers, "Julian, Thierry, Adam…"

"And let's not forget the great Leonardo DiCaprio debacle," Puck added.

"Oh, let's," Jenn said, and her narrowed gaze promised death to whoever defied her. "And how about you guys and gals leaving me to some privacy." She turned her malevolent stare to Ben in particular, "You're giving me a headache."

"_We_ are!" Ben gaped, "You…my head…you…"

"There, there," Shannon patted Ben's shoulder, "It'll be okay."

"But she…"

"She may be impossible, Ben, but we are in her room," Ash led the younger Thayer from the Goddess's domain. "And when you're in her territory, you'd better leave when it's safest."

"But…"

"Don't argue with the Grand Master, Lil Bro," Drake rebuked gently. "Apart from Trish, he knows best on how to handle Jenn."

ooo

Jenn waited until the footsteps died away down the corridor before lying back down and hugging a stuffed velociraptor to her chest.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Ben's remark that she couldn't get a celebrity boyfriend, let alone a normal boyfriend, cut deep.

Apart from Jaime, she was the only one of her female friends without a boyfriend. And she hated being constantly reminded of the fact.

Trish had managed to catch the most eligible bachelor in the Orange Archipelago, and one of the sexiest men in the entire Pokémon League – hook, line and sinker.

Mia had Puck, and even Shannon, who was so shy and reserved that she never said boo to anyone, had managed to snag Drake's younger brother.

What was the hell wrong with her that she couldn't get one? In her opinion, there was nothing wrong. She was tall, slender, blonde, and had a sparkling personality. Everything a guy could want, right?

She wished she knew how Trish managed it. Compared to the American, the Australian was more of an introvert. Not one for showing off or comfortable in the limelight, Trish was very quiet. Sometimes too quiet as Jenn often told her. Yet she was now engaged.

_Maybe I am a bit too picky in my tastes when it comes to men,_ Jenn mused. _Gary, Drake, Ash, Leo…they all have one thing in common. They're all unobtainable. The break-up with Gary was not for lack of trying on my half, the damn moron couldn't keep his fly zippered shut!_

She flipped over on her side, glad that the stupid IV had been taken out. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to relax enough to get some sleep. Maybe a nap could snap her out of this boyfriend funk.

ooo

"I don't know about the rest of you, but this whole mess with Lu has ruined my appetite," Mia sighed as she toyed with her food. They had gathered in the dining room downstairs for lunch.

"I'm more worried about Jenn," Trish stated as she took a sip of water.

"Nothing new about that," Chris grinned. "Jenn is always a worry!"

"Chris! That's not very nice!" Shannon slapped the Scot on his arm.

"Well it's true," Chris defended himself. "Every mess Jenn's been in so far has been due to her own actions."

"_Almost_ every mess," Trish corrected. "The first time she was kidnapped by Lu, it wasn't due to anything Jenn did."

"No, just that she's irritating enough to get kidnapped," Chris smirked, then dropped the smirk at Trish's glare.

"Anyway, before I was interrupted," the Australian continued the glare directed Chris's way. "I'm worried about how Jenn's coping with all that's happened to her. She's been through so much…"

"You've been through more than Jenn and you seem to have coped okay," Jaime interrupted.

"You know that Jenn would dispute that," Trish grinned. "And I would have to agree. I haven't been kidnapped by Lu or turned into a Pokémon. Besides, we're different when it comes to dealing with issues." She shrugged, "Jenn keeps her problems to herself and bottles it up. Whereas I wear my heart on my sleeve and will rant to friends. Jenn isn't that comfortable with confiding. It's just the way she is."

"Do you think she's not doing well?" Shannon asked timidly.

"I don't know," Trish admitted. "If you asked her, she'll say that she's fine. Jenn is strong, but after what she's been through, no one is that strong that they can cope without support."

"That's true." Drake agreed. "How about you two have a nice long talk later? You seem to be able to get more information out of her than anyone else."

"That's a good idea," Trish nodded. "I'll do that."

"Besides, you know she'd never miss an opportunity to tease you about what an 'old' guy you've landed yourself," Drake gave a wry smile.

"You're only a year older than me," the Australian gave him a kiss.

"Jenn would place great emphasis on the word 'older'," the Orange Crew Leader sighed.

"Don't let it bother you," Trish patted his arm. "You're not marrying Jenn after all."

"No, but I'll have to put up with her for the rest of my life," Drake smirked. "She is _your _best friend."

Trish whacked him. "That's mean!"

Drake just grinned, "Get out of here. You have a best friend to weasel information out of."

ooo

Tired of pacing, Lu magicked up a black leather recliner. He sat in it, but took no notice of the butter soft leather. He was far too engrossed in thinking about the wretched mortals that had so far evaded what seemed to be certain death.

_How do they do it? Everything I've thrown at them, they have avoided. Not completely, but in the end, they have evaded the death I had so carefully plotted for them,_ the Fae snorted to himself, _This is quite annoying._

There was only one thing left to do. He'd have to gather up every magical resource he had available to him and take them out in one glorious event. An end so methodical and thorough that there would be no way to avoid death's grim touch.

He would blow up Pummelo Island and kill all who resided upon it.

ooo

_Later that night_…

Jenn was idly flipping through the latest edition of _People Magazine_ when Trish entered the room, followed closely by a butler. Both were laden with trays covered by silver domes.

"We come bearing food," her friend announced before handing one of the trays to Jenn.

Jenn carefully placed the tray in her lap before eyeing the other tray curiously. "While you guys always say that I have an appetite like Ash's, I really think that two dinners are really overdoing it."

Trish took the second tray off the butler and thanked him. The man bowed slightly before leaving the two girls alone. "Actually, this is my dinner, not yours. I know you couldn't eat two dinners even if you tried."

Jenn blinked. "So you're not having dinner with the others?" She lifted the cover and grinned when she saw that it was chicken, done just the way she liked it.

"Obviously not, if I'm sitting here with you," Trish grinned as she settled herself down in a comfy leather armchair near the bed. "We are going to have a nice best friends chat."

Jenn inwardly cringed. Was this the 'I'm gonna yell at you later' talk brought forward by a few weeks? _I thought she was gonna wait until I got better…_

"No, I'm not gonna yell at you," Trish said calmly as she cut her chicken up. "I told you that will come later when you're all better."

"Oh goody," Jenn rolled her eyes.

"This is just so we can talk about things…"

"Things?" the blonde raised an eyebrow.

"Like your ordeal," Trish stated simply. "I'm interested to know if there were any similarities between ours. If we can find a common thread, it will help Callie and Puck no end."

"Okay…"

"Plus I also want to know if you are happy with the engagement with Drake or not," the Australian looked at her friend. "You seem to be going on at him a lot about being 'old' when he isn't."

Jenn looked taken aback, "I don't think it should matter, but of course I'm happy you're marrying Drake!"

Trish smiled, "I'm glad to hear it!"

"I mean, c'mon, the guy's as old as the hills," Jenn looked smug, "Who else would take him?"

"Oh like you wouldn't!"

Jenn looked thoughtful for a moment, "You're probably right. I would take him." She nodded, "I bet he knows all sorts of things. How to train Dragonite and stuff, and how to build things."

"Build things?" Trish searched her memory but couldn't once remember Drake looking at a hammer, much less picking one up.

"Sure," Jenn shrugged, "I hear he knows how to build one mean Ark."

"Jenn!"

"Whaaat?"

"He's not that old."

"He's not that young either," Jenn said, "He's no spring chicken."

"Neither are _you_!"

"Yeah," Jenn sobered up and sat back against her pillow, "But with Lu, I don't think there are any connections from mine and yours."

"Really?"

"Uh huh, I think he got real creative this time. Maybe there were too many people and it threw him off."

"I'd say," Trish said dryly. "More than fifteen hundred people are a lot more than me and a demon hound."

"Then there was Danny."

Trish's eyes got wide, "What!"

"Or a Danny look a like," Jenn shrugged, "I'm still not sure what. He kept calling himself Jack. I hope he got to safety."

"Jack?" Trish raised her eyebrow. "You were being mistaken for Rose from the movie version weren't you."

"Uh huh, I was wearing the exact same dress as well as the Heart of the Ocean" Jenn nodded.

"I hate to say this," Trish began slowly. "But if he was Jack and it was running true to the movie, then no he wouldn't have survived. But since he looked like Danny instead, then maybe he did."

"I hope so," the blonde sighed. "He was really nice and helped me. If it wasn't for him I would have been lost."

Trish tapped her plate with her fork. "I wonder why he looked like Danny instead of Leo? Unless…" she looked keenly at Jenn.

"Unless what?" Jenn asked warily.

"Unless it was because Lu tapped into your subconscious and found out that you really like Danny and therefore made Jack look like him!"

"I think you've been reading too many psychology books," Jenn retorted, trying to ignore the fact that her friend was probably right.

"Well why else would Jack look like Danny instead of Leo?" Trish gave a cheeky grin, which Jenn knew meant her friend was up to no good and was determined to milk it for all it was worth. "Methinks someone likes Danny Boy very very much!"

"And what makes you think that?" Jenn griped. "I like lots of hot guys. It could have been _any _one of them. Maybe Lu was in a hurry."

"In a hurry to get rid of you, yes," Trish agreed. "But we're really digressing from the point here."

"You know what they say," Jenn smirked. "Digression is the spice of life for people who cook in glass houses."

"Uh…right, but back to business. The methods that Lu snatched us by were different. I was taken while reading a book. You were lured to a restaurant."

"Maybe he figured he could catch me off guard," the blonde shrugged. "It worked."

"You also had a double created whereas I didn't."

"I guess he thought no one could rescue you, but he knew better when it was my turn and wanted to make absolutely sure no one could find me." Jenn sighed, "I can't say for sure. I'm not psychic."

"He almost succeeded too," Trish grimaced, "Lu _would_ have if it hadn't been for Ash getting Gengar to follow you. We would have had no idea where you had gone and no idea where to start looking. You would have been dead for sure!"

"I know," Jenn winced.

"You know you really don't need the Powers That Be to provide you with a guardian angel," her friend mused. "You have your very own guardian angel in Ash."

"What makes you say that?" the blonde tossed her head. "The Goddess can take care of herself."

Trish just arched a dark eyebrow. "So that explains the fact that Ash has been the one to save you from almost every single scrape you've got yourself into so far?"

"Just pure co-inky-dink that Ashy's been around when I need help."

"Pure co-inky-dink, I think not," Trish smirked. "If that was the case, then why wasn't he around when I was taken by Lu?"

"Lu's timing, much like the rest of him, sucks." Jenn smirked back.

"According to you, yes," Trish rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "But again with your habit of digressing…how are you feeling? And don't give me that 'I'm fine and aiiight' business because I know you're not."

The blonde briefly toyed with the idea of not telling her friend but decided against it when she saw the determined look on her face. Jenn was familiar with that look, one that said Trish was not going to budge until she found out.

She sighed. "Aiiight, so there's something bothering me." She tilted her head slightly. "Actually, there are a lot of things bothering me. How long do you have?"

Trish speared a bean with her fork. "For as long as you want."

Jenn sat back against her pillow. "First of all, there's Gary."

Her friend raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I really don't understand what went wrong there. Why did he dump me for some slut who raised her skirt for him? I was his for _two_ whole years and the commitment I felt towards him meant nothing to him." The blonde angrily stabbed a defenceless piece of chicken. "He was my first serious relationship and I worked goddamn hard at it. He said he loved me and I bought into it, hook, line, and sinker. I can't figure out which is worse. That he lied or that I bought it."

Privately Trish thought it was because Gary Oak was just a total jerk. What she said was, "I honestly don't know, Jenn. But it wasn't because of anything you did. He just can't be tied down to one girl."

"Well I'm not doing it again," Jenn crossed her arms over her stomach, "If I get into another relationship, it's not gonna be a serious one."

"You can't mean that!" Trish fiddled with her ring," You'll find someone some day. Maybe sooner than you think."

"If you think I'm going to hook up with Danny out of shared emotional trauma, you're wrong."

"I didn't mean it like that," Trish said, then frowned, "Actually, I can't remember when we last spoke to him."

Jenn also frowned. "Neither can I...no wait, actually I can. Last time we saw him was not long after you came back from the Coma Cruise."

The Australian gave her a wry look. "You make it sound as if being in a coma is like going on some luxury cruise instead of a life threatening condition."

"Like it isn't?" The blonde grinned cheekily. "Anything that lets someone lie in bed and do nothing has to be like they're on a relaxing cruise in the Bahamas."

"So you think this is not similar to a Coma Cruise?" Trish rolled her eyes when she saw Jenn shake her head.

"Nah, this is just a temporary setback," Jenn said, "Besides, I haven't been sleeping as long as you'd been."

"Anyway...I'm not saying you should hook up with Danny just because his double helped you in the ordeal," Trish resumed, "I'm just saying that you shouldn't give up on love just because of one rotten guy."

"Yeah, a bitter aftertaste can turn someone, namely me, off to baring their soul to someone they thought felt similar for...oh...life." The blonde grumbled and punctured another piece of chicken.

"You really have it in for that poor chicken, don't you?"

Jenn frowned, then laughed, "Yeah, I really do. At least this isn't leaving a nasty aftertaste."

"You mean like diet soda?"

Jenn shuddered, "Don't _ever_ try slipping me that again."

"You say it like it's a drug in a drink!"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Jenn was referring to Trish's revenge on Jenn just a month ago. She'd given the blonde a diet Pepsi in retaliation for Jenn giving Trish decaffeinated coffee.

"What can I say?" Trish shrugged nonchalantly, "You deserved it."

Her best friend was aghast. "You don't really mean that! No one deserves to be given diet soda. It's both inhumane and cruel."

"So is giving someone de-caffeinated coffee!" the Australian retorted. "What's coffee without the caffeine? Nothing but brown liquid. And the whole reason we drink coffee is for the 'kick-start' we get from the caffeine! How else do you think I manage to be so perky in the mornings?"

"You got lucky last night, of course!" Jenn teased, causing her friend to blush.

"Jenn!"

"What?" Jenn shrugged. "It's not as if it doesn't happen."

"True," Trish conceded. "But that's not the answer I was going for!"

"You know me," the blonde smirked. "I live to make things dodgy."

"So true…" the Australian sighed as she took a sip of her drink.

"Besides, I was just trying to help out by giving you decaf."

"How so?"

"It's not healthy for you to be drinking that nasty stuff three times a day, every day," the blonde scolded. "Caffeine _is_ a drug y'know."

"Thus says the girl who loves Pepsi," Trish rolled her eyes. "So I get high on coffee beans. Hardly a great danger either to me or society."

"Oh but it is a great danger," Jenn nodded solemnly.

"Oh? To Whom?"

"Duh, to me," the blonde grinned. "A perky you in the morning is _way_ hazardous to my health."

"If you weren't eating, I'd throw something at you."

"Neener, neener," Jenn poked her tongue out at her friend.

"Why do I put up with you?"

"I'm lovably insane."

"Insane, yes. The other part I'll have to think about."

"Hey!"

Trish just grinned.

ooo

Downstairs, dinner was proceeding pleasantly with conversation ranging across all different topics. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable with everyone enjoying themselves.

Well, _almost_ everyone.

Mia was unable to enjoy the dinner, choosing to eat her food in silence. The teenager's inner turmoil over the recent events preoccupied her mind. While the vacation had started out with such promise, it had quickly turned into a living nightmare. An evil Fae, horrible accidents, close friends in peril: it read like the script of some Hollywood horror movie.

Only for her, it was all too real. The brunette couldn't shake the feeling of guilt over everything that had happened. It was because of Mia's relationship with Puck that Lu was going on a murderous rampage. To hurt Puck, Lu would hurt Mia. To hurt Mia, the Fae was targeting her friends.

Her two eldest friends, Trish and Jenn, had suffered greatly at Lu's hand; almost dying in the process. Despite all of this, both girls were managing to deal with it a whole lot better than she was!

Mia didn't like to admit it, but she was a nervous wreck. She kept glancing over her shoulder every few minutes to see if she was being followed. The sight of long red hair on a man filled her with horror. What little sleep she did have, was plagued with nightmares.

She had to put a stop to this madness soon for the sake of her friends and herself. Had to stop it before one of her friends actually did die and before she went insane.

But how could she stop it?

A little voice in her head told her the easiest way would be to break things off with Puck. Once she had ended the relationship, her friends would be safe right? But somehow Mia knew that Lu was too hell bent on revenge to just suddenly quit.

Besides she didn't want to give up Puck. Not after she finally had him back after two long years apart. She loved the chestnut-haired Fae more than anything in the world; she couldn't just give him up.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Puck's voice broke into her inner ranting.

Mia blinked before smiling at her boyfriend. "Oh, I'm just thinking about everything. How I wish this thing with Lu will end…"

Puck squeezed her hand gently. "Don't worry, Mia. Callie and I will stop him once and for all. And with the Chosen One on our side and with his sway over the world's Pokémon, there's no way that we can't win."

Mia hoped he would be right.

ooo

Jenn and Trish had finished dinner and were chatting about clothes when Drake poked his head around the door. "So how are my two favourite gals doing?"

"Oh so _now_ I'm one of your favourites?" Jenn rolled her eyes. "Figures. It's only when I face certain death that you call me a favourite."

Drake mock-pouted, "You're always one of my favourites."

"Really?"

"Sure you are," Drake hugged Trish close, "Right up there with root canals and training temperamental dragons."

Trish slapped at his arm, "Drake!"

"It's true though," Drake sat next to his fiancée, "But I do have good news."

"You just saved a ton of money by switching your car insurance to Geico?"

Trish frowned, "That's such a silly commercial line."

Jenn shrugged and Drake continued, "No, but it seems that the good doctor has pronounced your little blonde friend fit enough to be up and about."

"No more IV crap?" Jenn looked hopeful.

"That's right," Drake said, "And you can get back to scheming against Lu with the rest of the big kids."

"He's so thoughtful."

ooo

Now that Lucius had made up his mind to get rid of his enemies in one glorious move, the red-haired Fae had to decide on the method. He had ditched his original idea of blowing up the island of Pummelo. While ensuring the demise of all his enemies, it wouldn't offer the death that he wanted. He wanted his enemies to suffer as much as possible for all the problems they had caused him.

Lu pondered his options. He wanted their deaths to be as painful and long drawn out as possible. A blazing inferno? No, that wouldn't do. Earthquake? Not all would die. A volcanic eruption? Unfortunately there were no volcanoes to be found anywhere in the Orange Archipelago. The red-haired Fae lay back on his leather recliner and closed his eyes. He'd have a nap and think on it.

ooo

Ash sat down on one of the plush leather armchairs in the guest room he occupied in Drake's villa and flipped open his cell phone. Glancing over at the bed, he could see Pikachu curled up in a small ball of yellow fluff, fast asleep.

He hit the speed dial button for his home, Misty answering after a few rings.

"Hello? Ketchum residence."

"Honey," Ash greeted warmly. "It's me."

"Ash!" Misty gasped. "How are you? Are you keeping okay?"

The Grand Master grinned. "I'm fine, hon. You _did_ see me earlier for lunch today, remember?"

"Oh," there was a pause, "so I did."

"And you say that _I_ have a shocking memory."

"Yeah well, I have an excuse. I'm pregnant. Pregnant women get forgetful."

"How is the baby?"

"More active than ever," his wife sighed. "I swear that he or she is rehearsing for a dance routine in there. Feels like they're tap-dancing on my liver all the time."

Ash winced in sympathy. "That must be painful."

"Not only painful but annoying. I have to go to the bathroom every few minutes it seems!" Misty complained. "Plus I'm sure I look like a bloated Snorlax, I'm huuuuge! My back aches and my ankles are swollen…"

"Anything else?"

"Oh yeah, after this one comes out, I'm _never _letting you touch me again," Misty vowed. "Pregnancy is no fun."

"If that's what you want, honey," Ash said, careful not to possibly antagonise her any further.

Misty sighed. "So when are you coming home? I miss you."

"I miss you too, but I'm afraid I don't know."

"Why not? It's not as if this Fae Freak has done anything since Jenn," Misty pouted.

"No but his attack on Jenn shows that he's become more erratic and dangerous. His next attack could strike anyone at anytime." Ash said gently. "I can't risk either you or the baby by moving back home. You're too important to me to lose."

"I suppose so," his wife sighed. "I'm going to go to bed now, I'm absolutely exhausted."

"Okay, you take care of yourself, sweet. Love you."

"Love you too."

ooo

_The next morning_…

Trish and Drake were in the middle of breakfast when Jenn came bounding into the kitchen.

"The Goddess awakes!" the Australian girl greeted as she sipped at her coffee.

"You know it," Jenn agreed as she grabbed a bagel and cream cheese from the fridge. "Plus, I've planned out what we're gonna do today."

Trish raised an eyebrow. "You have?"

The blonde sat down next to her friend and proceeded to slather cream cheese over the bagel. "Can we quit the echoes? I have. After breakfast, you and Shannon are at my mercy."

"For one thing, you have _no_ mercy. And another thing, whatever it is, it can't be anything good when the three of you are involved." Drake smirked before Trish hit him.

"Do you want to be punished?" she mock threatened.

The Orange Crew Leader waggled his eyebrows. "Depends what the punishment is."

"Puh-leaze!" Jenn rolled her eyes. 'I'm trying to eat here. Don't make me puke."

"If you puke, you have to clean it up yourself," Drake said evenly.

"That is _no_ way to treat a Goddess."

"Guys, guys," Trish interrupted them with a laugh. "As much as I enjoy the bickering, we're getting off track here. Now just what is it that you have planned for today, Jenn?"

The blonde beamed. "Duh, much? Shopping, of course! I haven't been able to go shopping since that little polar swim."

Drake's eyes widened in horror. "Shopping! You are _not_ using my titanium card! It hasn't recovered from your last shopping escapade."

"Oh come off it, Drakey," Jenn patted his muscular arm. "You have oodles of money in your little bank accounts, and hello, I said _accounts_ as in more than one. You can totally afford it."

Drake just sighed.

"Besides, there's no time like the present to begin looking for dresses for the wedding!" the blonde sounded smug.

"What?" the Orange Crew Leader blinked. "But we haven't even set a date yet…"

"Doesn't matter. The wedding is already figured out."

"What do you mean?"

"Drake, every girl has her dream wedding worked out by the time they're eighteen," Jenn informed him. "You should know Trish is no exception."

"Yup," Trish nodded. "We have the dress, the flowers, the venue, the reception, and the bridal waltz song all worked out."

"By the time you're eighteen?"

"Uh huh."

Drake shook his head in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me…"

"Is this the face of someone who'd kid you?"

"Not really," Drake said.

Jenn grinned.

"It's more like the face of someone who'd max out my near limitless titanium cards," Drake gave an evil grin, "but not someone who'd kid me."

Jenn rolled her eyes, "Drake, all you have to do is to get suited up and turn up on the day, otherwise I'll kick your butt to hell and back."

"Hang on," Trish interrupted. "Wouldn't that be _my _job if that happened?"

"I'm sure you'd like to think that, and please, feel free to do so," Jenn reassured her. "But I would also get to join in the fun, because you are my best friend and I let no one hurt my best friend." She tilted her head slightly. "Besides, knowing you, you wouldn't give him the butt-kicking he deserves. You're far too soft-hearted, which means that _I_ have to do it for you."

"You're far too cheery about that," Drake said wryly.

The blonde beamed. "All I'm doing is fulfilling my duty as a best friend."

"As long as you don't try to turn Trish into another version of you," the Orange Crew Leader raised an eyebrow. "I love her just the way she is, thank you very much, and don't need you to be a bad influence on her."

Jenn smirked. "It's far too late to do anything about that. Don't forget that I've known Trish way longer than you have."

"I'm so scared."

"You should be, you old geezer."

"I'm not that old!"

"Sure you're not," Jenn shrugged, stood up and turned to leave, then looked back, "Oh, Drake, once you want to give up the original plans to Noah's Ark just let me know. I mean you should remember them since you sketched them up." Oblivious to the ultra annoyed look that darkened Drake's glare, Jenn waved as she left the room, "Be ready in a half hour, T-diddy!"

"I did **_not_** build Noah's Ark."

"I know, sweet," Trish gave Drake a hug.

"She's no spring chicken, herself."

"She really isn't."

"Make sure she doesn't get my credit cards."

"I'll have Dragonite guard them."

"That girl is really asking for it."

"She sure is."

"Don't suppose you could find another best friend could you?"

"Nope."

"So I'm stuck with her?"

"Afraid so."

"Damn."

ooo

"So tell me why are we going shopping again?" Shannon complained as the three friends were driven to the mall by Drake's chauffeur. Trish had chosen a sleek lined black limo. Even though it was a bit conspicuous it would hold all their purchases, and with Jenn fresh out of danger, she knew the blonde would take out any frustration on mid-season sales.

"Hello, because I've been tortured and I want to relax."

"So why are we going shopping?"

"Because there's nothing more soothing than picking up new shoes, purses, jewellery, and clothes."

"I notice clothes are on the low end of that list," Trish said in an amused tone.

Jenn nodded, "When you know someone who knows someone who knows something about a Manolo Blahnik sale, then you have shoes first and clothes last."

"But whhhhy shopping?" the brunette whined. "I _hate_ shopping!"

Trish patted her youngest friend's hand soothingly. "Awww, come on Shan, shopping isn't so bad when you're with friends."

"I suppose."

"I promise we'll stop for a piece of chocolate cake," the Australian coaxed.

Shannon perked up. "Really?"

"Really."

"Okay, I'll be quiet."

"We're gonna have lots of fun shopping for the wedding and the engagement party," Jenn declared.

"What engagement party?" Trish blinked.

"Trish, you _have_ to have an engagement party. It's not just the perfect excuse to flaunt that rock of yours," Jenn said, "You also get to show off all your designer dresses."

"But I _hate_ dresses!" Shannon grumbled.

"You are _not_ wearing pants to my wedding and neither is Jenn," Trish stated firmly. "None of my bridesmaids will be wearing pants!"

"Which would be a complete and total regret if not for two things."

Trish turned to Jenn with a wary look. "Which is…?"

"One, I've totally been on a survivor's diet of 'Ohmigawd I'm gonna die!'" she ignored her best friend's annoyed look. "Two, not only have I got Manolo Blahnik on my radar, but _Vivienne Westwood_ is also having a sale. The perfect dress will be there."

"And you know this how?" Shannon asked. The confusion in her voice was palpable.

"I'm a shopping goddess, of course."

"Of course." Shannon rolled her eyes good naturedly. She should've expected _that_.

"Her powers include a heavy discount radar, super strong arm strength, and the power of flight."

Jenn looked at Trish with momentary confusion. "Huh? Flight?"

"Yeah," Trish laughed, "You've obviously never seen how you practically fly down the mall when you see a store you like having a sale."

"Duh, I'm not omnipheasent. I can't see myself."

"That's omni_present_," Shannon corrected the blonde. "And even if you were, you still wouldn't be able to see yourself."

Jenn grinned, "If you say so! How about telling the driver to hurry up!"

"You heard her, Jake," Trish pressed the intercom button, "To the mall!"

ooo

Lucius sat on a cliff facing the ocean. He watched a pair of birds wheel over the ocean's gently rolling surface and frowned at them. He narrowed his eyes at them and lazily swiped his hand at them. Some sort of whale breeched the surface, sprang out of the water, and swallowed the surprised avians in one bite, before slamming back down into the water. A roil of water was the only marker of the whale.

The red haired Fae sighed. That had only taken the edge off of his desire to destroy. He hadn't been doing much lately that could be considered successful, though he blamed the humans he had recruited to do his bidding. While Rudy was a little stronger and a little more resourceful, Jaime had not done well at all. That Puck had saved the human really angered Lu. He could have at least destroyed the girl. It would've made him feel better about things.

He stood up and turned, instantly vanishing and reappearing in the cavern he'd magicked out of the extinct volcano. While watching the ocean, he had gotten an idea. Puck and Callie would team up and then come after him. Their powers combined would surely result in his capture and detainment. Then they would all go back, where he would be facing the High Fae Court. His sentence would be determined by those on the high court. The most merciful decision would be death. The worst would be to strip him of his powers and make him mortal.

He'd sooner die than become mortal.

Therefore, if he wanted to get his revenge at all, he would have to plan and carry out something soon. He doubted if Puck and Callie would wait long to make their attempt to apprehend him.

As he had watched the ocean, an idea had formed. Alone, he was not as powerful as his two enemies combined, but he could use what resources surrounded him. While he did not care if mortal eyes fell upon him in his plans, he realized that the fear that powered him and enhanced his skills could be drawn from the mortals if he gave them something to fear.

And the one thing that any creature living along the sea feared, other than the temperament of the ocean, was the weather that surrounded them. He would call up the greatest tempest the island of Pummelo, and thereby the entire archipelago, had ever seen and it would obliterate the islands and anyone on them.

_To be continued…_

_Author's Note: Many thanks to Jenn and Shannon for all their support and help in my attempt at a writing career. Don't know what I'd do without you!_


	26. 25: The Innocent Can Never Last

_Midsummer Nights _

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Puck. Ashura the Mew belongs to Dragoness and borrowed with permission. I own the rest of the characters and the storyline. The chapter title comes from '_Wake Me Up When September Ends_' by Green Day.

_Chapter Twenty-Five: The Innocent Can Never Last_

"Aiight," Jenn's voice floated out from her dressing room. "Ready for my grand entrance?"

"We've been ready for the past _hour,_ Jenn!" Trish laughed. "What on _earth_ are you doing in there?"

"Do we really want to know, Trish?" Shannon wisecracked.

The Australian looked thoughtful. "You're right, it's probably safer for the world not to know."

"Are you guys making fun of me?" the blonde's voice sounded sour.

Both girls feigned innocence. "Us? Why, would we ever poke fun at you?" Trish asked.

Jenn cracked open the dressing room door and stuck her head out to glare at her friends. "Yes, you would!"

"You're right, we would."

"That's better," Jenn pulled her head back and shut the door. "Now, do you wanna see the dress or not?"

"Of course we wanna!" Shannon sat up straight. "The sooner we see the dress, the sooner we can go to eat!"

Trish just grinned. "You're sounding too much like Ash."

"Jenn can't talk," Shannon pouted.

"Whatever!" The blonde stepped out of the cubicle and struck a pose. The halter neck dress she had on was deep purple in colour, fitted at the bodice and low in the back, before flaring out into a full skirt that reached her knees. The hem was decorated with crystal beading in a fleur-de-lis pattern. The material was soft and silky; when the blonde pirouetted, the skirt seemed to float on the air around her.

"It _is_ gorgeous," Trish voiced her approval. "You look like a million dollars in that dress, Jenn."

Jenn sulked. "_Only_ a million?"

Her friend rolled her eyes. "Okay, a trillion dollars then. That better?"

"Oh yes," Jenn then turned to Shannon. "What do _you_ think?"

The younger girl's eyes widened. "Oh, I think that your look is absolutely priceless…"

Trish shot a look at Shannon. "Did you really need to inflate her ego any further?"

"Probably not!" Shannon laughed.

Jenn laughed along, "Yeah, you guys are a barrel of monkeys slapping their knees."

The two blinked in confusion. Shannon was the first to recover, "Translation?"

"We're funny," Trish said, after a short time.

Shannon shook her head, "Oh, well why didn't you just say so!"

"I did," Jenn brushed at the dress, "I'm gonna go get changed, then I shall buy this, and then we're out of here."

The blonde was faster at getting back into her regular clothes than into the dress. So fast that Shannon looked confused all over again, "You're so fast getting out but not in?"

"Aww nah," Jenn waved, "I was in the dress fast, too. I just had to figure out how to put my hair up."

"If I was home, I'd collapse in a faint," Shannon mumbled.

"Huh?" Jenn cocked her head and draped the dress over her arm.

"Nothing," Shannon sighed in mock annoyance, "Let's hurry so we can eat lunch."

A sales clerk, who'd been hovering off and on behind the two waiting girls, walked over to Jenn and took the dress from the blonde. "I'll start wrapping this up. Shall I use the card on file?"

Jenn nodded and the sales clerk walked to the front counter.

Trish arched an eyebrow at Jenn, who shrugged it off.

"They know me here," Jenn said simply and then followed the sales clerk. "Don't look at the shoes, don't look at the shoes," was muttered as the blonde walked quickly to the front of the store.

"Don't look at the shoes?" Shannon looked to Trish. "Do I want to know?"

"They have a small selection of her favourite shoes."

Shannon paused at a small vintage dresser, which had a pair of shoes on top. "Manolo Blawnick?"

Ahead of them, Jenn froze and slowly turned to them. Her eyes were wide and she waved the sales clerk to continue walking. She had also frozen in place, but at the blonde's wave, she continued on.

"What?" Shannon put the shoe down.

"I should've told you about the shoes first," Trish was trying to smother a laugh. "They're pretty sacred in here."

Jenn walked over to the vintage dresser and straightened the shoe. "Manolo Blahnik. Very, very desired shoes. Hell to walk in, heaven to look at, and each pair is designed to break the bank. Preferably Drake's bank."

Trish shook her head, "Probably, Jenn, but he'd know if you broke his bank with shoes."

Jenn grinned wickedly, "Never underestimate the power of a Goddess on a shoe binge."

ooo

Meanwhile, Puck was sitting on a park bench, soaking up the sun's rays as he enjoyed a quiet afternoon on his own. Mia had persuaded Callie to come with her and discover the delights of the mortal pastime of sunbathing on the beach.

Puck almost had a nervous fit when he saw his sister dressed in a black bikini. Surely she would be under siege from all those hormonal males on the beach. She could be attacked or kidnapped or raped or worse!

Callie managed to calm her younger brother down with assurances that she had a long sleeved over shirt with her and that she was more than capable of protecting herself against any lustful male mortal.

So Puck had taken himself off to the park, to a quiet little section which had a duck pond. There he could think and ponder their next move against Lu, and perhaps try to guess what his arch enemy's next move might be.

The chestnut-haired Fae was surrounded by a small group of ducks, quacking and shoving each other out of the way in a bid to get some of the bread crumbs he was throwing.

"Oh to be a duck," Puck sighed. "Without a care in the world but to feed and swim…"

"As long as it's not Psyduck," a familiar voice came from the right. Puck turned to see Ash walking towards him, Pikachu perched on left shoulder as usual, while a small Pichu clung to the other.

"I actually have a soft spot for those creatures," Puck admitted. "Through no fault of their own, they are clumsy and klutzy, much like myself."

"Aww, but you can fix that over time. Ask Pik here," the Grand Master grinned. "I was such a klutz when I started training."

'_Piiiiiiiiiikkkkkkkka Pikapi,'_ the electric mouse put a tiny paw dramatically to her forehead.

"I wasn't _that _bad," Ash mock scowled at his furry friend. Pikachu just giggled. He turned back to Puck. "So what brings you here?"

"Just thinking."

"About Lu and his next move?"

Puck blinked. "How did you know that!"

"I'm psychic," the Grand Master joked then sobered. "Seriously, I think he's the one thing that would be dominating everyone's mind at the moment. He's getting more and more erratic."

"And dangerous," Puck shuddered. "I dread to think of what he might do next."

'_His anger levels are building to great heights,_' a bright and bubbly voice echoed in their heads. A familiar blue Mew appeared before them and did a lazy somersault.

"Long time no see," Ash greeted the Pokémon who changed hue to the normal pink.

'_I thought Joanne_ _would appreciate me being just a normal Pokémon for a while and not coming and going as I please,'_ the small Pokémon explained.

"You still causing her a lot of trouble?" Ash grinned.

The Mew blinked his big blue eyes. '_Me? Trouble? Neeeevah!'_

"Sure."

Mew pouted.

"I just hope that whatever happens, I can defeat him," Puck sighed again. "I…I'm not sure if I can."

"Of course you can," Ash reassured him. "The time I first found out about being the Chosen One, it was at these very islands. Imagine being twelve and being told that you were the _only_ one who could save the world."

Puck listened with great interest.

"Do you think that when I first heard that, that I believed that I could do it?" The Grand Master shook his head. "No way, I didn't want to go out there at all. I was so afraid of messing up and ruining everything. If it wasn't for Pikachu and the other Pokémon, the world _would_ have ended."

"What did the Pokémon do to change your mind?"

"They told me they believed in me," Ash said simply. "That meant the world to me and there was no way I could let them down after that. So I just tried to do my best."

"But you saved the world, alright," Puck grinned. "I mean obviously since everything's still here."

"And so can you, my friend," Ash clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You just have to believe in yourself."

Pikachu hopped onto Puck's lap and gave the Fae a thumbs up. '_Pikkkkachu!'_

'_Mew!_' the Psychic Pokémon giggled as he gently tapped Puck with his tail.

Puck smiled at all his friends. "Thanks."

"No problem," Ash chuckled. "Mom always said that a little encouragement never did anyone any harm and that everyone needs it sometime."

"Even Grand Masters?"

"Even Grand Masters."

Puck stared at the ripples in the water. "So what do you suggest we do, Chosen One?"

"I suggest that we get as much help in this fight as we can," Ash grinned. "Ashura?"

The cat-like Pokémon floated in front of him. '_Yes, O Chosen_ _One?_'

"I want you to go to Shamouti and talk to the Slowking there. Tell him to summon the Legendary Birds for a meeting. I'll meet with them and tell them what's been happening. Report back to me when you've finished."

'_Aye, Aye, Sir!_' the Blue Mew saluted sharply and vanished in a glimmer of sparkles.

Ash unhooked two Poké Balls from his belt and threw them simultaneously. "Espeon, Umbreon, I choose you!"

Twin flashes of light faded to reveal Ash's Espeon and Umbreon.

'_Yes, Chosen_ _One'_ the Umbreon barked.

"Go and get in touch with as many Pokémon on this island as you can. Tell them what's been happening, and tell them that if they should hear, see, or sense _anything_ remotely unusual and evil, to contact me. Then come back to me and let me know of anything they say," Ash ordered them.

'_Right Away, Ash!_' The two Pokémon vanished.

Ash then threw another sphere which released Charizard with a mighty roar.

'_I was having a good nap…_' the orange lizard grumbled.

"Sorry to disturb you, pal," Ash looked apologetic. "But we need your help and I have a feeling that time is running out."

Charizard was about to make a sarcastic comment but refrained when he saw how serious his friend was looking. The big lizard had seen that look many times before, and that was each time that something or someone was in great danger.

'_What do you want me to do?'_

"Go find Drake and Dragonite and tell them that I'm bringing together all the Pokémon in the archipelago to help in our fight against Lucius. That Fae is evil incarnate and he will stop at nothing to destroy us. He doesn't care if the victim is human or Pokémon. If he destroys this world, it will be the Pokémon as well as the humans that suffer."

A glint of anger appeared in Charizard's eyes and Ash knew that his old friend would be one he could count on in the final fight if need be.

'_Onto it, Ash.'_ The Fire Pokémon opened his leathery wings and with a single flap, took off in the air.

Puck looked at the Grand Master with admiration. "You know, I would never have thought of asking the Pokémon to aid us."

"It's their world too," Ash sighed, almost tiredly, "It's their right to be included in a fight that will decide the fate of the world."

ooo

"Now _that_ was a satisfying lunch," Jenn sighed as she leaned back in her seat. "After a five second rest it's time for more shopping!"

"More…shopping?" Shannon squeaked in disbelief.

"Totally!" the blonde beamed and helped drag her friend to her feet. "We still have to get a dress for you, and one for Trish, and don't even get me to start at the whole looking at wedding dresses thing."

"But I don't _like_ dresses…"

Jenn shrugged, "If I'm not wearing pants, neither are you."

"Chu are so mean," Shannon pouted and Trish just grinned.

"Hush, little Shan. I got you some cake."

"Chu-e."

Jenn rolled her eyes. "Shannon, there is _nothing _chewy about dress shopping."

"No," Shannon muttered as she was herded between Jenn and Trish, "Just a lot of aching feet."

"I know a store that has a fantastic foot soak."

"Oh, Lugia save me!" Shannon groaned, "I am **_not_** saying another word to you, Jenn!"

"Why not?"

"Because it'll just open another excuse for you to shop!"

Jenn grinned wickedly, "Damn right!"

ooo

Drake had just finished a training session with Dragonite and the others when the big creature looked up into the sky. '_Ash's Charizard is about to pay us a visit.'_

The Orange Crew Leader glanced up at the sky and saw a rapidly descending winged figure. "I wonder what he wants?"

The Flying Pokémon landed gently, his wings beating up a small cloud of dust from the stadium floor. He rumbled a greeting to the other Pokémon before gesturing to Dragonite to come closer.

The two Pokémon talked animatedly for a few minutes, before Dragonite turned back to look at Drake.

'_He says that he has an urgent message from Ash. Ash is gathering all the Pokémon in the archipelago to help in the fight against Lucius.' _

The Orange Crew Leader nodded. "That's a great idea. We're gonna need all the help we can get. I don't know why we didn't think of it sooner. This is your home too." He turned to Charizard. "Ask Ash if he wants to hold a meeting to discuss possible battle strategies. All the Dragon Pokémon under my care are available for battle if need be."

The Fire Pokémon nodded and roared once before taking to the skies once more.

Drake turned to his faithful Pokémon. "Dragonite, could you go around to all the barns and sheds and talk to the Dragon Pokémon there? They look up to you, and they will listen to whatever you have to say."

'_Sure can, Drake,'_ the orange Pokémon nodded. '_I have some hatchlings to save this world for.'_

ooo

The girls were still shopping, of course.

Trish had found a sexy little cocktail dress in sapphire blue at _Prada_ and the three friends were now in _Giorgio Armani_ for Shannon's outfit.

"Why are we in such a hurry to get a dress now when the party hasn't been organised; nor the engagement publicly announced?" Shannon asked from within the dressing cubicle.

"Because a) if you haven't noticed, there are wicked sales going on, b) the party is such a given, and c) publicly announcing the engagement ain't nothin but a thang," Jenn said calmly.

"Okay, I understood the first two options, but not the last," Shannon sounded very confused.

Jenn rolled her eyes, "With how much of a celebrity Drake is, it'll be in the tabloids before long."

"Oh…But what if the dress code for the party turns out to be casual? Or beach wear?"

Jenn shook her head, "Trish won't have casual for her wedding and that leaves out dressing in anything you'd wear to the beach."

The dark-haired girl nodded. "That's right. It will be semi-formal. It's a good excuse to get all dressed up."

Jenn grinned broadly, "We'll be the centre of attention at this party!"

Shannon came reluctantly out of the cubicle. The red silk dress was simple but elegant, fitted at the detailed bodice and short sleeves that sat just off the shoulder. The skirt was fitted and ended a bit above her knees.

"Shan, you look great!" Trish exclaimed. "Ben will be bowled over when he sees you in this!"

The brunette blushed furiously. "Does my butt look big in this?"

"Nah," Jenn waved off her concern. "Your butt's so small that I can't see it."

"Really?" Shannon squeaked.

"Shan, it looks fine. No one is gonna be looking at your butt on the night anyway," Trish laughed.

"No one except Ben," the blonde added.

"Jenn!" The youngest girl turned scarlet.

"What? It's true," Jenn shrugged. "Let's go get this dress."

Shannon changed from the dress quickly and before the other two could so much as blink, she was standing in front of them with dress in arm.

"Wow," Jenn blinked in surprise, "Use magic much?"

"Never!" Shannon protested, "You should know how much I hate shopping."

The three were making their way for the registers when the first of the tremors rumbled underfoot.

ooo

The turquoise waters sparkled and glistened beneath them as Ash and Pikachu flew towards Shamouti Island for the meeting with Slowking and the Legendary Birds.

'_This is such a **great **day to be flying!'_ Pikachu exulted. She loved the feeling of the wind through her fur and the way her long ears streamed behind her like banners.

"It is indeed," Ash smiled. "Isn't it, Charizard?"

'_Sure is, Ash,_' the Fire Pokémon rumbled happily. '_Although…it would be **much** nicer if there wasn't such a weight on my back. I'm **really **feeling the effects of those pies you had.'_

The Grand Master frowned and looked down at his toned physique. "Hey, I'll have you know that I only had _one_ pie and that I have been working out a lot. In fact I worked out just this morning."

Charizard just chuckled. '_I know…I was just messing with ya.'_

As they drew closer, Ash could see the faint outlines of Fire Island, Ice Island and Lightning Island appear over the horizon. These three islands were the home of the Legendary Birds Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos.

'_Remember our adventures here all those years ago?_' Pikachu chirped.

"Sure do," Ash gave a wry smile. "My life was never the same again after that. Every Pokémon knew I was the Chosen One. Now I know how Buffy the Vampire Slayer must feel…"

'_Love that show,_' Charizard sighed.

'_We know,'_ the electric mouse smirked at her Poképal. '_Pikapi had to buy a new TV that time after you thought Buffy was dead and flamed the screen.'_

'_I can't help it if I get involved in television shows! It just shows how well acted it is.'_

"There's Shamouti," Ash pointed out.

'_Hold on, we're going in to land,'_ Charizard gave one roar before going into a gradual dive. The trio landed at the stone shrine, where Slowking was waiting.

The pink Pokémon was wearing his usual ruffle and a nice pair of khaki pants. "Greetings Chosen One. I received your message."

"Hey, Slowking," Ash greeted warmly. "I see you've got your pants on."

"I do. Quite fashionable, are they not?" the tubby Pokémon turned around for them to admire. "My brethren are very jealous as I have pants and they do not."

"Is everything ready before we summon the Legendaries?" the dark-haired Master asked.

"The orbs are in their places," Slowking gestured towards the shrine. Ash could see the three spheres sparkling with their internal energies.

"Good. The last thing we need is for the birds to get out of control."

Slowking produced a small modified version of an ocarina. He went to play it, but looked up at Ash.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Slowking calmly proceeded to play a few notes.

Seconds passed before Ash could hear shrill cries ringing through the air as the three giant avians left the three islands of Fire, Ice, and Lightning.

Moltres landed first, her flaming feathers wilting some of the tropical foliage at her feet. Articuno was next, freezing the grass at her feet. Zapdos was last and a wayward electrical spark landed on Articuno who shrieked.

'_Hey, watch it, Sparky! That **hurt!**!'_

'_Oh it did not,'_ Zapdos preened his feathers. '_You're just a chicken..'_

'_Chicken! I am not a chicken!'_

'_Oh, chill out, Ms_ _Prissy_ _Ice Princess. You are too sensitive.'_

"Children, Children…CALM down," Ash ordered. "Or do you want me to get Pikachu to fry some sense into you all?"

The three birds looked at the tiny electric mouse, who smirked as her cheeks sparked ominously. They gulped and settled instantly.

'_We'll be good, Chosen One_!"

"That's _much_ better," the Grand Master sighed. "Now the only one missing is Lugia."

'_You mean old Fish Face?_' Articuno piped up before shrinking back at a glare from Ash.

"If you three don't behave, then the next time I organise a meeting of the Legendaries, I _will_ leave you three out of it!"

The three birds grumbled a bit then settled down. Ash knew there was nothing they hated more than being left out of anything important.

Slowking played the melody Ash remembered from his first adventure at the islands. As they watched, the waters in front of Shamouti began to bubble and froth. A giant water spout erupted toward the sky and spun there for a moment. The sun shone brilliantly on it and droplets of water fell from the spout like diamonds. Then the spout dissolved harmlessly as mist to reveal Lugia hovering high in the sky with his wings outstretched.

'_Bloody show-off,_' Zapdos muttered to himself.

The Water Guardian landed next to Zapdos. '_Greetings to the Chosen_ _One. What is it you wish to discuss?'_

ooo

_Back on Pummelo…_

Misty wandered slowly along the boulevard, stopping to look in a few shops here and there. The redhead had become bored with sitting at home and decided to go out to amuse herself for a bit. So what if she looked like a beached Wailmer in her late stage of pregnancy, she was bored without Ash at home!

While he did have dinner with her every night, and he tried his best to have lunch as well, it still wasn't enough for Misty. Sure she knew that the demands of his job and this whole mess with this evil Fae meant that he was away for most of the day – but she was his wife and pregnant with their first child. Sometimes she wished that her husband wasn't so damn hardworking and responsible.

"Well, hello there, Misty," a familiar nasal voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see Gary Oak standing behind her. His hair was missing his famous spiky locks as the strands were cut short to his head. He wore khaki pants and a white polo shirt. A cocky grin was on his face and one hand stuck was in his pocket.

"Gary! What are you doing here?" Misty exclaimed.

"Just browsing to pass the time," the former Viridian City Gym Leader said. "Looks like you're doing the same. So where's Ashy-boy?"

"He had to go to a meeting," Misty said. For some reason she felt she should not tell Gary who Ash was meeting with.

"Ash always did like meetings," Gary rolled his eyes. "If I had a wife as beautiful as you, I'd be staying home and spoiling her all the time."

Misty looked around, "I'm sorry, Gary, were you talking to me?"

"Now, Misty," Gary said patiently, "Of course I was! I don't think there's any sort of hold against me talking to you."

"I'm just surprised that you're trying to hit on me so openly and trying to pretend like you're being nice to me," Misty said evenly. "And if you're going to even start some fool story about having a beautiful wife to come home to, I would make sure that Jenn wasn't around to hear it. I'm sure she'd have indulged that fantasy for you."

A strange look crossed Gary's face so fast, Misty wondered if she imagined it. Then a composed look was back on his face and Gary laughed, "It's a shame she's still trying to pass that fake story around. If I can speak honestly, the girl was too high maintenance, even for me."

Misty crossed her arms under her pregnancy ample chest, "What fake story?"

"Oh…you didn't hear the truth?"

Anger flared momentarily in Misty, "Gary, stop with the idiot tales! If you have something to say to me, then say it. Quit with the fake sincerity. Otherwise, you're just wasting my time and if you waste my time, then you're just going to end up pissing me off."

Gary's gaze flicked around them, and then he looked back at Misty. "Feel like getting something to eat?"

Warily, Misty looked behind her. She was very near a _Burger Kingler_ fast food joint. "Fine," she said, "but you're buying lunch."

ooo

Jenn watched as Shannon paid for her dress, though a little reluctant at the $54.89 total, and as the sales girl wrapped up the dress the blonde felt the ground rumble. She looked over at the shop's entry doors and frowned.

"What's the look for?" Trish asked.

"We need to go," Jenn said softly. The back of her neck tingled even though the rumbling beneath her feet settled. Maybe it had just been a truck driving by and she hadn't seen it.

"If you're that hungry, you can go ahead without us. We'll meet up with you at _Pichu_ _Bell_ if you want." Trish chuckled. "You are so much like Ash! Thinking with your stomach!"

"I'll wait," Jenn said, "But it wasn't my stomach that got me thinking."

"She probably saw a boooooy," Shannon sang out, slinging her purchase over her shoulder. "And if she's not hungry, I am! It's been _hours_ since lunch!"

As they walked out of the boutique, Jenn felt the rumbling again. "Do you guys _not_ feel that!"

Trish led the way down the sidewalk, "Feel what?"

Jenn sighed, "Never mind. Maybe it's just me."

Shannon patted the blonde's arm reassuringly, "I'm sure it is, but don't worry. Once you get something to eat you'll feel better."

"How about _Burger Kingler_?" Trish asked.

"Pass," Jenn said without looking at the store, "I don't feel like eating flame broiled food. I know I at least want tacos."

The three were walking by a tourist kiosk when Jenn suddenly froze. Trish turned around and Shannon stopped to look back.

"Forget something?" Shannon queried.

Jenn frowned and looked around, then pulled her two friends into a nearby shop.

"Jenn, what in the world…" That was all Trish got out before the ground started to roll beneath their feet. People were screaming and trying to keep their footing, while information from the kiosk fell to the ground.

In the shop the girls were in, shoes fell from the shelves and customers dropped to the ground as well. Jenn, Trish, and Shannon took shelter under a wooden display table as more shoes fell around them.

Then, as soon as it started, the quake stopped. Jenn looked around and got up, and Shannon and Trish followed suit in stunned silence. The blonde looked at the shoes, quirked an eyebrow, and walked out of the store.

"Jenn!" Trish bolted after the blonde, with Shannon hot on her heels.

The blonde crossed the road, minding some cracks that had appeared, and stood at the railing that overlooked the ocean. She looked out over the water and then back at her best friends. "I think Lu was practicing."

"Yeah, I don't doubt that," Trish said, a little shakily. "But the question is, how did _you _know?"

Jenn gave a little laugh, "Residual absol tendencies?"

"Jenn! This is nothing to joke about!" Trish still looked pale.

Jenn looked at her with a sober expression. "Who said I was joking?"

ooo

Lu wiped his brow and sat down in a plush armchair. In addition to the amount of magic it took to pull up the tremor, the massive amount of concentration it took to sustain the tremor had caused the chair and all the furnishings in his cave lair to vanish.

Once he released the tremor, he had to rest before restoring his lair. Magicking up the tremor had taken a lot out of him. This foolproof plan of his would be a lot more taxing on him than he first thought. He had thought that an earthquake would end all his worries, as well as being amusing, but it was turning out to be a little more than he could orchestrate.

However, thanks to the fear raised by humans terrified by the tremors, his strength was quickly returning. Still, he would need to work on his mastery of nature spells a bit more. Maybe a huge earthquake would be the final piéce de résistance.

If that would not do the trick, as it were, then he would have to come up with something else.

ooo

Trish stared at her best friend for a moment and knew she was being deadly serious. "You mean…you still have some Pokémon in you?"

"I'm not going to suddenly sprout white fur and turn into an Absol, if that's what you mean," the blonde grinned, then frowned. "At least, I don't think so." She shrugged, "Anyway, I can't even say for sure how I knew that quake was coming. When we were in the store, I could feel a tremble, kind of like when a big truck drives by, but when we were walking, I could literally see things falling. And…"

"What?" Trish prompted.

"Uh, I saw a streetlight fall over and land on top of you two," Jenn said, looking a little pale, "And while everything I learned about premonitions, I learned from watching _Charmed_, I didn't think I should ignore it. Besides, too many weird things have happened with us for me to ignore it."

"Did you ever get that feeling when you were an Absol?" Shannon asked.

Jenn shrugged, "A couple times, but that was mostly during battles." She frowned, "With this though it was as if I could sense natural phenomena before it happened."

"Oooh, like how animals can seem to sense a storm coming before it hits," Trish understood.

"I think so," the blonde agreed.

"That's kind of freaky," Shannon shivered. "Not that you are freaky or anything like that," she added hastily.

"But just as well she did sense this," the Australian gave Jenn a quick hug. "We would have been injured if we had been outside when it happened."

"So what do we do now?" Shannon asked.

"I think we should go home and tell Drake and the others," Trish decided as she pulled out her cell phone to ring for their driver. "If it is Lu's doing, they need to know about it."

"What if it's not Lu? What if it was a natural event?" the brunette picked up her bag.

"I doubt it," Trish shook her head. "Pummelo gets hurricanes and cyclones, but it doesn't get earthquakes. It's not situated anywhere near any geological fault lines."

ooo

In _Burger Kingler_, patrons were picking themselves off the floor, including Gary and Misty. The redhead gingerly got to her feet and immediately checked her protruding belly. She had made sure to protect the baby from any falling objects by covering her belly.

"What the hell was that?" Gary gasped.

"It was an earthquake, you idiot!" Misty snapped, her nerves frayed by the experience. "What else could it have been!"

"Geeze, don't have a Miltank, Red," the chestnut-haired man muttered. "You okay?"

"I..I...think so," she looked herself over. "You?"

"I'm fine." He sat down at the table. "You feel like finishing our meal?"

"No, I think I better go home." She wanted to go home and have a good lie down and hope the shock wouldn't bring on the baby early.

"But you haven't finished…"

Misty slung her purse on her shoulder, "I don't feel hungry anymore. I need to get home."

The former Viridian City Leader reached for his wallet and pulled out a small card. "Here's my number if you get bored, toots."

"Don't call me toots," Misty growled but took the card anyway.

Gary sat back in his seat and watched Misty leave the restaurant. He smirked when the door slid shut behind her. _I **will** have my revenge on you, Ash. You'll soon understand why it's not fair to publicly humiliate someone._

ooo

The chauffeur had just driven through the front gates of the villa, when the front door opened and Drake and Ben rushed out.

The girls got out to be enveloped in hugs, Jenn included. "Are you girls okay? That quake was really bad!" Drake hugged Trish close.

"Yeah we're okay," the Australian reassured her fiancé, "thanks to Jenn. She sensed the quake before it happened and pulled us to where we'd be safer."

The Orange Crew Leader hugged the blonde. "Thanks Jenn. Don't know what we'd do without you."

"Love me like that when your AmEx bill comes in next month," Jenn smirked as she bear hugged Drake back. "So you're finally admitting that I'm an indispensable and welcome part of your life?"

"Yeah, guess so," Drake grumbled good-naturedly, looking a little disturbed at the thought of his possibly maxed out AmEx card. "You're around for life now. There's just no way that you and Trish can be separated for too long. You two girls seem to find ways to get back together quite quickly."

"We are totally like sisters," Jenn grinned and stepped back, getting a better grip on her purchases. "Anyway, Trish just likes my company. Of course, who wouldn't like the company of a Goddess?"

"Were you guys okay?" Shannon asked the two men.

"Yeah we were okay," Ben shrugged. "The Pokémon sure kicked up a fuss beforehand though."

"You don't have to tell us that twice," Trish smirked, "_Our _Pokémon here kicked up quite a fuss as well."

"We are not amused," Jenn said, though she didn't look as annoyed as she sounded, "Yours are okay now?"

"Yeah, they're calm," Drake smiled. "How was shopping?"

"It was fantastic," the blonde looked satisfied. "I got the perfect dress for the engagement party, and so did Trish and Shannon."

"_You_ got a **_dress_**?" Ben blinked at his girlfriend.

Shannon sighed. "I was forced into it." She poked her boyfriend in the chest with one finger. "Next time you'd better save me from these two shopping fiends. It was torture!"

"Oh so you enjoyed it _that_ much?" Jenn teased. She turned to her best friend. "Hear that? She enjoyed it so much that she wants us to go again tomorrow!"

"What!" Shannon gasped, completely horrified.

"Oh yes," Trish nodded. "After all we haven't started looking for the wedding dress or the bridesmaid dresses yet, and that can take months!"

The brunette whimpered and leant against Ben. "Save me….they're determined to kill me through shopping!"

The younger Thayer blinked. "Well I don't think there is much that _I_ can do to stop them taking you shopping…"

"You are so right, little Benny!" Jenn grinned and patted Ben on the arm. "There is absolutely **_nothing_** you can do to prevent us from taking Shannon shopping! All. Day. Long"

"I agree," Trish nodded. "There's nothing like a shopping expedition to promote friendship amid females."

Shannon clung to her boyfriend in desperation. "But you two don't just go shopping for a few hours and that's it. You two would shop all day and night if you could!"

"Actually, we _have _done that, haven't we, T?" the blonde looked at her best friend.

"Yeah, it was that time when all the guys were out camping. We went to a 'shop til you drop' event at the mall," Trish remembered. "That was fun…"

"So when did you finally drop?" Shannon asked. "I'm almost afraid to ask…"

"Not until nine the next night," Jenn said proudly. "We fuelled ourselves on food and Pepsi. Trish had coffee. We were totally wired, though for me it was more from the actual shopping rather than all that Pepsi I had. Soda caffeine has, like, no effect on me. It's totally the weirdest."

"You don't say," Drake mused.

"They're scary," the brunette whimpered as she rested her head on Ben's shoulder.

"Very scary," her boyfriend agreed.

The group went inside and sat down in the lounge room. "Does Pummelo usually get any earthquakes?" Shannon asked.

"Never, " Drake shook his head. "Hurricanes and even cyclones, yes. Earthquakes, no."

"We thought it could be Lu's doing," Trish explained.

"Wouldn't surprise me in the least," the Orange Crew Leader muttered. "He must be losing patience and getting desperate."

"So you gonna to get everyone together and have a brainstorming session or what?" Jenn asked.

"Already arranged." Drake informed them. "Though Ash will attend via conference call. He spoke to Misty and she's rather upset over what has just happened, so he thinks it's best if he stays home with her."

"Why don't we just go there?" Jenn asked.

"It's probably wiser for them to be alone. Added people in Ash's villa, plus what just happened, could result in an early delivery," Trish said. "The shock alone could bring on the baby early if they're not careful."

"Baby, schmaby," Jenn waved it off.

"I bet Ash is hoping that's not the case!" Ben grinned. "Do you think he'd be able to handle a home birth?"

Shannon poked him in the ribs. "Don't be mean, mister. I'd like to see how _you_ handle a birth, let alone a home birth!"

Jenn gave a wicked grin. "Aww, Ben! Are you hiding something from us? I didn't know _you_ could have babies!"

"Miss Oblivious!" Trish rolled her eyes but chuckled lightly, "Don't tell me that you two are considering babies already…"

The two in question went beet red. "NO!" the brunette squeaked. "My parents would _kill_ me! Actually they'd kill BEN first, _then_ kill me!"

"And I really really don't want to die yet," Ben muttered.

"I'm sure Mom and Dad don't want you to either, Lil Bro," Drake said.

"I swear we haven't done anything like that yet! Honest!" Shannon waved her hands frantically.

Trish laughed and patted her friend's arm. "Calm down girl. We're not roasting you over your love life. What you two do is your own business."

"You're not going to tell my parents?"

"Of course not! Besides there is nothing to tell!"

"Oh yeah…" A sheepish grin.

ooo

"So are we sure that the earthquake was Lu's doing?" Ash's voice came through the surround speakers in Drake's conference room. A 60 inch plasma screen was responsible for broadcasting Ash's face, and the group could see he was in a similar room.

"_It **is** my other villa,"_ Drake had said nonchalantly. "_So of course there's a mirroring conference room."_

The group had gathered in Drake's spacious conference room to discuss this latest development.

"Pretty sure," the Orange Crew Leader answered. "While we don't have any physical proof that the earthquake was natural, I know for a fact that the Orange Archipelago doesn't get earthquakes."

"Yeah," Trish agreed "That quake was so sudden, so random. Plus there were no aftershocks."

"That's true. I've enlisted the Pokémon to help," the Grand Master informed them. "I've spoken to the Legendary Birds and they've agreed to help. Umbreon and Espeon spoke to as many of the local Pokémon as they could and they've told me the local Pokémon have agreed to let me know if they sense or see anything unusual."

"My Dragon Pokémon are readying for battle if need be," Drake said. "The gym subordinates have instructions to train them in battle strategies."

"Callie and I will be able to combine our magic with the Pokémon to make them more powerful," Puck added. "That should be enough to overcome anything Lu throws at us."

It was then that Mia spoke up. She had been quiet until now, just holding Puck's hand like a lifeline. "It's great that you guys are joining with the Pokémon and all; but what do the rest of us do? What can _we_ do to protect _ourselves_ against anything Lu does?"

"She's right," Shannon nodded. "I mean we don't have any magic or special powers to use in our defence. And two of our number have almost died because of what he'd done."

All of them looked to the two non-mortal beings in their midst. Puck and Callie exchanged glances.

"Nothing much you can do, except be extra careful and not go anywhere alone," Puck shrugged. "I suppose we could give you some special talismans to wear. They won't give you magic powers but they will offer you some protection."

Jenn snorted "What good is that? No offence, and by no offence I mean that I totally question your abilities, but neither of you have been good at detecting Lu's next moves. Why should we trust in some lucky charm you make?"

"That's not fair," Chris came to the Fae's, though mostly Callie's, defence, "They've helped in bringing both of you back to safety. That has to count for something."

"Yeah, it counts for shutting the barn door _after_ the horses have escaped," Jenn snapped back, "Think on _that_, Chris, and not whether or not Callie has the hots for you as much as you do for her. I've seen more butt kissing from you to her on this trip than I've seen at Mardi Gras last year, and that was a _lot_ of butt kissing in the Big Easy."

The group fell silent at that.

"That was _really_ uncalled for," Chris said in a low tone. "But if that's how you feel, then maybe I'll go out until you all figure something out."

"No, you know what, I will," Jenn said, standing up. "I've got some things to do anyway."

"Jenn…" Trish started.

"I just need some fresh air, okay?" Jenn walked to the door, "Besides I have a guard of my own. I'll be fine, if that's what you were worried about."

"Oh, trust me, we weren't," Chris said breezily.

The blonde flipped him the bird before leaving the room, closing the door gently behind her.

"Anyone else want to see her turned back into an Absol?" Chris asked cheerfully, "At least then we can lock her up in a Poké Ball when she gets too bitchy like that."

Ash and Drake were raising their hands along with Chris until Trish glared at them. "She's had a tough time, okay? I can understand her being a little touchy."

"She was on a cruise," Ben said, "Until it sank."

"Into freezing cold water," Shannon lightly smacked her boyfriend's arm, "And almost drowning."

"Silicone floats," Chris muttered, then rolled his eyes at the bewildered looks he was getting, "It was a joke, people. A joke."

"Jokes like that will cost us the closeness we have as a group," Trish said, "And against Lu we are more powerful as a group."

"Trish is right," Ash sobered up, "If Lu manages to divide us as a whole, then he's won the war. We might as well just sign over the world to him."

"What do we do?" Ben asked.

"Right now, we plan. There's not much else we can do," Ash shrugged and then looked at the two Faes. "You two should start to work on those talismans. Make them so that they can be worn without being seen. That way Lu can't have them removed."

"I could power them so that a magical creature like Lu couldn't touch them, physically or magically," Callie offered.

"Excellent thought," Ash agreed, "However Lu could have someone like Rudy grab them and pull them off."

"True," Callie murmured, "I'll get to work on that. Brother, have you any thoughts on them?"

Puck frowned in thought, "I could magic them to look like simple pieces of jewellery but to protect its bearer whence magic is being used against that person."

"Moderating the power levels," Drake nodded his interest, "That's brilliant."

"Yes, I am, aren't I?" Puck said mischievously,

"You jerk!" Mia slapped his arm, then leaned against him, "But I love you that way."

"Of course you do," Puck kissed her gently on the forehead, "Of course you do."

ooo

Jenn was sitting on a bench in the landscaped gardens when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she saw Trish walking up to her.

"Hey, mind if I sit down?" the Australian asked.

The blonde shook her head mutely and the two girls sat side by side in companionable silence for a few moments before Trish broke it.

"You know, what you said in the meeting earlier was really unfair and uncalled for." Jenn opened her mouth to protest but her friend put a hand up to stop her. "I know you've had a tough time, and I can completely sympathise with that, but that's no excuse for what you said and how you said it. The group pretty much thought you were being a total bitch."

Jenn was taken aback. The gang thought she'd been a bitch? "What I said was _totally_ the truth."

"No it wasn't and you know it. Chris may be irritating at times, but he doesn't deserve such a underhanded insult from you."

"Well I don't take back what I said about Puck and Callie," she growled. "They say they're so powerful, but they come off as totally hopeless. It's not even just my own thoughts. It is because of those two that the rest of us are involved in this mess. Puck pissed off Lu and now he's after us because we're friends with Mia and the best way to hurt Puck is to hurt Mia which means to hurt us!"

"You could just not be friends with Mia."

Jenn was oblivious to Trish's warning tone, "I'm sure they can't predict things but they know Lu so it's slightly possible that they may have known he would have grabbed us, especially after he grabbed you. Lu completely humiliated me by turning me into a freaking Pokémon. At least he could've made me something cool instead of everyone's worst nightmare. Then I almost died on the _Titanic_! The _Titanic_! I might not have minded being there, because I really wouldn't have minded, but _not_ when it's sinking!"

"Yes, but they found you and saved you." Trish said patiently, "You can trust them."

"Actually, I kind of think I have the best reasons not to trust them."

"While you are right about the first two points, I think you are forgetting something very important," Trish raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? What."

"If you hadn't been so hot-headed and snuck off each time, those things may not have happened. The first time, you snuck off to Hamlin to confront Gary when you told us you were going to Kumquat. The second time, you lied to Ash about going shopping when you were really going to _Club Mystique_ to confront Gary, or so you thought. Both times we were only able to save you because someone spied on you!"

"So you're saying that they were _my_ fault?"

"Jenn, you have got to admit they were _more than partly_ your fault," Trish said evenly.

"Well it still shouldn't have been allowed to get this out of hand," Jenn shot back. "You have no idea what I've been through because of Tinkerbell and his evil plans. You're too lucky and caught up with being engaged to know."

"Is that what this is really about?" Trish's eyes blazed, "You're just jealous that I'm engaged and that Chris and Callie are interested in each other? Are you going to bring the others in to it, too?"

"It's not like that," Jenn gritted her teeth and took a breath. "You guys are just the ones who are obvious about it all."

"Now that's just ridiculous!" Trish laughed, "When one gets engaged, it's not something one hides! And when someone is out to date someone, you don't hide that either."

"Well it was humiliating to be a Pokémon. You can't say you know what that's like."

"No, I really can't say that I have, but Ash certainly knows."

"Yeah but he at least was a Pokémon that everyone loves! That water was cold too, T, really cold. It wasn't like having a thousand knives jammed into every available inch of skin," Jenn shivered at the memory. "It was more like millions. That's not something you'd know about or even understand."

"Take that back about not knowing or not understanding, Jenn. That's a damn lie and you know it." The Australian's eyes darkened. "The Hound at Dartmoor was no laughing matter. It wasn't out for a fun run or a little pat on the head, it was out for a pound of flesh and I was its provider! You try running for your life while suffering from an asthma attack. That's like your chest being squeezed shut with a steel vice!"

Alas, the blonde was getting too wound up to notice. "It's like I'm the only one who was really tortured by Lu. I mean, yeah, you were chased by a dog and that sucks, but I was in ice cold water for a long time. That showed me something, Trish. Lu's too strong and too sneaky to be pussy footing around. No one's doing a damn thing to stop him! There's nothing more being done other than talking about what to do about him. No one seems to lift a finger until something bad happens."

"Oh come OFF it, Jenn!" Trish finally lost her temper. "Who shoved a pole up your ass!"

Jenn was so shocked, her jaw dropped.

"I know you've been through a lot and not long recovered; but let's get some perspective here! You're not the only one who's suffered under Lu! You are NOT the only one who's nearly DIED! I've suffered because of Lu too, first with the incurable illness, then the public humiliation of that fight with Drake, and he's tried to kill me at _least_ twice! And after the Hound I was all but dead, that I had to make a choice between living or dying. I've got two up on you in terms of being harmed, but do you see me going around and being a bitch to everyone about it? No, you don't."

The blonde was silent.

Trish sighed and calmed down a bit. "Look, I know you're chafing at the bit to go and kick some butt over what happened to you; but you've got no hope in hell against Lu on your own. If Puck and Callie, who have loads of magic that is natural to them, are having _this _much trouble against Lu, what do you think _you _can do? You have no magic, natural or unnatural, at all. For another thing, you're wrong about Lu. _They_ are more powerful than he is. They are trying their very best and this is the thanks you show them?"

Jenn still said nothing.

Trish sighed again and stood up. "The only way we are going to defeat Lu is through our closeness as a group. Our power comes from within, and together we are more powerful than Lu. He knows this and will try to divide us. If you're gonna be like that, we might as well give up now and let Lu destroy the world. Do you really want that to be on your conscience? You need to apologise to everyone so we can get back to business." The dark-haired Australian left to go back inside.

Jenn sighed as she heard the door close. There was no way that her friend was right. She wasn't being a bitch, she was just being brutally honest. "Everybody's lost but me," Jenn murmured a line from a favourite movie, "But if I'm the only one who's prepared to get out there and do something about it, I'd better get some back up."

Of course, none of her Pokémon were high powered warriors. She had a varying assortment of cute fuzzy creatures. Her Absol wasn't at a high enough rate and neither was her Umbreon. "Not like she'd help anyway," Jenn muttered, "She'd probably just lead me right to Lu and have a smile on her face as she did it."

She kicked a stone with her foot. She wasn't as foolish as her friends to be trusting in those hopeless Faes. "Not with my life. I trust no one but myself with my life. If they want to trust them, go ahead. I'm not going to worry about them if I hear about their tragic end on the six o'clock news."

At least that's what she tried to tell herself. Pride demanded that she keep up the anger schtick a while longer.

ooo

"How did it go?" Drake asked his fiancée as she came stalking back inside.

"Terrible!" Trish growled as she plopped down beside him on the couch. "That girl just makes me SO angry sometimes. I am NOT talking to her for a good long while."

Shannon and Mia looked at each other with raised eyebrows. This had to be serious, Trish and Jenn hardly ever argued. And if they did, it was over in a matter of minutes.

Drake looked hopeful. "So does that mean that you're…."

"No, that does _not_ mean she is moving out and that does _not _mean I'm gonna be looking for a new best friend!" Trish didn't let him finish.

Ben blinked. "But you just said that you weren't gonna be talking to her for a good long while…"

"I'm not, but that doesn't mean we're not friends anymore!"

The younger Thayer shook his head. "Women. I'll never understand them."

Shannon whacked him.

ooo

"This may turn out better than I thought," Lucius purred as he witnessed the recent events through a viewing globe.

He snapped his fingers as he lay back in his recliner and the globe vanished into thin air. "Divided amongst themselves, that group is helpless against my powers. That damn Trish is far too smart; she figured out the whole thing. But Jenn…foolish blonde, she is aiding me in my plans without knowing. Pride goes before the fall, as the saying goes…"

Lu put his hands behind his head and relaxed. "As long as she keeps on being foolish, my plans may very well succeed."

ooo

The next day, things were rather awkward. Both Trish and Jenn were taking great pains to not talk to one other, which made breakfast rather weird for Drake.

"Aren't you two going to say anything to each other?" he asked.

"Sure," Trish nodded.

Drake sighed in relief.

"Jenn, could you pass the butter?"

"If you pass the cream cheese."

The Orange Crew Leader just shook his head.

ooo

By late afternoon, Shannon couldn't stand it anymore. Her two closest friends not on speaking terms? Unheard of! And she was stuck in the middle, being close to both of them. She felt like she was trying to converse with two brick walls.

The brunette knocked on the door to Jenn's room.

"Identify yourself and the Goddess may allow you to enter," the blonde's voice came.

"It's Shannon."

"Entrez vous."

The brunette walked in to find Jenn sprawled across her bed, book in hand. Shannon chose a nearby chair to sit on.

Jenn didn't look over. "What up."

"When are you and Trish gonna apologise to each other?" Shannon asked. She winced a little at her bluntness but Jenn didn't seem to mind. Shannon knew that being blunt was something the blonde both respected and excelled at. A statement that was never truer than the present as Jenn's bluntness was what caused the argument between she and Trish.

Jenn flipped a page. "Age before beauty."

"Huh?"

"She apologises first."

"What was said, exactly?"

"She said that I should apologise to everyone because what I said was out of line and unfair." Jenn recounted, without taking her eyes from the pages of the book. A romance novel, Shannon realised, paranormal from the looks of the hot guy on the cover who was holding a fire ball in his hand. "Then she said that it was more than partly my fault that what happened to me happened because I snuck off both times. Then she said that I wasn't the only one who had suffered and nearly died, so there was no need to be bitchy to everyone."

"Well," Shannon said carefully. "Trish is right in a way. You did sneak off both times without telling anyone and so how could you be protected. And she's also right in the fact that she suffered too. Although…," she hastened to add, "yours is more recent and therefore still traumatic." She was always afraid of unintentionally making someone angry by what she said; especially when they were already mad.

Jenn sat up with a sigh, "I'm not being bitchy. I'm just saying what everyone is thinking and not saying."

"I hardly think anyone cares about whether Chris is ogling Callie too much."

"I really don't think anyone does either, but that's not really the point."

Shannon sighed internally. Figuring Jenn out was extremely difficult. She wasn't sure how Trish hadn't blown up at the blonde sooner! "What _is _the point?"

"Everyone is being completely unfair," Jenn complained. "All I meant by what I said was that we need to stop being focused on ourselves and get moving with closing the proverbial net in on Lu."

"Why didn't you just say so?"

"I did," Jenn defended herself, "In so many words."

"You may as well have been speaking Swahili then," Shannon shook her head, "No one thinks that what you said is what you just told me about what you said." Shannon blinked and shook her head, "I mean…"

Jenn waved her off, "I know what you meant. It's not like you were speaking Swahili."

Shannon felt her cheeks heat a little, "You're really weird."

Jenn shrugged, "It comes and it goes." The blonde stretched back out on her bed and resumed her book reading. She turned her back to her friend.

Shannon rolled her eyes, then continued. "But you know we're gonna have to resolve our differences if we are to defeat Lu. As a group we can combine our faith and our Pokémon with Puck and Callie's magic and defeat him. He knows that."

"Yeah, that's what Trish said, too."

"You know she's right."

"I don't see why I should have to put my life in the hands of those two Faes," the blonde said darkly. "Actually, I'm _not_ putting my life into anyone's hands but my own."

"I don't see any other option," Shannon thought out loud. "You can't just leave and go home…"

"I know," Jenn interrupted her, "I already considered that."

Shannon blinked, "You did?"

"Sho nuff, shawty" Jenn said and flipped another page, causing Shannon to wonder if the blonde was even reading the book, "But Lu's so insane he'd probably follow me there and I'm not even about to put my family into danger."

"Well, you can't do it alone," Shannon stated firmly. "None of us humans can do it alone. We have no magic to combat anything Lu throws at us. You know that, Trish knows that, and Lu knows that. In fact he'd be rubbing his hands with glee if he knew about this fight."

"I'll apologise."

Shannon blinked again. That was _it_? A blow up of epic proportions was solved just by civil conversation? It _couldn't_ be that easy. Nothing about Jenn was that fast or easy. Now Shannon _was _convinced the blonde wasn't reading the book.

Jenn was silent for a few seconds, then flipped another page. "I've only got one requirement."

"What?" Shannon asked warily.

"I don't want a lucky charm," the blonde looked over her shoulder and Shannon shivered at the wicked look in Jenn's blue-grey eyes, "Tell Puck I want my fire power back."

Shannon blurted out, "Why not just ask for the world!"

Jenn laughed, "Puck already gave Mia _that_. I figured a little fire that I already had ain't no thang."

"If that's all," Shannon gulped and stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have someone else I need to talk to."

"If you're going to see Trish, and I'm very sure you are," Jenn sat up and looked back at Shannon, "Tell her I'll meet her at six at the Cliffside _Pichu_ _Bell_."

"Anything else?"

"Just shut the door on your way out," Jenn said and returned to her book.

As Shannon did that, she was sure that Jenn really _was_ reading the book.

ooo

"She what!" Puck was flabbergasted.

"I'm just the messenger," Shannon said meekly. "Please don't turn me into a mouse or anything."

But Puck walked by her towards a window. The two were in an upper room that had an awesome view of the ocean. Callie was there, as was Mia and Ash; the three were sitting at a table set up against the wall. There were four roses in front of the female Fae along with four daggers. A large black cauldron sat in the direct centre of the room. A magical fire was under the cauldron, heating the contents but not affecting the wooden floor beneath it.

Puck shook his head, looking infinitely weary, "I'm beginning to think Chris had the right idea."

Ash raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Chris was right?" Mia looked from one guy to the other, "About what?"

Ash snorted his amusement, "Having Puck turning Jenn back into an absol and locking her in a poké ball until this is all done with."

Mia burst out with a laugh, then clapped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry," she dropped her hand, but still grinning, "It's just a funny idea."

"Yeah _and_ tempting." Puck sighed.

"Now, Puck," Callie said warningly.

"Callie, she pretty much barked up the wrong tree, pun intended," Puck said back, "She did insult you. I'm surprised you're not more upset."

"I'm not about to let a human get to me like that," Callie said smoothly, and waved her hand over one of the roses, turning it into a delicate looking solid gold rose that was no bigger than her pinky finger. "I've learned to not let my emotions get the better of me." She nodded at the golden rose and it lifted into the air and began to spin slowly. "Otherwise, she'd be an absol, locked in a poké ball, encased in cement, and dropped into the ocean until this is over with."

Shannon eeped while Ash grinned.

"You are wicked, Sis," Puck said with a chuckle.

"I'm just really good at what I do," she explained, while golden sparks appeared and swirled around the rose, quickly forming into a delicate gold chain. The newly completed necklace gently lowered to the table.

"We're not getting lovely necklaces, are we?" Ash asked.

"No, I was thinking more along the line of cufflinks."

"Callie…no offence, but cufflinks…" Ash broke off as Callie laughed a gentle chiming laugh. "You were kidding, weren't you?"

"Of course, Chosen One!" The ethereal Fae calmed down and in seconds looked as if she'd never laughed. "You and the other males will have an armband. The climate is warm enough to wear short sleeves to cover it, or to go sleeveless if you so wish."

"Nice choice, Sis," Puck said appreciatively.

"I'm sure," Callie said breezily. "But what will you do with that obstinate human?"

"Do?" Puck sighed as he sat on the wide window sill. "I don't know if there is much I _can_ do about Jenn. That girl is so stubborn that she makes an ox look good in comparison. I don't know how Trish has managed to put up with her for so long without losing her temper all the time."

"Sometimes we wonder the same thing," Shannon exchanged grins with Mia. "I only wish that it hadn't happened now, not when we need both of them onside."

"Well, Jenn _did _say she was going to apologise over dinner, didn't she?" Mia queried.

"Yeah, that's what _she_ said," Shannon shrugged. "But it seemed kind of funny and an abrupt capitulation to such a major fight. It didn't seem like a Jenn thing to do."

"Since when has Jenn ever been consistent?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "She's so unpredictable that she changes whims every few minutes. She's worse than a weathervane."

"True," the brunette sighed. "I just hope that those two don't have a blazing row over dinner or else we're sure to hear that one or both of them have gone over the cliffs!"

ooo

Six o'clock came, and true to her word, Jenn was seated at a table in the Cliffside _Pichu_ _Bell_. She chose a table by the windows, which afforded a good view of the ocean and the gradually darkening horizon.

The blonde was gazing at the view when a scraping of the chair opposite alerted her to her friend's arrival. Trish quirked an eyebrow in greeting as she sat opposite. "Shannon gave me the message to meet you here."

"Good," Jenn nodded. "So…do you think we managed to pull this off convincingly?"

"The whole blazing argument?" Trish tilted her head slightly. "I think so. We've definitely managed to convince our friends that we're at each other's throats. I think that Shannon and Mia are getting quite worried, to be perfectly honest. I don't see why Lulu shouldn't be fooled."

"I hope so!" the blonde scowled as both rose to head to the counter to place their orders. "Do you have any idea of how much effort I had to put into this? I had to call on all my acting skillz. I almost broke down laughing only about a billion times. They know as well as you do that I couldn't get mad enough at you to ditch you. I mean, c'mon, everyone knows that I'm just the sweetest-tempered Goddess there is."

Trish rolled her eyes. "Ever the benevolent and mild-mannered Goddess you are."

"Well, duh!" The two girls shared a laugh then placed their orders.

Once they had collected their meals and sat down, Jenn took a sip of her Pepsi. "How much longer are we gonna have to go on with this?"

Trish shrugged. "I don't know."

"It's fun, but I don't know how much longer it can go without looking way beyond fake. Like earlier, when Shannon knocked on my bedroom door," Jenn shook her bangs out of her eyes, "I grabbed that book you let me borrow. Which, FYI, kind of sucks."

"Really?"

"Yeah but only a lot."

"Gee, thanks," Trish said dryly. "Pray tell, why does it suck so much?"

"He gets the girl but loses all his super powers in the end," Jenn griped, "That's so not cool."

"Spoken from personal experience?" Trish grinned.

"Recent!"

"I just bet. So, do you think we could drag it on for at least another day?" the Australian took a bite out of her soft taco.

"I'm game if you are," Jenn said. "But can we make it look believable?"

"I'm sure I can find some way of keeping you mad at me."

"Okay," Jenn drawled out, though she seemed to be perplexed.

Trish smiled at her friend's absent-minded moment. "The longer we carry this on, the more believable it would be to Lulu."

"You think?" She paused to take a bite. "You don't suppose that he's watching us right now through some kind of viewing thing?"

Trish thought for a moment, "Nah, I don't think so. I mean he can't be watching us 24/7 can he? Besides, I think he's arrogant enough to believe that we can't possibly trick him, being mortals and all."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

"Surely Callie and Puck would tell us if we were being watched…"

Jenn shrugged as she took a sip. "I would hope so, but given their track record so far, I wouldn't be putting any money on it."

"But if you won't accept one of these talismans they are making, how are you going to defend yourself?" Trish questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I would like to say with my Pokémon," Jenn sighed, "Except that my team consists of cute and cuddly Pokémon. Two Growlithe, a Houndour, an Umbreon, and an Absol. Since I don't battle, I don't really train them, ergo, none of them are particularly high powered. Umbreon is more likely to betray me or direct an attack at me than to help me."

"Now, Jenn…"

"Trish, I would not put it past her to either take me right to Lu or take him right to me," Jenn snorted derisively, "So it looks like I'll have to accept one of these magical hickies – though I did ask Shan to tell Puck to give me my fire power back."

"I'm not sure he's likely to grant that wish."

"It's not like I don't know how to use it," Jenn sighed again. "It would be nice though. I'd never be scraping around for a match."

"You don't smoke!"

"No, but I light candles!" Jenn beamed, "And think of what a pick up line that could be."

Trish burst out laughing.

"What!" Jenn looked puzzled. "Girls pick up guys as much as guys pick up girls."

"I know!" Trish settled down, "I was just imagining the kinds of things you'd say!"

"I just bet," Jenn snickered and spoke in a coy voice, "Is it hot in here or is it just me?" Then she spoke in a deeper voice, "Babe, you're on fire." Then in her own voice, "I'll light your world." Then in the deep voice, "No, you're _really_ on fire…"

The two laughed for some time before sobering up. "He still won't give it to you though. You know that, right?"

"I can hope," Jenn said wistfully.

"Jenn…"

The blonde sighed, "Faes are such cheapskates."

"Jenn!" Trish laughed. "That's not nice."

"But it's true!"

"Maybe just stick close to Ash," the dark-haired girl mused. "He was able to defeat Lu's magic and bring you back from being an Absol, single-handedly because he is the Chosen One."

"Being recently single, I really do like that thought," Jenn said seriously, "However, I'm not as sure that El Preggo would react to that. She already thinks that I'm some sort of hooker who's trying to lead Ash away from their happy home."

"And how do you know that?"

"Duh, I was a Pokémon."

"Not a psychic one," Trish pointed out. "You were a disaster…I mean, dark Pokémon."

"Disaster, that's right," Jenn mused, "I should've directed a disaster her way." She snapped her fingers, "Silly me, I forgot. She's Misty. She's already a walking disaster. The Fates obviously wanted me to appear to Ash to warn him of Misty. I was obviously too late."

Trish snickered, "Way too late. Like several years late."

"Yeah well when I was there as an Absol, Misty spoke way evilly of me," Jenn shrugged, though it was apparent to Trish that whatever Misty said, it still hurt her friend, "I mean, there's been squat to suggest that I've been after Ash or to destroy their happy home. Hello! He's a married man with his first demon spawn, I mean, child on the way. That makes him _totally_ off-limits."

There was a lull in the conversation as each finished their meal. They sat, thinking, after the food was gone. Or rather, _Trish_ thought while Jenn eyed a well muscled guy leaving the building.

"Or maybe Drake can lend you one of his Dragonite or Dragonair until this is all over," the Australian finished her soda.

Muscle guy forgotten, Jenn leaned forward eagerly. "That would not even begin to cover making up for possibly not giving me my fire power back, but it could be totally awesome! Do you think he would?"

"Sure he would! Especially if I order him to," Trish smirked. "He's pretty well trained and if he doesn't agree…well…I have my ways."

Jenn sat back, a slight grimace on her face, "If it includes handcuffs and a whip, I don't even want to know."

"Like you didn't go there with Gary."

Jenn rolled her eyes, "He never gave me a chance to."

"True, maybe it's just as well with all those sexual diseases he probably has."

"Eww," the blonde wrinkled her nose, "That's so gross. I just ate! I don't want to see it again! And anyway, I'd definitely have had to kill him for that."

"I think you want to kill him now, regardless."

"Well I don't think anyone would miss him," Jenn snorted.

"You're not wrong there."

ooo

Back at Drake's villa, Shannon, Drake, Ben and Mia were waiting for the girls to come home.

"I'm getting worried," Shannon admitted as she sat down next to her boyfriend. "We haven't heard a thing from either of them."

"It might be a bit early to start worrying, Shan," Drake spoke up. "The fact we haven't heard from Trish and Jenn could be a good thing. It could mean that they're actually talking and getting along, instead of fighting."

"I sure hope so," the brunette sighed.

ooo

The two girls in question had left _Pichu Bell_ and had wandered along the street to a nearby shopping mall. They found a bookshop and were currently browsing along the shelves.

"Oooh you totally have to read this one, T" Jenn grabbed one paperback from the shelf and handed it to her friend.

Trish looked at the cover with a raised eyebrow. A barely clothed dark-haired man with rippling muscles was holding a bosomy dark-haired woman in a state of near undress in a _very_ compromising position. "Why do I have to read it?"

"Because the Goddess demandeth it! It's _much_ better than the book you lent me," the blonde grinned. "I read it and totally loved it and I know you will too. And the totally best reason for last…"

"And what is that?" her friend was wary.

"The heroine has your name, Trish!" Jenn beamed.

"What? I don't believe you," the Australian scoffed.

"Lookie!" Jenn opened the book and jabbed down at a word. "See? It says Trish."

Trish peered closer. "So it does."

"It might give you ideas," The blonde said cheekily.

"Do I even want to know what you mean by that?" her friend rolled her eyes before she gasped suddenly, "Oh no! Look at the time!"

"What?" Jenn looked over her friend's shoulder, looking towards the doors leading out, "You have a carriage that's gonna turn into a pumpkin or something?"

"No, you nitwit!" Trish tapped her watch, " It's 9:30! We've been gone for three hours! Everyone must be beside themselves!"

"Only if they've discovered cloning!" Jenn laughed it off, "Besides, time flies when you're having fun. They know that."

"But we're not supposed to be having fun!"

"I forgot," Jenn sighed, "So we save the flying time for another day?"

"Yup."

When they arrived back at the villa, they paused at the front gate.

"You'd better go in first," Jenn told her friend, "I'll hang here for another ten minutes then go in."

"What are we mad at each other for?" Trish queried, "Same old thing or something new? You could say that I gave you a diet Pepsi and you gave me decaf sludge."

"Uh..." Jenn frowned as she thought, "Let's just stick with me being stubborn about not trusting those two faes."

"Works for me."

ooo

The group were relieved to hear a key turning in the front door; however their smiles faded when they saw the angry look on Trish's face.

"What happened?" Mia asked.

"Jenn is the most stubborn, most infuriating person I know," the Australian fumed.

"We knew that," Drake said dryly. "What else?"

"She's still refusing to trust Puck and Callie," Trish said. "I've tried to tell her that she's got no hope in hell against Lu on her own, over and over. But will she listen? No."

"So you've been arguing for over three hours?" Ben spoke up.

"Oh yeah. You know how Jenn gets when she's all pissed off," the Australian dropped her keys back in her purse.

"Not to mention how _you_ get when you're the same way," Shannon added with a sly smile.

"So would you if you had to deal with Jenn in one of her moods," Trish huffed before she left the room to go upstairs. As her footsteps died away, the rest were left looking at each other.

"That went well," said Mia.

Ten minutes later, the front door opened again and Jenn stormed in and upstairs without so much as a word.

"I take that back," the brunette said. "It went very well."

"You have a strange definition of 'well'," Ben grinned.

ooo

Trish had not long sat down on her bed when her cell phone beeped. Fishing the device out of her purse, she grinned when she saw it was a text message from Jenn.

**Hey T – think we fooled 'em?**

She quickly sent a message back. **Don't know. Hope so!**

**They'd bettah! The Goddess is totally bored in here!**

**U just got there.**

**So? I are bored.**

**Nut.**

**If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I'd be richer than Ash.**

ooo

The next day, Lu checked through his viewing globe and was beyond delighted to catch the two mortals in the midst of another loud and long argument in the backyard.

"This is better than I thought," he murmured to himself as he watched the blonde shout out something which really annoyed the raven-haired girl. "The two who have the strongest bond out of all of them, are slowly breaking apart. They will be much weaker for it."

The red-haired Fae chuckled and with a flick of the wrist, dismissed the globe. A worn, tatty looking book appeared in his hands. It was a manual on nature spells, a holdover from his days as a young student fae. If he was going to pull this off successfully, he would have to study more.

Lu sighed. Studying had never been a strong point of his.

ooo

Shannon and Drake were staring in disbelief at the scene before them. Trish and Jenn were still arguing and both seemed determined to drag out everything and anything to fight about. It had started, as usual, over Jenn's continued stubbornness on not trusting Callie and Puck. It had degenerated into a slanging match over the most trivial things.

"You gave me a frigging diet Pepsi!" Jenn screeched, "It's the most inhumane thing anyone, and especially _you_, could _ever_ give me! It's poison! That's like giving chocolate to a dog!"

"I guess you'd know _that_ better than any of us!"

"That is SO not fair of you!"

"Well neither is giving me DECAF coffee!" Trish shouted back. "That's just brown toxic sludge! No one who hopes to _live_ gives _me_ that rubbish!"

Both onlookers had their eyebrows raised. "Is it just me or does it look like they're trying to argue about anything just for the sake of arguing?"

"If they are, then I really think they're scraping the bottom for things to argue about," Shannon whispered to the Orange Crew Leader.

"Definitely."

"I SO GIVE UP ON YOU!" Trish flung out suddenly, "YOUR STUBBORNNESS IS KEEPING YOU FROM SEEING THE TRUTH!" and went storming off into the house.

The two looked at Jenn, who glared back at them before she stalked through the archway leading towards the garage.

"Shouldn't you go after Trish?" Shannon looked at Drake.

"And get my head ripped off?" the Orange Crew Leader shook his head, "I don't think so."

The brunette rolled her eyes, "And here I thought you were supposed to be a big, brave Orange Crew Leader."

"I am _extremely_ brave, Shannon, but I am not suicidal."

"But Trish is very upset," Shannon protested, "She'll need comforting. You're her fiancé and it's your job to go and comfort her when she's not happy."

"I think I'll let her calm down first."

"Chicken."

"_You_ go to her then," Drake smiled evilly.

"Me?" Shannon squeaked out in terror, "Oh no! She'd eat me alive!"

"Taking back that comment about being chicken?"

"Yup!"

"Great."

There was a pause, then Shannon said, "You could go after Jenn and make sure she doesn't take off. _Again_."

Drake shook his head, "For reference, please see the 'I'm not suicidal' note."

"You're right," Shannon frowned, then shook her head, "So do you think we should just let them settle it on their own?"

"If there's anything _to_ settle," Drake mused, "Something about this fight doesn't seem right."

"Because they're fighting at all?" Shannon asked, then a shocked look came over her features, "You don't think they're under a spell, do you?"

"Nothing like that," Drake said, "I have a feeling it may be something less complicated than that."

ooo

After storming inside, Trish had gone straight upstairs to her room, grabbed her purse, keys and phone; went back downstairs and out the front door. She had reached the end of the street when her phone rang. "Hello?"

"T, it's me" Jenn's voice came. "Is the coast clear?"

The Australian looked behind her. She couldn't see any familiar faces following her. "I believe so."

"Aiiight," her best friend drawled. "The Goddess shall meet you at _Pika Hut _at the main mall."

Trish laughed. "You have a thing for meeting at food places, don't you?"

"Yah, well I'm hungry. And arguing always makes me hungry."

"Too much like Ash."

"You always say that. I'll see you there in fifteen minutes."

ooo

It was a pleasant walk down to the main mall; the sun was shining and a gentle breeze ruffled the palm trees that lined the boulevard. Trish quickly reached the establishment in question and sat down on the bench outside to wait and indulge in her favourite pastime of people watching.

Watching all the different types of people, both local and gawking tourist, she found herself musing over the fact that maybe she shouldn't really worry about what she wore so much. There were as usual some clothing horror stories out there. Then again, being a bit in the public eye with Drake – she did have reason to worry.

Trish wasn't exactly looking forward to the news of the engagement being announced to the press, not after her recent treatment over the 'affair' by said press. Not that she'd be able to stop it, as Drake was the number one celebrity in the entire Archipelago. It was just something she'd have to learn to live with.

She sighed and watched the bustling throngs of people. Pummelo was a really nice place to live, the atmosphere was relaxed and the people were always friendly. The only thing that was marring the experience was that damn evil Fae.

Trish hoped that Callie and Puck would be able to bring down Lu once and for all and soon. Until then she would not let herself become too excited about her future.

"Are we gonna get somethin' to eat or what?" a familiar voice asked from behind her. "I am so on the starving bandwagon."

She turned with a grin to see Jenn standing there. "Okay, Ms Stomach. Let's go get you some food before you waste away."

The two friends entered _Pika Hut_ and sat down at a booth in a quiet corner. Jenn ordered a personal pan sized pizza with no sauce and extra cheese.

"Knew you'd order that," Trish smirked before she placed her order.

"It doesn't take a psychic to know how much I hate sauce," but Jenn grinned to soften any harsh edge to the words, "It takes away from the cheese flavour."

Their drinks were brought a few minutes later; Jenn waiting until the waitress was well out of earshot before speaking. "Did you see the look on Drake's and Shannon's faces earlier? I wish I had my digital camera to catch it all for blackmail later. It took a lot to not bust out laughing."

"It was priceless," her friend agreed. "They must think we've completely flipped."

"Don't they think that already?" the blonde smirked and sipped a bit of soda. "I'll be glad when today is over and we can start hanging around together again."

Trish raised an eyebrow. "What do you think we're doing now?"

"But this is hanging on the sly," Jenn grumbled. "I just want to be able to hang with my best friend whenever I want and drop around the malls and beaches."

"Tomorrow we can," Trish reassured.

"Good," the blonde sighed. "While it's been fun an'at, having to act like this as if it's real sucks."

"It is a bit of a bummer."

"Plus I'm so with the ouchy fingers from texting you all the time," Jenn laughed as their orders were brought to the table. "Playstation and my Gameboy did not prepare me enough."

"You flooded my inbox," Trish grinned, helping herself to a slice of pizza.

"I had a lot to tell you!" Jenn defended herself. There was a lull in the conversation before the blonde asked, "You think everyone's gonna be mad when they find out we punked them?"

"Shannon would probably be more relieved than mad," her friend mused. "And anyway when she gets mad, it's not very scary at all."

"Yeah, she's even more unscarier than you are."

"Is that even a word?"

"It is now. Call it a Jennism and be done with it."

"The rest won't be mad, not when the fights are in aid of a good cause – the defeat of Lu."

They ate in silence, and when they had finished, they paid their bill and left.

"So how are we going to tell them we resolved this?" Trish asked as they stepped into the bright sunshine.

"We slugged it out a la Buffy meets Xena?"

Trish rolled her eyes, "In a realistic manner."

"What's not realistic about that? You're Buffy and I'm Xena."

"I always pinned you more for a Lara Croft."

"You could but I have not the cleavage for it," Jenn sighed in mock exasperation. "Or you can just say we met up, had lunch, and ran our credit cards through the gauntlet that is the _Grande Pointe Shopping Centre_."

Trish looked thoughtful, "There is that. I like it."

"The guys always enjoy joking that I can be bought for an expensive item," The blonde glowered, "And let them joke, for one day I shall exact my revenge for all their mockery."

Trish looked over at her friend. The blonde had a glare on her face that had people walking around them in a wide berth, "I think maybe you had too much soda."

"Too much," Jenn looked over at Trish, "Or not enough?"

"Uh-huh, well shopping as a cover sounds good to me." A pause. "We'd better go shopping then."

"Just to add to the realism."

"No other reason."

"Nope, none indeed," Jenn looked smug. "None at all."

ooo

When the girls got back, they found Drake sitting in the living room doing work on his laptop. The Orange Crew Leader glanced up with a raised eyebrow. "Well, I can see that you two didn't kill each other."

"Our friendship has totally been mended," Jenn informed him. "There's nothing that a good lunch, a good talk and a bit of shopping can't fix."

Drake rolled his eyes. "Of course not."

"So if you've been hoping that I'm gonna vanish out of T's life like some bad dream, think again," Jenn smirked. "I'm here for good."

"I knew that already," he grumbled good-naturedly. "The whole 'you are a bad penny' thing hasn't escaped me."

"Good, just so you know that," Jenn swung her purchases over her shoulder. "Aiight, I'm gonna go and put these things away, then I'm gonna read for a while."

"See you in a little while," Trish grinned as she sat down next to Drake. The dark-haired man switched off his laptop and shut it before looking at his fiancée.

"You two weren't really fighting, were you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" the Australian feigned innocence.

Drake rolled his eyes as he draped one arm around her shoulders. "You can't fool me with that "Miss Innocence" act, sweetie."

"Darn, and here I was hoping," Trish grinned.

"That whole fighting with Jenn thing just didn't seem right," the Orange Crew Leader continued. "You two hardly ever fight, if at _all_; which makes this whole thing seem so strange."

"We can fight," Trish protested. "Jenn and I don't see eye to eye on everything, as you well know. We're two different people."

"Yes, but that's a rare occurrence, if at all." Drake grinned and kissed her softly. "C'mon you can tell me about it. We're going to be married, there should be no secrets between us."

The dark-haired girl smiled. "Of course not…and you're right. The fights have all been a big sham."

"Glad to hear that, but why?"

"We thought that it would help to deceive Lu into thinking that our little group is at odds and get lazy with his preparations for whatever he plans to do." Trish explained. "If that happens, then he'll be in for a nasty shock when we make our move."

"That's really quite brilliant," Drake mused. "I wonder why nobody else thought of that.."

"No one can match the natural genius of Jenn and myself, that's why," Trish laughed.

"Egotism does not become you," the Orange Crew Leader grinned. "You really spend too much time around that girl. It's not healthy for you."

"I know, but I enjoy her company. She's fun."

"I'll give her that."

"There's nothing you can do about it."

"I know…"

"I have a theory…"

"About what?"

"Why you two act like this."

"Do tell."

"You two really like each other, like siblings – but you just don't want to admit it!"

"Honey, you really ought to read something other than psychology books." Drake said dryly, "The day that blonde is like a sister to me, is the day I give her my best Dratini."

Trish affected a hurt expression, "So you like her in some other way?"

Drake was shocked for a second before catching the teasing glint in her voice. "You wicked girl. You really _have_ been spending too much time around Jenn."

ooo

Misty paced around the living room of the villa she and Ash were using. She was glad that Drake let them use it, and she really loved the area, but there were some things going on that were making her uneasy. She wasn't sure if the unease was imagined due to her whacky hormones, or if something really was going wrong.

She thought that the odd feelings may have been due to the absol that Ash had taken in a couple of weeks ago. Knowing full well that it was not only a stray but a disaster type, Ash had reassured her that nothing would go wrong. And true to his word, nothing _had_ gone wrong while the absol was around. However, it was odd that not soon after the absol was gone (and as mysteriously as it arrived), that Misty would be found by Gary and then experience an earthquake.

Shivers played up and down her spine, raising gooseflesh over her bare arms. She rubbed her arms briskly and sighed. She sat on one of the bar stools that were lined at the centre island in the spacious kitchen area.

She wanted to go home. What had started off as a nice relaxing vacation was beginning to give her the creeps.

A skittering of claws on tiles preceded the entrance of Pikachu into the kitchen. '_Pikachupi!'_ the mouse greeted cheerfully, before running by to check on her little family.

"Hey Pikachu," Misty smiled after the tiny creature.

Ash entered the kitchen a few minutes later, dropping his jacket over a nearby chair. He greeted his wife with a tender kiss on the lips. "Hey, Mist."

"How did the League meeting go?"

"Good," he poured himself a glass of water and sat down beside her. "The League's setting up a brand new competition for next year."

"What, another League?"

"No, nothing like that. It's going to be a face-off between the champions of the Indigo, Orange, Johto and Hoen competitions," Ash explained. "It's more of a fundraiser tournament. Plus all of the proceeds are going to be sent to the foundation for disadvantaged and disabled Trainers."

"Does the winner get anything?"

"They'll get a nice trophy."

"What about money?"

Ash shrugged, "There's prize money but it'll go to a charity of their choice."

Misty wrinkled her nose. "It's a good idea and all, but there doesn't seem to me to be much incentive for the champions to participate."

Ash laughed and gave her kiss. "Seems that way, doesn't it? Believe it or not, the suggestion to make the donation to charity came from the champions themselves. Their input has been sought the whole way and they really want to do this."

"That's noble of them," Misty smiled, then couldn't resist adding, "Unlike some other champion I know…"

"Hey, I'll have you know I've given back plenty to the community!" her husband protested. A wounded look spread over his handsome features.

Misty laughed and kissed the pout off his face. "Just kidding. I know you have, sweet. You've given back far more than you've received." She groaned a little and slowly stood up. "Can we move into the living room? My back is killing me."

They sat down on a sofa and Misty sighed in relief at the pressure being taken off of her spine.

"So what have you been doing all day?" Ash asked as he idly played with her hair.

"Nothing much, just thinking about things…"

"Care to share?"

She was silent for a moment before turning to Ash with a very serious expression on her face. "I want to go home to Indigo Plateau."

"What?" Ash was so shocked that he spluttered out the first thing on his mind. "I thought you were enjoying it here."

"I _was_," Misty said. "I'm not anymore. Too many strange things have been happening for me to feel comfortable here. Things like what happened to Trish, then there was that stray absol, and right after that there was an earthquake!"

"I don't think that the Absol had anything to do with the earthquake."

"Yes it did! It's a _Disaster_ Pokémon for crying out loud! All you have to do is consult the closest Pokédex or six-year-old! Absols _only _appear before a disaster and that means something _really_ bad is going to happen!"

"Hon, that's with a _wild_ Absol. That one was tame and had a trainer. I just offered to train it for a while," Ash reassured her. He thanked his lucky staryus that Jenn wasn't around to hear Misty's comment.

"Let's go home," Misty shivered. "Let's get away from this place as quickly as possible."

Her husband sighed. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" Misty looked him squarely in the eyes. "Is being here for the League more important than your family? This is your first born, Ash, there's no going back! You can never have another first born. If something happened to me and I lost the baby…I…I don't think I could bear that!"

"Mist…" Ash thought quickly. He hadn't been telling her about Lu and his threats simply because he hadn't wanted to stress her, yet it was turning out he was stressing her regardless. "There's something I haven't been telling you."

Misty's blue eyes widened, "It's Jenn, isn't it? You've been seeing her behind my back!"

"W…what?" Ash stuttered, "Of course not! It's not that at all!"

"Really," Misty said flatly, "You've spent an awful lot of time in her presence lately. How am I supposed to know if you're 'with' her or not?"

"Because I'm your husband," Ash took her hands in his, "I take my vows very seriously. Have you ever known me to break a promise?"

Misty clenched her lips together in a tight line.

"Misty, have I _ever_ broken a promise to you?"

Finally she sighed out irritably, "No, you haven't."

"And haven't I proven myself ever faithful to you?" Ash squeezed her hands momentarily, "Remember those girls who stalked me while we were engaged? I stayed faithful to you even though some of them were _very_ persistent."

Misty sighed, "I'm hormonal, okay? I'm not used to being so emotional all of the time. One second I'll be ready to cry at the drop of a hat and the next I'll be ready to take down a Primeape with my bare hands."

"Then I'll take this uncertainty as a pregnancy thing," Ash said cautiously. "Fair enough?"

Misty consented, "Fair enough." She bit her lip, wondering if she should tell Ash about Gary. She looked up into his mahogany brown gaze and decided to not tell him. As the League Master, he surely had more than enough to worry about. "Why don't you go call out for some dinner, okay?"

"Sure," Ash got up, "You want me to order from the usual place."

She nodded, "Yes, please."

He left the room, walking for the kitchen area, and as soon as he was gone, Misty pulled Gary's card from her pocket. She toyed with it, beginning to tear it in half, when she saw Gary's face in her mind.

"_Here's my number if you get bored, toots."_

In Misty's mind, Gary's tone of voice wasn't demanding and the words didn't insinuate anything crude. It was how she remembered him last speaking. As a friend. After being rivals for so long, then becoming friends for these last ten years, it was a shame they were now rivals again. Something big had gone down between them and Misty wasn't so sure it wasn't due to Jenn.

She remembered what Gary had told her about Jenn. That the blonde was manipulative and greedy, and those were two qualities Misty had already seen first hand. There had been some time between first entering _Burger Kingler_ with Gary and the consequent earthquake, and in that time Gary had filled Misty in on some of the mystery that Ash refused to share with her.

In reality, Gary told her, he had been the one to walk in on Jenn in a compromising situation at _Club Mystique_, not the other way around. Jenn had also, on occasion, tried her hand at seducing Ash. Misty did not have a hard time seeing either of those, especially the second, as being true.

What she did have a hard time believing, was Gary's hushed comment that the stray, yet trained, absol wasn't an absol at all. Gary had told her it had actually been Jenn, who had been transformed by an unknown entity.

"It was funny to see the disastrous bitch she always was on the inside, was now reflected on the outside," Gary had told her.

The words had resonated coldly through Misty. The Absol that had been in their home, the one that had shaken ocean water from her coat on Misty and Ash, had been Misty's number one rival for Ash. She'd gotten angry, remembering the few nights she'd found the absol cuddled against her husband in their bed. She shared that information with Gary, who hadn't looked surprised.

"Sad, isn't she?" was all he had said. Misty had to agree, though when she brought up the subject of the match between Ash and Gary, the former's blue eyes sparked with anger.

"Another unfair subject," Gary had said, and he had been about to say more when the earthquake had hit, and all talk was set aside in a heartbeat.

After the quake was over and Misty had been insistent about leaving, Gary had said one other thing before giving her his card. "I'm leaving, Misty. I'm going back to Pallet."

That news had surprised her only a little. What little of a reputation Gary had here was in tatters, which was why she'd been so surprised to see him in public at all. Apparently, Gary was going back to see what was salvageable with his grandfather. Though there was talk that Gary had pumped up his Umbreon with some sort of steroids, Gary had denied it to her. "We're talking about Jenn as an Absol trying to fight against a natural born Umbreon. Of course they'd fabricate some lie so she could win. There'd have been no other way for them to win."

Misty snapped back to the present when she heard Ash walking back to the living room. He was still on the phone with the take-out people, talking loudly and cheerily. She had just enough time to stuff the card into her pants pocket before he walked into the room.

"Want a side of breadsticks, hon?"

Misty nodded brightly, "Sure, sweetie."

He gave her a grin and a thumbs up and left the room.

Misty sighed and leaned back against the couch. She was seriously considering bumming a ride from Gary back to the mainland. It occurred to her then that Ash hadn't told her what he'd been keeping secret from her and in a second she figured it didn't matter. What would happen, would happen. She had no control over anything but her own destiny.

She listened to the sound of the ocean filtering in from the open windows and felt the warm salty breeze on her bare arms. Despite the lure the ocean has always held for her, she didn't feel safe.

And the ocean always made her feel safe.

ooo

"Jenn, for the last time," Puck said through gritted teeth, "I will **_not_** give you back your fire power."

"But it's mine!" Jenn whined, "I know how to use it!"

The blonde had barged in on the two Faes, who were in the northern wing of Drake's villa where they were creating the protection talismans. She'd spent the last ten minutes trying to win her case for getting back the fire power she'd had as an absol.

"It's not yours, never was yours, and never will be yours," Puck had never felt such irritation in his very long life. "Fire is not yours to command!"

"He-llo!" Jenn waved a hand, "Sagittarian here. Fire _is_ in my nature."

"She's right, you know," Callie mused, "She's a natural hot head."

"You're not helping, sister," Puck ground out.

"Yes, she really is," Jenn said with a thankful look to Callie, "Oh come _on_, I promise to be responsible with it!"

"No," Puck said with a final tone to it, "And that's my final answer."

"Really?" Jenn looked crestfallen, "I'll take whatever talisman you're making, as well."

"That's about all you're going to get," Puck looked at her pointedly, "No matter how many times you ask me for the fire, you're not getting it."

She looked hopefully at Callie, who shrugged gracefully, then at Puck, who glared at her. The hopeful look changed to a slightly quivering lip, then flashed to anger in seconds. "Fine, whatever you say, Legolas."

Puck's eyes widened and Callie laughed. He brushed a hand through his long, loose locks, "I'm not blond!"

Jenn simply flipped the bird at the Fae before leaving the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Humans are most unpredictable," Callie mused while putting the finishing touches on Trish's talisman. "Too emotional."

"Too everything," Puck growled, "I can't _believe_ she called me that."

"Oh, I don't know. He was quite handsome, for a human posing as an elf."

"If you like the sort that look like they swing either way," Puck shook his head, "She's trouble through and through."

"And Chris's idea…"

"So seriously considering it."

ooo

Rudy was walking down what was considered the main street of Pummelo Central when his boss sent him a mental command.

'_Rudy, I have a job for you to do.'_

'_Sir?_' Rudy paused by a small boutique that sold pens and pretended to window shop.

'_That meddlesome blonde is headed your way. Her bond with her friends is weak and now is the time to strike.'_ There was a pause, '_I will be watching, just in case she is not easy to sway.'_

'_Sway? What do you mean by that?'_ Rudy looked at one pen. Twelve hundred dollars for an onyx and mother of pearl inlaid pen. Ridiculous.

'_Stop looking at that pen and concentrate! Go down the street to the park on the corner of Beach and Spring streets, and sit on a bench under a tree. I will make it so that she walks right to you.'_

Rudy's eyes widened at the curtness but he complied with Lu's orders. He walked down the street to a small corner park that had a fountain in it and sat on a bench under a broad leafy tree.

He didn't wait long before he saw the blonde. The decorative short sleeves almost reached her elbows and fluttered in the wind as she stalked. They almost looked like wings, however she looked ready to skin someone. He groaned inwardly when she spotted him.

'_Do not fret, Mortal,'_ Lu's voice wound like a snake through his mind, '_I have cast a glamour upon you.'_

'_Why?'_

'_The blonde may be easy to deceive, but even she would not talk directly to you.'_ There was a slight pause, to which Rudy felt a slight chill pass over and through him. It only lasted a second, but left a tingling sensation over his skin. '_When she sees you, she will only see one person. No one but she will see you as him.'_

'_Who do I look like?_' Rudy asked quickly. The blonde was walking slowly towards him, a take out cup from _Pichu_ _Bell_ in hand.

'_More importantly, who you sound like,'_ Lu sounded satisfied, '_Say_ _hello to the dumb blonde, Ash Ketchum. And don't forget one important thing. Unlike you, Ash actually has a spine. Try not to screw up.'_

The link to Lu was broken so suddenly that Rudy almost jumped. As it was, he was surprised to see that his clothes had changed. He had been wearing khaki pants and a black t shirt and black loafers. Now he was wearing a black tank top, blue jeans, and a pair of sandals. Save for the platinum wedding band on his left hand, the Grand Master had no fashion taste at all. At least the toe nails were manicured.

"Ash, what are you doing here?"

Rudy looked up, "Just hanging around. You look upset. What's wrong?"

The blonde rolled her eyes before flopping onto the bench beside him, "Those stupid Faes."

"Oh?" His interest was definitely piqued. "What about them?"

'_Yes, what about them?'_ The sudden return of Lu wasn't unexpected to Rudy. The moment Jenn said the word Fae, he was expecting Lu to reconnect.

"Well…" She took a sip of her drink, looked around, then turned to face him, "You know how I was an absol, right?"

"Couldn't possibly forget."

"Kay, so, I asked Puck if he'd give me my fire power back. I figured since I already had it, that it'd be no thang and I could just rehave it, you know?" the blonde took a breath, "But he said, no, no, we're making these stupid talismans and they'll protect you from Lu. You're not getting your fire power back."

'_Talismans, hmm.'_ There was a pause, then Lu said, '_Ask her if she knows what kind of protection it gives.'_

'_You don't think Ash already knows?'_

'_Just ask! Impertinent human!'_

"What…"

"I mean, those stupid things only activate when danger is near," Jenn blurted out angrily, "But if I had fire power, then I'd have protection at all times. It's so stupid to have something that looks like jewellery be protection!"

"And he won't give an active power to you." Rudy mused thoughtfully, then repeated what Lu quietly said, "What if you had something the Faes didn't know about?"

"Huh?" The blonde looked confused, "Like what?"

Again, Lu murmured in Rudy's mind, and again, Rudy repeated it.

"A protection tattoo?" Jenn looked uncomfortable. "I don't know about that. Tattoos involve needles, don't they? My sister got one and she said the needle was all eew."

A warm breeze washed over them and Rudy got to his feet, "C'mon, what do you have to lose? I know the best tattoo parlour. They don't even use needles." Rudy felt a tingle on his left upper arm, the side of him that Jenn hadn't seen. Lu mentally confirmed the tattoo. "See? Even I have one."

Jenn looked at the tattoo appreciatively. "That's gorgeous!" It was of Ho-oh and the colouring was so intricate that it almost looked alive.

Rudy flexed his arm and the bird moved with the muscle. '_I could really get used to this form, boss.'_

'_I'm sure,'_ the reply came dryly, '_Now get a move on it. I don't want to use up all my powers on holding this form on you. Walk down Beach street to Hidden Cove Way. There will be a parlour there facing the ocean. You can't miss it.'_

"You ready?"

Unease filled Jenn's eyes, "I'm not sure. Those are kinda permanent."

'_She has no idea,_' Lu said smugly. '_Not to mention that it will give me access to hearing and seeing what she does.'_

'_What do you mean by that? Can't you just use a viewing globe?'_

'_Idiot! Of course I can! But I cannot gain access to the inner sanctuaries where the Faes roam. Their magicks rebound all of my viewing orbs. If, however, I have magic imprinted onto one of those allowed inside, then I can gain access to everything they see and hear.'_

'_Like a computer virus or legal loophole,'_ Rudy thought admiringly at his boss's foresight. He frowned, '_But what about when she's sleeping or in the can? That's kind of sick.'_

'_I will not be watching every second of her day, fool. Even I am not that ill-hearted._'

"Ash? What's up?"

"What?"

"You were frowning," Jenn cocked her head to the side in a manner that reminded Rudy very much of her absol form. "Why?"

"No particular reason," He shrugged, "So you want a protection tattoo or not?"

Jenn winced, "Is it painful?"

"Nope."

"Free?" Jenn grinned sheepishly, "I didn't exactly bring any money with me."

He looked at the soft drink cup in her hand and she looked down and laughed, "Ah, not anything more than what I've already spent. I only brought five dollars and of that I have a whole seventy-five cents."

Rudy said it without thinking, "I'll cover you."

"Oh really?" Jenn winked at him.

"Well…I mean…" Rudy was flustered momentarily. No one had ever asked that kind of question with that sort of look.

"Don't worry about it, Ashy," Jenn dropped her drink into a trash can and hooked her arm around his. "Let's go find this place."

ooo

It only took fifteen minutes before they came upon the tattoo parlour. From the outside, it looked almost like a beach shack. Painted sapphire blue, it had shutters and a fake palm tree outside its doors. A pink flamingo was stuck in the sandy area in front of the floor to ceiling front windows.

"This is some place, Ashy," Jenn said, "Kind of beach tacky."

"Sure is," Ash said dismissively. It looked to Jenn like he was about to laugh.

They walked to the front door, which was wide open, and Jenn froze. Ash was walking ahead of her, but pulled to a stop as they were still arm in arm. He looked back, "What's wrong?"

"I…I can't do this!"

"Of course you can. If I can, you can."

"But…needles!"

With his free hand, Ash gestured to a sign taped to the front door. Written on it was, "LASER SHOP! NO NEEDLES!"

Jenn looked at Ash sheepishly, "Okay, okay, you win. You know I can't say no when you're around."

"I'll have to keep that in mind," Ash murmured, and Jenn flushed when he looked her over.

She walked by him and flicked his left hand, "Keep that ring in mind, too, buster." But her tone wasn't as harsh as her words, or the flick, had been.

Ash rubbed at his hand, "Yes, ma'am."

The door closed behind them and if anyone passing by saw the shop, all they saw was an empty lot, with a pink flamingo stuck in the sand where a building once stood.

ooo

"Where is she?" Trish snapped, fighting the urge to pace in the foyer. "I thought you said you could get a fix on her."

"Yes, if she responds to me calling her," Puck said equally snappy, "But I must have really pissed her off because she's ignoring me."

"And she's got her phone turned off," Shannon walked into the living room, cordless phone in hand. "Sorry, Trish, but every time I call, I get her voice mail."

"I know I should just count to ten, but I'm really mad," Trish said slowly, "Puck, just when did she leave the villa?"

"About an hour ago," the Fae admitted. "I had told her…"

"Yes, yes, the fire power, I know," Trish broke in, "You're sure she didn't say where she was going? Maybe to catch a movie or shop?"

Puck shook his head, "No, nothing like that at all."

"And my idea…" Chris trailed off.

"Chris," Trish said warningly.

"Actually, Trish," Callie said gently, "We already have four in favour of it."

"What?" Trish's eyes widened, "I can't believe you people were thinking about it!"

"She is being a little…flighty lately," Ash said gently. "It's getting hard to keep tabs on her."

"Well you can't just…just do that! It's not right!"

"It's safe," Puck said, "She won't be putting herself into danger or ruining plans."

Trish crossed her arms, "She doesn't ruin plans."

Puck raised an eyebrow, "She went after Gary twice. The first time definitely ruined a plan."

"Okay, so the battle wasn't in the plans, but it did get Gary out of the way." She looked to Ash apologetically, "Sorry, Ash, but it's true."

"I know. I can't let personal emotions get in the way," Ash nodded in understanding, "Only, neither can you, Trish."

Trish looked around her and saw her friends nodding in mute agreement. "I don't believe you people! This is absurd."

"Absol-utely," cracked Chris, who was elbowed by Shannon, who was closest.

"We give her one last chance," Trish conceded, "If something goes wrong, but only if it is her fault, then I guess it would be safest for her."

"Oh yeah!" Chris cheered, "Let's hear it for the Chrismeister!"

Just then, one of the front doors opened and Trish and Shannon ran to see who was coming in. The others followed the two to see if it was Jenn or not.

Indeed, closing the door behind her was Jenn. The blonde turned around and blinked in momentary confusion at the people she saw behind her. She looked to be mentally counting the people. Trish, Drake, Shannon, Ben, Puck, Mia, Callie, Chris, and Ash were all there.

"Did I miss a party or something?" Jenn asked with more than a little confusion in her tone. She frowned when she saw Ash. "Uh, Ash, hi. Nice clothes."

Ash looked down at his outfit, which consisted of a black t-shirt, black pants, and black boots, with some confusion. "Thanks, I think."

The two Faes were looking at her with perplexed expressions.

"Okay, what's up with the Geek Patrol?" Jenn looked at Puck and Callie pointedly.

"Hey, that's neither nice nor fair," Puck defended himself. "But let's not get into another pointless argument."

"Okay, Legolas, I'm sorry," Jenn said in a scathing tone, "What's wrong? Someone get your tights in a bind?"

"Jenn!" Mia snapped, "Enough, okay? I'm about ready to throw my vote in with Chris, too!"

"Huh?" Jenn rolled her eyes, "Whatever. You people are weird." She eyed Ash, who was closest to her other than Shannon and Trish. "You," she pointed to the Grand Master, "Come here."

"Why?" He looked at her suspiciously.

Jenn stalked over to him, causing Shannon to dart out of her way, and jerked up the left sleeve of his t-shirt. Nothing. She paled a little, but released him and walked towards the dining room.

Trish ran after her best friend, who walked through the dining room to the kitchen, "Where are you going?"

"Hungry, gotta eat." The reply floated back.

Trish and Shannon caught up to the blonde, who was shoving a cold barbequed chicken leg into the microwave. After turning the machine on, she turned to see her friends. Trish was giving her a pointed look.

"What? I used a plate."

"Not that," Trish said calmly. "Did you bring your phone with you?"

"No," Jenn shook her head. "It's in my room charging. I had it off."

"You were supposed to bring it with you whenever you went out of the villa."

"I didn't go far!"

"Puck couldn't get a hold of you."

Jenn looked to Shannon, who nodded. "It's true," the younger girl said. "Neither could Callie."

The microwave beeped and Jenn turned back and took the chicken out. She set the plate on the centre island, then turned back and reached up for a glass in one of the cabinets.

"What's that?" Trish asked flatly.

"What's what?" Jenn asked without turning around. Instead she got a soda from the fridge and a couple of ice cubes from the freezer. She dropped the ice in the glass and was about to open the soda when Trish grabbed her left arm. "Let go!"

Trish ignored the almost panicked tone in her friend's voice and pulled up the short sleeve. "What is this?"

A patch of gauze about the size of her cell phone was taped to her upper arm.

"It's nothing," Jenn jerked her arm out of her friend's grip.

"Where were you for the past hour and a half?"

"You've got to be kidding!" Jenn sounded annoyed, "I went for a walk after Pucky wouldn't give me my fire power."

Trish arched her eyebrows and called for Puck. He and Callie flashed into the kitchen, and Drake, Ash, and Mia followed soon behind.

"Yes, mi'lady?" Puck asked, while still looking at Jenn with an off gaze.

"Truth freeze, if you please."

"Oh, Trish, you have gotta be kidding me!" Jenn left her food and drink where they were on the centre island and started backing towards the French doors that led to the outer patios. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Then why are you backing away like you're gonna run?"

"Because I am!"

"Puck, I said _freeze_ first, then truth spell."

"I didn't do anything yet. She really told the truth," Puck turned to his sister. "Can you freeze her? I have a bad tendency to blow them up instead."

Callie laughed a little, but complied. She waved her hands once at Jenn and the blonde froze in mid-stride. Only her head was free from the spell, and she glared at the Faes. "You people seriously suck."

"And you shouldn't be keeping secrets," Callie said lightly. "It's not safe to do so in these times."

"I know that, but this isn't exactly something I want known to everyone."

"Like what."

Jenn levelled a glance at Trish, "If I really wanted you to know, then I'd have told you."

"Then know that I'm only having Puck do this because you won't tell and I have a feeling it's really bad news," Trish shook her head. "Honestly, sometimes I think you need GPS tracking."

"Ready?" Puck asked.

Jenn gave a pleading look to Ash, who merely shook his head.

"Give it a go," Trish said.

Jenn squeezed her eyes shut as Puck recited the incantation. She felt a touch of cold fall over her head like rain and then nothing. She opened her eyes to see Puck and the others watching her and she felt relief that she didn't feel any different. "Dealing with you Faes is the weirdest thing I've ever gone through."

"I thought you did a truth spell," Trish said sidelong to Puck, who was standing next to her.

"I did," Puck said back, "That's just how she really feels."

"How can you tell?" Shannon asked, genuinely interested.

"We can see a shift in her aura," Callie explained, "It's not normally visible to us except with the truth spell. Then we can see a bit of a golden glow around the person. Once we're done, the glow fades."

"Since this is all very boring, can we just get on with it?" Jenn asked, obviously being very careful as to how she said things. "I would like to eat before it's time for breakfast."

"If you insist," Trish said brightly. "How about telling us what happened after you were talking with Puck about your fire power."

"Despite the fact that I'm a fiery Sagittarian, fire is apparently not mine to control. So if you could please not phrase it like that, I'd be real happy with it," Jenn said quickly. "As for what happened, I went down the stairs, remembered I forgot to plug in my phone, went up the stairs, down the hall, into my room, grabbed my charger…"

"Skip that," Drake interrupted. "Go right to after you left the villa."

"I walked down to the city centre, intent on going down to the public beach."

"Why?" Shannon asked. Ben walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Because that's where I had a bunch of happier times and being surrounded by all this lovey-dovey mush was getting me down. Plus I love the ocean, so it's not really that hard to figure out." She took a breath, looked longingly at the soda still in the can, and said, "I never got there. I was walking towards it when an accident happened right in front of me. It didn't really phase me and it didn't look like anyone was hurt and I went down a back street. A Rhydon was stuck in one of the alleys so I had to go down one that took me away from getting to the beach."

"There was an accident earlier," Ash confirmed, "Between a bus and a tourist rental car. No one was hurt and everyone went on their merry way. I hadn't heard about the Rhydon though."

"Well you're not Mister Omnipotent then, are you?" Jenn bit at her lower lip. "I really hate this."

"At least she didn't say impotent," Chris smirked.

"No, I'm reserving that for you," Jenn grinned. "And I _meant_ that."

"It's a shame one can't beat up on girls made helpless by magic," Chris countered.

"Mmhmm," Jenn said, "Anyway, on with the torture session. Even though I'd rather chew my own arm off to get out of this trap."

"Where did you go then," Trish prompted.

"I ended up at that little park down on Beach and Spring streets. I was okay with that, cuz it's on the way to the beach," She frowned, "But then I met up with Ash, who was sitting on one of the benches there."

Everyone looked to Ash in surprise, though Ash looked the most surprised. "I wasn't there," he shook his head, "I was having lunch with Misty. We ordered take-out."

Jenn bit her lip at that and squeezed her eyes shut. _Oh crap, move on to another subject! I'm going to be mind blowingly evil to Misty if they ask anything like that! And with what happened after this, I'm **doubly** in deep caca!_

Instead, she heard Trish ask, "What happened at the park?"

The blonde opened her eyes and it was as if she could see double. The park and what happened was layered over her friends and Drake's kitchen. She told them about talking with Ash, discussing the talismans, and then agreeing to the tattoo.

Trish's eyes widened, "Oh you did not!"

Chris laughed, "If that ain't the oldest trick in the book, I don't know what is."

"Well excuse me, Mister Perfect!" Jenn shot out angrily, "But it looked pretty realistic to me! And who am I to say no to getting a tattoo when Ash seemingly had one?" She clamped her mouth shut, even though it was obvious the magic wanted her to say more.

"As you opened the door," Trish said cautiously, "I could've sworn I heard someone else out there with you."

"That's because you did." Jenn blurted out, her breathing becoming as laboured as if she'd run a mile. "Ash was there."

"And?" Drake prompted. The whole group was leaning forward for more, though Ash was looking quite mortified. "What happened then?"

"We kissed, a lot," She bit at her lower lip so hard she just about drew blood, but she could not resist the magic. "Just like we kissed after the tattoo."

Ash groaned in embarrassment, but the others looked at their blonde friend gape jawed.

"How _could_ you?" Trish squeaked out, "You know he's married!"

"Hello! He was so coming on to me _first_!" Jenn said defensively, "I just figured I'd go with the flow."

"That's so wicked," Shannon breathed, "I can't believe you'd…" She looked to Ben, and clutched his arm, which was hooked around her waist.

"Oh puh-leze," Jenn said dismissively, "He's so not my type. He reminds me of Ben Affleck and that's like so no way territory."

"And Drake?" Trish asked evilly. She was enjoying this truth or dare session, with a heavy emphasis on truth. "What about him?"

"He's far too old," Jenn said, "Way too old. That's like Callista Flockhart dating Harrison Ford old."

"And Puck?" Mia asked quickly, grinning at Puck.

"How many times must I call him Legolas before you guys get a clue?" Jenn sighed, "Other than looking like a brunette version of that fairy elf…and also he's even **_way_** older than Drake."

"Enough!" Puck waved his hands, cancelling the effects of the spell. "I have really had enough."

Finally free, Jenn shook herself and rubbed at her arms. "You people suck." She brushed by Shannon and Ben and went up the stairs that were in the kitchen. After a few seconds they heard her door slamming shut.

"You don't think we took it too far, do you?" Shannon asked tentatively.

"Not in the least," Trish said firmly, "Other than knowing every guy except Ash is safe from Jenn…"

"We never got to me," Chris said nervously.

"Don't worry, Chris," Ben said somewhat sarcastically, "I'm sure she finds you just as no way as me or old like Drake. Well, not old since he's older than we are, but it's sure to be along those lines."

"So, other than knowing all of our men save Ash is safe from Jenn," Trish said, "We know one more thing. Lu has done something magically with Jenn. Not that I'm very much surprised. She seems to be the most disillusioned with magic and therefore doesn't see it as easily as we do."

"Now what?" Drake asked. "If she's got some magic tattoo, what happens?"

"Callie and I will research it," Puck said, "If it's what I think it is, it should be easy enough to get rid of."

"What do you think it could be?" Mia asked.

"A spying tattoo," Callie said, "Something with which Lucius can see and hear everything that she does."

Shannon's eyes widened, "That means he could have seen what we just did!"

"No," Callie shook her head, "The bandage was still on. There's a time period between application until it is ready to use. Usually around an hour or two."

"Of course," Trish said, "It's been about two hours since she's been gone."

"We're coming awful close to that deadline," Shannon agreed.

"Or already gone beyond it," Ash said. His face was still a little red with embarrassment, but he stepped forward, "And I don't like the thought of someone walking around looking like me. What if he was seen with her by someone with the tabloids?"

"She wasn't," A new voice broke in from the dining room entrance to the kitchen.

The group spun around, but Ash was the first to recognize the girl and the Pokémon on her shoulder.

"Hi, hope you guys didn't mind," The girl waved hello, "But he was really insistent that we get here as soon as possible. He teleported me in."

"Joanne," Ash said with surprise, "Mew."

The lithe Pokémon did a back-flip and, to the surprise of the others, stayed hovering above the girl's shoulder. '_Hello, Chosen One_.'

"Anything to report, little one?" Ash asked the Pokémon.

The Mew arched an eye ridge in mock annoyance, "_I haven't been called little by anyone in about twenty minutes."_

"My apologies," Ash said courteously, then looked to its trainer, "What about Jenn?"

"I thought it was odd to see her down by the beach with a strange guy," Joanne started, "Until I saw who she was with. Then it got really odd."

"Down by the beach?" Trish looked confused.

"Yeah, those little shops down by Hidden Cove Way," the girl said, "Anyway, I saw her go into this area between two shops and vanish. Mew let me know that she'd walked into a dimensional slip, only to her it looked like a shop."

Mew confirmed this with another back-flip.

"He's getting more confident," Trish looked to Drake, who hugged her, "Lu is."

"When they walked out, they were holding hands and kissing," Joanne looked to Trish, "I hate to have to say this, but was your friend drinking or anything?"

Trish found the question odd, "No, why?"

"Because…because it was _who_ she was with." Joanne looked disgusted, "And kissing and hugging."

"Who?" Mia asked, fear tingeing her voice.

"She was with _Rudy_."

Trish paled, while Shannon looked ill.

"Oh, she's _really_ gonna hate herself in the morning," Chris laughed, then looked around and pointed to the chicken leg Jenn left behind. "Anyone gonna eat that?"

ooo

Jenn was lying on her bed, mentally berating herself over what had happened when there was a soft knock at the door.

"I HATE you people!" she yelled, not caring who was on the other side of the door. "Please go away!"

"No you don't," a familiar accented voice said. "And no we're not."

Jenn opened her eyes to see that Trish had obviously ignored her threat and entered the room with Callie and Pikachu in tow.

"Dare you defy the Goddess and enter her domain without permission?" she growled as she sat up.

"Oh always," Trish had a disarming grin on her face as she sat down beside her. "Especially when my best bud is upset and lives are at stake."

Jenn shifted to a more comfortable position and Pikachu took advantage of this to jump on her lap. The blonde glanced at Callie. "What's she here for? To humiliate me even further?"

"No," Callie shook her head. "I'm here to do something about that new tattoo of yours."

"New? It's the only one I have. Besides you can't do anything!" Jenn sighed. "Tattoos are totally permanent and this will forever be a visible reminder of how my impulsivity makes me stupid."

"We _have_ to do something about this one, Jenn. It's a magical one that enables Lu to spy on us," Trish explained. "We can't let it remain on you any longer or it will become active."

"Spying? It's not good enough I have a ton of spy ware on my computer, but now it's _on_ me!" Jenn's eyes widened. "That jerk! That's the sickest thing I ever heard of! And I've heard a lot of sick things!"

"It won't scar you," Callie reassured her. "I can do a spell that will remove it from you without any scarring."

"Well that's sweet," A hopeful look. "There isn't any pain involved, is there?"

"No pain."

"Aiight…" the blonde reluctantly held out her arm. "Please, get this thing offa me."

Callie held her palm a few inches away from the bandage, and a warm lilac glow soon surrounded the area.

"That feels nice," Jenn sighed, "You could make a fortune if you opened a health spa."

A few minutes later, the bandage and the tattoo had vanished, leaving smooth unblemished skin in their place. Jenn examined her arm carefully then beamed at the Fae. "Thanks Callie Allie! I take back what I said before – you're a real peach!"

The female Fae just smiled before leaving the room, closing the door gently behind her.

Trish looked at her friend sympathetically. "Sorry about the truth freeze."

"No you're not," Jenn grumped as she hugged Pikachu. "And…to tell the truth…I'm kinda glad you did it. I never would've fessed up to something like that and no one would know until something big was going down."

She gritted her teeth. "How could I have been so stupid? I got taken in _again _by Lu! After everything that's happened to me, a normal person would've thought I'd know better than to go anywhere alone. Is it even safe to be in my own room? Can I even go to the bathroom and not have it known by Lu!"

"You weren't completely to blame," Trish tried to soothe her.

"C'mon, Trish, I know what they're saying down there," Jenn rolled her eyes, "Oops, she did it again!"

"You were misled into thinking it was Ash, someone you could totally trust."

"I didn't just trust him, T-vizzle, I _kissed_ him," Jenn reminded her friend. "And I know full well that Ash is not just married to Misty, but that it could hurt his reputation if we were seen together. I just…right then, right there, none of that mattered. I didn't care at all. It made me happy."

"Jenn…how do you really feel about Ash?"

Jenn narrowed her eyes, "Nuh-uh. I'm not going to spill that much. There are still some things about myself that I want to keep guarded."

"Do I need to ask Pik to buzz you?" Trish warned and Pikachu's cheeks glimmered in reply, "Besides, I'm your best friend. I'd never betray your confidence."

Looking as if she was deeply considering her friend's words, Jenn played with the fur on Pikachu's head. Just when Trish was going to give the command, the blonde spoke.

"Let me just put up a disclaimer here. You or the rat spills what I say, and it's curtains for the two of you." She took a breath, then said, "For me, he's the perfect guy. He's what I want but can't have. I mean, c'mon, that ring is kind of obvious. I've always enjoyed hanging around Ash. Some girls don't find someone they like enough to be more than friends with, let alone find someone like that to marry."

"Drake's like that," Trish said in a dreamy tone. "It's easy to share anything with him."

Jenn grinned at Pikachu, "Let's _not _ask what they share."

"You're nasty!" Trish chuckled.

"Yeah I know," Jenn said, serious once again, "But with Ash, it's like we have a real connection. He understands me more than any other guy has, and he's a blast to be with. I _know _that he's married and I _know_ that he's totally off-limits and you know I'd never break up a marriage."

Pikachu looked up at the blonde with sympathy brimming in her big brown eyes. Jenn gave a small smile and softly stroked the striped back. "It's been really hard you know. Being dumped like trash by a guy you thought loved you, and then to top off the cake, you realize that you have feelings for a guy you totally can't have. And let's _not_ get into the subject that has all your friends around you being happy in their smooth sailing relationships…it's not fair."

Trish said nothing but grasped her friend's hand in a gentle squeeze. She had never really thought on how hard it was for Jenn to see her and Drake, Shannon and Ben, Mia and Puck together. How left out and lonely she must be feeling. Trish vowed silently to herself to be more considerate of Jenn's feelings in the future.

"He was totally flirting with me, Trish," Jenn continued. "So when he started kissing me, I thought it was okay to kiss back. It was a chance for _me_ to experience a little happiness for a change. It's not enough that I'm unlucky in love, but that I also get duped every time by the enemy. Savvy?"

"I understand, Jenn."

A puzzled frown crossed the blonde's features. "By the way…if it wasn't Ash, who was the Ash double?" Her puzzlement increased when her best friend did not answer at first but crossed the room to bring the small trash can near the desk over to the bed. "What's that for?"

"I think you might need this after I tell you."

Jenn looked wary. "Who was it?"

"Rudey."

Trish had to suppress a grin as her friend gagged.

"There are not enough trash cans in the world for that! Ohmigod! That's **_sick_** and I'm not talking sic as in awesome!" Her blue-grey eyes were wide with horror. "Are you telling the truth, T? You're not punking me, are you?" She sounded very hopeful. "Oh **_please_** tell me this is some huge Puck inspired joke."

The Australian raised her left hand solemnly. "I swear that I am telling the truth. Joanne and her Mew dropped by to say that they saw you kissing Rudy."

The blonde grimaced. "So…they didn't see Ash at all?"

"Nope. Besides Ash was at home with Misty having take-out. They saw you disappear into thin air and then reappear with Rudy – which is why they came to see us."

"Oh, Lugia," Jenn moaned. "It's not enough to be duped by Lu _again_, it had to include Rudy as well!" Pikachu just had time to hop off her lap before the girl rushed into her ensuite bathroom and closed the door. Gargling sounds soon floated out.

Trish looked at the small Pokémon beside her. "I think she's gonna be in there for a good long while."

'_Pikaaa._'

"Pik, could you stay with Jenn and make sure that she doesn't do anything to herself?"

Pikachu nodded.

ooo

Trish came back downstairs to find the group (including Joanne and Mew) gathered in the living room.

"How is she?" Shannon asked anxiously.

"Totally hating herself," Trish informed them as she sat down beside Drake. "Well she was hating herself already before I told her that it was Rudy instead of Ash. Now she's hating herself even more."

"Poor Jenn," Mia sympathised. "Do you think it was wise to leave her alone like that?"

"Pikachu's staying with her. I told her she could shock some sense into her if necessary."

"Does she have any sense?" Puck asked dryly. "I swear that blonde causes more trouble than any other human I've known. She falls for Lu's tricks every single time – tricks that anyone else would see through!"

"That's not fair, Puck!" Trish defended her best friend. "I can admit that she has caused more problems than most. I mean, she's Jenn. But she can't be blamed for being tricked into thinking that Rudy was someone that she knows, trusts, and loves!"

Ash flushed at the last word. Trish looked at him apologetically. "Sorry Ash, but it's true. Jenn said that the guy looked _exactly_ like you, down to the clothes, the wedding band, and the voice. How was she to know that it wasn't you?"

"Still and all," the Grand Master sighed wearily, "She _was_ impulsive."

"That's our Jenn," Shannon giggled, to which Trish nodded with a smile.

"Ash, if you said jump to Jenn, she would ask how high," the Australian said. "Of course, _she _would deny it if you asked her – that girl has just about as much pride as Gary has ego – but I know it's the truth. Jenn would do almost anything for you."

"I can understand that, because I would too…" Joanne said dreamily, before flushing under everyone's gaze. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"Anyway, Puck you have to be more understanding towards Jenn. If Lu magicked someone to look like Mia – you would be there in a heartbeat. And don't say that you would know it was a fake because you wouldn't. You would be blinded by love."

The chestnut-haired Fae looked at his girlfriend beside him, then sighed. "I guess you're right."

"I _know_ I'm right," Trish smirked.

"You're sounding too much like Jenn," he groaned.

"Ohmigawd, girlfriend, you have noooo idea!" Ben falsettoed.

"Totally," Drake grinned widely.

"You're impossible!" Trish snapped, but grinned all the same. "But I love you for it!"

The Orange Crew Leader gave a Cheshire Cat smile. "Of course; why else would you be marrying me?"

"For the money?" she grinned cheekily.

Drake rolled his eyes. "Far too much like Jenn."

ooo

Rudy settled back against the couch in his hotel room with a satisfied sigh. He had never had so much fun in his life. Jenn had really thought he was Ash and was completely willing to go along with whatever he said. If only Lu had allowed him to keep the glamour a while longer, he might have been having a _very_ interesting night in bed.

The Trovita Island Gym Leader sighed again. Then again, he didn't really want Jenn, did he? To him, the ultimate prize was the blonde's best friend, Trish. However, she did not want to have _anything _to do with him. And she was now engaged to his rival.

If only Lu could apply the glamour to him as Drake, then he could trick her into thinking he was her beloved. As Drake, he could then wreck their relationship; hopefully driving the Australian girl into his arms as Rudy.

Maybe he would ask Lu tomorrow. After all his loyal service, didn't he deserve to have some rewards?

ooo

"Jenn…you _have _to come out of there."

"Don't wanna."

"You can't stay inside your room all day."

"Yes I can! You can't make the Goddess do what she doesn't want to do."

It was the next day, and after learning that Jenn had asked for breakfast in her room, Trish had gone up there to try to coax her out.

"It's a beautiful day outside. You should get some fresh air."

"I've got the French doors open. That lets in a lot of fresh air."

Trish sighed. "You still punishing yourself over what happened?"

"Duh!" came the anguished grumble. "I can't face the others after what happened! Not only will they think I'm totally stupid, but now I've been corrupted!"

"But the tattoo's gone…" Trish was confused.

"I always thought I'd be corrupted by being tricked into drinking myself drunk by some hot guy," she mused, then wailed, "_Not _the tattoo! By Rudey! I was grossed out enough to use up two bottles of _Scope_. I can't even begin to think of what the others think of me."

"Jenn…it's not as if you slept with him."

"Shut UP!" Jenn growled out. "Don't make me puke my guts out! The very thought is **_sick_**!"

"But you _didn't_ do that, so quit the hysterics would ya?"

"Hello, am I _not_ speaking English?" Jenn groaned. "I almost _did_ do that!"

Trish blanched. "Oh no…"

"Way," the miserable voice answered. "He _did_ look like Ashy boy. Rudey started to ask me to go back to a hotel room, but he changed his mind all of a sudden. I refused anyway cause I knew I had to get back to you guys."

"Jenn, stop being so hard on yourself. The fact is that you DIDN'T do that, so no one's gonna hate you for it. Most importantly don't hate _yourself_ for it."

The door opened and Trish could see the French doors were open. The blinds over the room's windows were also spread wide, which was the direct opposite of what Trish thought she was going to see.

"Well what were you expecting?" Jenn snorted, "Dolls hanging by their necks, all the curtains blocking the sunlight, and a voodoo kit sitting out on my desk?"

Trish shrugged sheepishly.

The blonde looked a bit tired and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. "I'm fine and I won't be dressing Goth and spouting angsty poetry any time soon."

Trish sighed, "That's a relief."

"That it's obvious you were considering it worries me," Jenn said calmly. "Besides, you know I have my methods of revenge."

"That's what concerns me."

Jenn just rolled her eyes.

Trish grabbed her friend by the arm, "Now come on with me. You've got some people to face."

"I so don't want to," Jenn baulked. "And you know you can't force me to go down."

"I know," Trish glared at her friend. "You're as stubborn as a mule and twice as thick headed."

Jenn cleared her throat.

"Okay, fine, a Rapidash. Satisfied?"

"Kinda." She looked down at her outfit, an orchid colour velour Juicy Couture track suit.

"Oh for Pete's sake…"

"Trish, I don't want his sake, " Jenn said patiently, "You know I don't drink."

"Well no more pausing," Trish pulled her friend and took the blonde by surprise, "You're coming with me or I'll delete all your saved _Playstation_ games."

"Trish!" Jenn looked aghast. "That's criminal!"

"Then follow me," Trish said with an evil look, "Or else the games get it."

Jenn gulped and followed.

_To be continued…._

ooo

_Author's Note: First posting for 2006! It will be 6 years this year that I've been writing and posting on this site._


	27. Withstand All Of Hell To Hold Your Hand

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Puck. Ashura the Mew was borrowed with permission from Dragoness. I do own other characters and the storyline. The lyrics from the chapter title were taken from '_Far Away'_ by Nickelback.

ooo

_Chapter Twenty-Six: Withstand All Of Hell to Hold Your Hand_

"_Dead girl walking. Watch out, dead girl walking."_

It was the longest walk she had ever taken. The ever present voice in her head, which she'd strongly suspect to be Umbreon if the Dark Pokémon were the right type, droned out that line. It could have come from the fact that Jenn felt like she was a prisoner on death row, walking the green mile to her execution. She was grateful that her best friend was not psychic because if Trish knew what she was currently thinking, she'd be throttling her for an overactive imagination.

"_Hey, up, dead girl walking."_

Jenn had had enough, "_Shut up, you stupid voice."_

It listened to her for once, and began to play the new Mary J. Blige song, _Be Without You_. Jenn almost groaned, but didn't want Trish giving her any more odd looks.

She so did not want to face the rest of their friends. It was punishment enough to be hating herself, but she didn't think she could take it if everyone else did as well. Despite her tough exterior, inside she was really quite sensitive about certain things.

If Trish hadn't made that threat, Jenn would have refused to budge from her room. The sneaky Australian knew that the best way of making Jenn do something she didn't want to was to threaten anything Jenn owned that was electronic, or her jewellery or Pepsi.

The blonde could begin to imagine a more evil or crueller strategy than that; she just didn't think her kind, sweet best friend would be capable of threatening one. She knew that Australia was created due to British people dropping their criminals off there to let them fend for themselves – and really, didn't the British feel stupid for that. Now they had to pay to get into what the world considered a tropical paradise that they had once considered a continental prison – but she didn't think Trish would have soaked up any evilness.

Most of all, Jenn was _not_ looking forward to facing Ash Ketchum. How would _he _react to her presence after what she did with him? Even though it turned out to be Rudy in magical disguise, Jenn couldn't really blame Ash for wanting to keep his distance from her. She had the potential to wreck his marriage and ruin his hard-earned reputation. She really _was_ a walking disaster.

But Jenn didn't want Ash to stop being friends with her. It was bad enough that she couldn't have him as a lover, but if she couldn't have him even as a friend it would be heartbreaking. Apart from Trish, her conversations with Ash were guaranteed to brighten her day.

"You _are _still following me, I hope," her friend said without looking behind her.

"Yezzim," Jenn said dully.

"You sound like you're going to your doom," Trish chuckled. "Cheer up a little – no one's gonna kill you."

The blonde sighed quietly. How did Trish know what she was thinking? Maybe she should be a little more careful what she thought around her friend. _Perhaps she is psycho…er psychic._

ooo

Trish led her friend to a large conservatory that was off to one side of the villa. Jenn could see tables laid out with sandwiches and drinks. Their friends were seated in the many cushioned chairs around the room.

All glanced up at the girls' approach, making Jenn cringe and want to hide behind Trish. Unfortunately her friend was considerably shorter than she was and didn't offer much shelter.

"Jenn's finally decided to join us," the Australian said briskly, shooting a warning look at the male members of the group. She walked over to where Drake was seated on a lounge, dragging Jenn with her before sitting beside him and pulling the blonde down next to her.

"Er…hi guys," Jenn said weakly. "Sorry about what happened yesterday."

To her relief, Ash gave her a warm smile. "That's okay, Jenn. You were tricked into doing it by magic."

Jenn winced inwardly at hearing Ash saying 'doing it' but managed to keep a straight face. "Yep."

"Sorry about what happened yesterday?" Chris said incredulously, "You make it sound like you went out for beer and came back with milk instead."

"Hush, Chris," Trish said warningly. "Another word from you and you'll be out on your Scottish butt."

"And for another thing, Skirt Boy," Jenn objected. "I _don't_ drink, so I wouldn't be going out for beer in the first place!"

"For one thing, genius, it was an example. For another thing, and for the _thousandth_ time, I _don't_ wear skirts," Chris gritted his teeth. "They're called _kilts_."

"Chris, shut up and Jenn, stop with the insults," Trish ordered. "It's not helping matters at all."

They settled down, but not without a muttered grumble or two.

The Australian glared at both them. "Despite the fact that Jenn's constantly teasing you, Chris, you are not the one whose forgiveness matters in this instance. If anybody should count, it should be Ash whose forgiveness matters and it sounds as if he has already forgiven Jenn."

"I have," the Grand Master said. "With Lu messing things up, none of us here could say that we wouldn't have fallen for the same trick."

"Well…" Drake drawled. "I would hope that _you _wouldn't have fallen for it unless you have some identical twin that no one knows about!"

Everyone chuckled at that and it broke some of the tension in the room.

Jenn had managed to screw up the courage to speak again. "Anyway, I just wanted all of you to know that I am truly sorry for what happened yesterday. I never meant to get into trouble, but it always seems to find _me_." She turned pleading blue-grey eyes on the group. "Please, please forgive me, and I'll promise to not go out alone ever again."

Puck raised an eyebrow. "Promise, promise?"

"Promise," the blonde confirmed. "Besides, I don't think Trish is gonna let me out of her sight after this. She'll probably keep me on a short leash."

Chris brightened. "Really? So does that mean…"

"Chris, shut _up_," Trish growled at the Scot. "Jenn has apologised and Ash has accepted. She's promised not to go out alone again, so your suggestion is no longer an option."

"Chris had an idea?" Jenn wanted to know. "What was it?"

"For Puck to return you to your Absol form and locking you in a Poké Ball for your own safety until this is over."

Chris almost expected Jenn to glare at him, but he was most surprised when all she did was look thoughtful.

"Well, I'd be safe, even though it's a coward's way out," She brightened, "And then I could have my fire power back!"

"Forget the fire power, Jenn," Puck sighed out wearily.

"Yes, _please_ forget about that," Trish said quickly before another argument could break out. "Jenn and I have something to say."

The blonde blinked her confusion and was momentarily distracted from fire powers, "We do?"

"We do," her best friend nodded.

"You two have stopped being friends and are going your separate ways?" Ben asked with hope in his eyes. He winced as Shannon elbowed him sharply in the stomach.

"In your dreams, Benji" Jenn retorted.

"I'd say it takes one to know one, but that would be ambiguous," Ben scoffed. "Or it would just fly right over your blonde little head."

Jenn just mock snarled at him.

"_Anyway_…You know about those massive fights the two of us have been having," Trish continued as if she had never been interrupted.

"Yes," Shannon winced. She was _so_ glad that was all over.

"Well, they were all a sham."

"What?" everyone's eyes widened.

"You've all been thoroughly punked by us," Jenn grinned. "It was all an act."

"But…why?" Shannon pouted, a wounded look on her face. "Why couldn't you tell me or Drake? We were so worried about you two!"

"Look, Lu knows that Jenn and I are about the two closest friends in the whole group," Trish said calmly. "He knows that we can't get mad enough at each other to part ways, ever."

"So we figured that if Lulu was made to believe that T and I were at each other's throats and the group was splitting up, then he'd get overconfident that he could beat us, and he'd lay off on thinking up anything else that would be evil and possibly ending the world as we know it," Jenn continued.

The others blinked, with Drake saying, "Did you just read a script? That's the longest, yet most concise thing I have _ever_ heard you say on your own."

Jenn just shrugged.

"When he finally does attack us, then he's going to be in for a nasty shock because we haven't splintered as a group," the Australian finished. "We couldn't tell you guys because we wanted it to look as real as possible."

Shannon looked a bit placated. "I guess you're right…"

"You _know_ we're right," Jenn smirked playfully at the younger girl.

"That's actually very clever," Ash shook his head in admiration. "I wish I'd thought of that."

"Me too," Puck admitted.

The blonde tossed her hair. "I know what I'm talking about. I'm not always the plan wrecker upper."

"To her credit, she never blabbed, as is her usual want," Trish grinned as Jenn playfully hit her on the arm.

"That's so not nice."

"I know."

"So what were you two doing that time you were gone for three hours after dinner?" Mia inquired. "Obviously you weren't fighting."

"Duh much! We were shopping."

Drake groaned. "I should have known."

"Yes, you should have," Trish giggled.

"Yeah," Jenn agreed, "I mean, your credit cards knew, so you should have too."

Drake paled. "Please, tell me she's joking."

Jenn deadpanned, "Of course I'm most definitely not."

Drake looked worried until Trish reassured him, "She didn't use them, honestly."

Drake looked reassured, even though Jenn pantomimed swiping a credit card.

"If there was rehab for shopaholics, you two would need to be signed up straight away," Shannon moaned. "With you two, shopping could be a form of torture."

Her two older friends sulked. "That's not nice Shan."

"It's true," The brunette shrugged. "It's the way I am always tortured by you two."

"So does that revelation put a different slant on your view of Jenn?" Trish asked Puck and Chris especially; dark eyes daring them to differ at their own peril.

The Scot gulped as did the chestnut-haired Fae.

"Oh definitely," Chris said hastily. "If you only had told me sooner about this brilliant scheme of yours, I would have been much nicer to Jenn."

Mia mouthed '_Suck up'_ at him, which he ignored. Everyone's attention then focused on Puck.

"I guess so…" he said begrudgingly. "I would never have guessed it was all a scam for Lu's benefit."

Jenn looked smug.

"But in all my years, I have never come across anyone so annoying, so infuriating, like Jenn," the Fae added defensively.

Jenn gasped, "Hey!" But a warning glance from Trish had the blonde settling down.

"I could say that would be the pot calling the kettle black, Brother dear, but it would rather be more like the Puck calling the kettle black," Callie sang out. "Besides, I am quite vehemently certain that there are many, _many_ mortals here and faes back in Elysium who would place _you_ in the very same category, if not worse!"

Puck pouted. "I was never as bad as Jenn, nor as bad as you make me seem."

"No, you were worse," his sister giggled. "How many times has King Oberon or Queen Titania had to send me after you? And how many times have I had to fix up _your_ messes?"

"Uh…"

"The worst times have been when you have been drunk in the mortal world, Puck," Callie continued. "You know that we Faes cannot tolerate alcohol at all…and the last time you were here, you caused utter bedlam!"

"We remember that!" a chorus of voices came from within the group. Ash, Drake, Trish, Jenn, and Mia had been present at the International Pokémon League Convention at Indigo Plateau two years ago where Puck had wreaked havoc.

Of course, Ash could remember an even _earlier_ incident. Puck had magicked himself by accident to Pallet and proceeded to make merry with all the mortals that resided there. Ash found himself spouting Shakespeare which made him _way_ too popular with the girls; Brock had fallen hard and fast for his mother; Misty was TOO nice and meek; and Professor Oak had been turned into a four-year-old.

"Okay, okay!" Puck cringed in his seat. "I'll admit that I have been more trouble than Jenn, but at least _my_ intentions have always been good!"

"So have mine!" the blonde retorted. "I would never hurt my friends. Never intentionally."

"Jenn's telling the truth," Trish smiled at her friend. "She usually thinks of everyone else before herself."

Puck blinked. "I find _that_ hard to believe…"

"So do my credit cards," Drake muttered.

Mia slapped Puck's arm. "Well believe it. Even I know that it's true."

"If everyone's done arguing," Ash cleared his throat, "We really need to get back to business."

ooo

"But why can't I have the glamour I want?" Rudy whined. "Haven't I helped you most faithfully and loyally, boss?" He was seated in his hotel room, with the remains of a room service dinner on the table before him. The Trovita Island Gym Leader had decided to contact Lu via telepathic link to ask him for his favour. If he could be made to look like Drake, he could get lucky tonight.

'_Because…'_ Lu's patronising tone came through, '_putting a glamour on you for your own pleasure would mean wasting my power. Power that I need for practice purposes. **Far **more important than your foolish plans.'_

"But…"

'_Quiet Mortal! I will not be moved. Ask me again in a few days.'_ With that Lu's voice vanished.

Rudy sighed.

ooo

"Dragonite, Fire Blast!"

The row of Dragon Pokémon obeyed and sent a stream of fire into the air, casting flickering shadows around the Stadium.

Trish, Jenn and Shannon had to shield their eyes as the combined fire of ten Dragonites, along with the bright sunshine made things a little too blinding. The three girls were seated along the walls of stadium floor, watching Ash and Drake train the Gym's home-bred Dragon Pokémon for the battle against Lu.

As well as the Dragonite, there were rows of Dragonair and Dratini waiting to be commanded. There was also Vibrava, Flygons, Altarias, Kingdras, Bagons, Shelgons and Salamences. Shannon was goggle-eyed to see so many dragon types in the one place.

"I didn't know that they bred all of those here," she breathed, awestruck.

"Nor did I," Trish chuckled. "Oh I knew about the Dragonite evolutions but not about the other types. Makes sense though, Pummelo is famous for its dragons."

"You think Drake could spare one or two?" Jenn quipped. "I wouldn't mind one."

"You have to get on Drake's good side first," Shannon teased the older girl.

Jenn tossed her head. "I am _always_ on Drake's good side."

"Except when you max out his credit cards," Trish grinned.

"I'll have you know that his credit cards have _never_ complained," the blonde sniffed.

"Drake would beg to differ," her friend smirked.

"I'm sure he would," Jenn snorted. "But it's not like he can't afford it. He's so loaded that my whole monthly spending on a maximum level wouldn't even make the tiniest of dents in his little ol' moneybags."

"So true."

"Or maybe it's because the money's not being spent by the one he thinks _should_ spend it," Shannon teased. "Jenn, you're spending all his money and his girlfriend isn't!"

"Well she _should_ be," Jenn grinned and both looked at Trish. The girl in question shrugged.

"I like to buy things with my own money mostly."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure," the blonde looked bored. "But that's _mostly_ what boyfriends are for."

The three girls had to cover their eyes again as the Dragonites let loose a Hyper Beam attack upon Drake's command.

"I wish I had a Dragonite," Shannon said wistfully. "I've always loved dragons and dragon pokémon. But they're so elusive that it's almost impossible to find a Dratini in the wild!"

"You could always try to persuade Drake to give you one," Trish suggested. "He's got plenty more than just those out there."

"Oh do you think he really would?" the brunette asked eagerly.

"No time to find out like the present," the Australian grinned and led her friends to the rows of Dratini. The small, lithe blue Dragon Pokémon cooed and sniffed their shoes tentatively.

"Ooooh they are just the cutest things!" Shannon squealed. "I absolutely _adore _Dratini!" The Pokémon cooed again and some of them nuzzled this _very_ wise human. Who could not adore a Dratini with their big brown eyes?

"They seem to like you very much," Drake observed as he walked up to them. Ash was continuing to command the Dragonite. The Orange Crew Leader slung an arm around Trish's waist. "So what do you think about our Gym-bred Pokémon?"

"They're very healthy and well-kept," his fiancée smiled. "And they're just the cutest things."

"We're not raising them to be cute," Drake rolled his eyes. "We're raising them to be strong and healthy Pokémon. Cute should not be a factor when buying a Pokémon."

Shannon just looked smug. "It is for women. Women are more likely to buy Pokémon that are cute or nice looking. Do you see any of us with non-cute Pokémon?"

Drake mentally ran through the inventory of assorted Pokémon that the girls had. Trish had her two Growlithe, an Espeon and a Pichu. Jenn also had two Growlithe, a Pichu, an Umbreon, and an Absol. Shannon had two Growlithe. All cute and fuzzy creatures, with none being particularly fierce looking.

He sighed. "You're right. You've all got cute fluffy creatures."

"Of course I'm right," Shannon grinned.

"Oh don't _you_ start sounding like Jenn," Drake groaned. "I swear that girl is contagious. One of her is bad enough without having her infecting the rest of you to be acting like she does."

"I am _not _contagious," Jenn snorted. "I'm just very infectious."

"I think you mean influential," Trish grinned.

"Neither is anything good," the Orange Crew Leader teased before Trish whacked him.

The blonde blew a raspberry at him.

"So did you guys just decide to have a look at the Pokémon or did you want something?" Drake grinned.

"Well actually…" Trish drawled. "We were hoping that you would be the sweetest man on the face of this Earth and give us a Dratini each."

Drake's eyes widened. "Each?"

"Yeah, each," she smirked at him. "Love me, love my friends."

"Babe," Drake looked over at Shannon and Jenn, who were each staking out a Dratini, "That's a _lot _of love."

Trish just arched an eyebrow at him.

Drake groaned inwardly. Shannon had sought out what he knew to be a gentle, yet protective Dratini, while Jenn had gained the attention of a Dratini he personally thought to be a handful.

_It could be amusing_, the Orange Crew Leader thought, _if not hilarious to see if the girls can handle such lively Pokémon. Plus they only get **more** lively once they evolve. It could be very fun to see them realising they've bitten off more than they can chew. _

He looked to Trish and smiled, "I don't mind if they don't. And by they, I meant the Dratini."

She brightened immensely, "Really? You don't have any problem with it?"

"Of course not."

"Oh, Jenn and Shan will be totally geeked about this!" Trish grinned. "You'll be their most favourite person in the world!" She hollered to her two friends, "Hey gals! Drake has just agreed to let you have a Dratini each!"

Shannon's eyes lit up like a kid in a toy store. "Really?" she squeaked.

"Yeah, really?" Jenn echoed. "You're not just kidding around, are you?"

"Would I punk you on something like this?" the Australian feigned insult.

"Maybe, maybe not," the blonde allowed. "But I wouldn't put it past Drake!"

"I never tease someone when it comes to my pokémon," the man in question protested. "I'm really letting you have a Dratini."

There was a delighted squeal as Shannon ran up to the Orange Crew Leader and engulfed him in a huge hug. "I love you Drake! You are the bestest!" she squealed again. "I've always wanted a Dratini!" Drake hugged her back with a grin, before Shannon blushed and stepped back. "Um…I mean I love you like a _brother_ of course."

"Of course," the Orange Crew Leader put her at ease. "You were just over-excited, that's all."

"That's our Shan," Trish giggled as the girl turned beet red.

Jenn grinned as she sauntered up to Drake and gave him a bear hug. "Thanks, Drake, old bean. Maybe you're not so bad after all."

He rolled his eyes, but hugged back. "Gee, thanks Jenn."

"You're welcome."

"So have you decided on which one you'd like?"

The two girls nodded.

"I haven't even had a look yet," Trish said sheepishly.

"Wait, let _me_ choose for you," Drake winked at his fiancée. "I'll pick out a really good one." For upon further reflection, he decided that having fun seeing Trish cope with an unruly Pokémon was probably a bad idea. Not only was she his wife-to-be and it might be detrimental to their relationship, but she might cause him grievous bodily harm.

"Okay…" Trish looked doubtful. "But will you pick the right one?"

"Don't you trust me?" Drake looked wounded. "I wouldn't give you a Pokémon that doesn't like you."

"I know," the Australian agreed. "It's just that I would want to be sure of your choice first."

"Then come with me." Drake took her hand and they walked along the row of Pokémon together. Ash was now training the Dragonair, so Dragonite joined his trainer and girlfriend.

"How about this one?" the Orange Crew Leader stopped at one Dratini who was curled up asleep. "He's a real happy little creature."

"He sure looks it! He's practically passed out in the sun!" Trish looked at the Pokémon when she felt something against her leg and a contented coo. She looked down to see a Dratini nuzzling against her leg and looking up with big brown eyes.

She bent down and picked the critter up, cradling it in her arms. "How about this one?"

Dragonite rumbled something to the Dratini, which squeaked happily. The big Pokémon then whispered in his trainer's ear. Drake grinned.

"What did he say?" Trish asked.

"He said that this little Dratini has taken a shine to you and wants to be your Pokémon," Drake explained. "This particular Pokémon is a fast learner with a beautifully even temperament."

"How does Dragonite know all that?"

"I oversee all the Dragon raising in the Archipelago, so I knew as much as he did. However, she's his _daughter_," Drake grinned. "Plus she's like that. The gym subordinates have nothing but praise for her."

"Aw, aren't you a good little girl?" Trish grinned at the Pokémon who licked her under the chin.

"You want her?"

"Sure do!" She placed the Dratini back on the ground and gave Drake a tight hug and a kiss. "Thank you so much! You'll be getting _so_ thoroughly thanked later."

The Orange Crew Leader grinned. "I like the sound of that."

Jenn and Shannon walked up to them and Trish stifled a giggle. Shannon had her Dratini cuddled in her arms, while Jenn had let hers coil over her shoulders like a stole.

"Uh Jenn…are you sure you want _that _particular Dratini?" Drake enquired.

"I chose him, didn't I." It wasn't a question and Jenn looked at him squarely.

"He's very feisty," Drake said cautiously, "So far he's been a real handful for the trainers. You think you can deal with him?"

"Oh psh, Drake," Jenn reached up and scratched the little creature's throat. "Of course I can."

"He doesn't listen to commands very well."

"Like Pokémon, like Trainer, but I'm sure there's a reason for his non listening ability," Jenn said confidently, "Maybe he's just a little lonely or maybe he's constipated."

The others blinked at that. Drake was the first to recover.

"It's your time," Drake said, "But…"

"Ah, but nothing!" Jenn grinned, "At any rate, you sound like you're challenging me."

Drake looked from the blonde to his fiancée, "Uh, not really…"

"Challenge accepted," Jenn nodded, "I'll show you one confident and eager to listen Dratini."

"Maybe we should hold off with any challenges for the moment," Trish stepped in quickly. "For one thing we just got the Pokémon so we need to spend time with them first. Secondly and more importantly, we have a homicidal Fae out to destroy the world. We need to be training together, not issuing challenges."

"He challenged me first," the blonde protested.

"I did not!" Drake retorted.

"Whatever."

"We need to get their Poké Balls, " Trish said, getting them back on track. "Get them registered with the League…which means that we need names."

"Hmmm…" Shannon pondered.

"How about Ovaltini? Martini?" the Australian suggested with an impish grin.

"OYYYY!" the brunette groaned. "You and your puns. If I had something, I'd throw it at you."

Trish beamed. "You know me. Gotta pun 'em all."

More groans. "You are insufferable," Drake put an arm around her and drew her close.

"But you still love me," she smirked.

"You bet I do," he murmured and kissed her on the forehead.

"Awwwwwww" Shannon cooed. Jenn just rolled her eyes.

The Grand Master walked up to them with Pikachu in her usual place on his shoulder. "Hey, Drake, I think that we should call it a day. It looks like there's a huge storm brewing."

They all looked up and saw that the sky had grown dark grey and heavy with cloud cover. A damp wind blew, ruffling Pikachu's ears like banners.

"Sweet!" Jenn said excitedly, "About time a good storm came up."

"You're way too excited about that possibility," the Orange Crew Leader decided. "We'll tell the gym subordinates and workers to start moving the Pokémon back into the sheds." He talked to all three girls. "You'd better get back to the villa. We'll see you there."

The two men walked off, leaving the three friends. The girls picked up their newest Pokémon and looked at each other. "Let's go," Trish said, walking off towards the exit. "We don't want to get caught in the storm."

"Aww, sure we do," Jenn sulked, "It could be fun!"

"You're still a disaster!" Shannon teased, "Especially if a storm gets you excited!"

ooo

An hour later, Jenn was standing at the large windows of Drake's villa, watching intently as the storm howled outside. The glass was so streaked with rain that she could hardly see outside, and lightning and thunder crashed every few minutes.

"Jenn, would you _please_ move away from the window?" Trish pleaded with her friend. "The wind is so wild that something could crash through and you'd be hurt."

"I'm fine. I do this all the time," the blonde said nonchalantly.

"That's what worries me.," Trish said, "I know all about you watching tornados from your windows at home."

From the corner of her eye, Jenn saw Ash giving her a look that spoke volumes about not getting Trish upset about the blonde's welfare. She bit back an annoyed sigh, especially since the storm was just picking up volume and creating some wicked lightning, and joined her friends. They were gathered in the living room, which was central to the villa, to wait for the storm to pass.

Ash was playing cards with Shannon, while Drake and Trish were seated on the sofa, flipping through photo albums. She settled herself down by Ash. "I hope everyone else in the gang is okay."

"They are," Drake reassured them. "Mia rang to say that the rest of them are holed up in your villa."

"That's a relief," Jenn sighed.

"What have you girls decided to call your Dratini?" Drake asked.

"I'll call mine, Clio," Trish said.

"Mine's called Kazul," Shannon grinned.

"Ooh, does that mean you can be dressed smart or kazul?"

Shannon groaned and threw a pillow at her friend. Trish just grinned.

"I'll call mine Tamu," Jenn decided. At the looks she got, she looked puzzled. "What?"

"That's not a word!" Drake complained.

"Yeah it is," Jenn defended her name choice. "It means trouble in Swahili."

Trish stared, gape jawed, "Since _when_ do _you_ know Swahili?"

"Duh much," Jenn rolled her eyes. "I _do_ watch _Animal Planet_. One program named a cheetah cub that. Actually he had a sister named Tabu, which means sweetness, but my Dratini looks like a trouble maker."

ooo

Twenty minutes went by, with Jenn taking a little nap whilst the others joined in on a card game; Trish and Drake having abandoned their photos. Drake had just won a hand when Jenn woke up, blinking sleepily.

"It's still storming?"

"Yep," Ash said, laying a card face down, "Still going strong."

"Almost like it's sitting on top of us!" Shannon exclaimed.

"That doesn't seem right." She bit her lip. "Do you think it could be Lu? I don't remember hearing anything about any storms."

"Could be. I'll check the paper," Ash grabbed the newspaper and flipped open to the weather forecast. "Nothing wrong with the weather forecast," he said after scanning it. "Everything's supposed to be fine and sunny until the weekend."

"We're not the only ones experiencing it, are we?" Jenn asked. "I mean, not to ask a stupid question, but did you check the news on TV? I'd feel really stupid if this villa and ours were the only ones going through this storm."

Drake and Ash looked at each other, Shannon and Trish doing the same. "We haven't," Trish admitted, while Shannon looked sheepish.

"Oops!" The brunette said bashfully.

Trish grabbed the remote from the table they were playing cards on and turned on the set. Changing the channel to a news station, the breaking news story, which looked to be an hour old, was currently in the throes of a system of storms that seemed to be converging on Pummelo Island.

"…and after narrowly missing Navel Island, who only experienced minimal damage, the storm has settled in a steady path for Pummelo Island," The newsperson, a blonde woman in a studio, looked professionally at ease, "With the warm waters of the Archipelago fuelling it, this storm may very well grow into a Category Five hurricane. We'll be back after a short commercial break to speak to Micah in the weather centre for more information on this year's super storm."

"Do we really care about Micah in the storm centre?" Jenn said it teasingly though she looked as shocked as the others.

"I kind of think so," Drake took in a breath, "And I hope that thing swings out to sea and dies."

"Something about this storm doesn't feel right," Jenn said strongly, "Lu's gotta be behind it."

"You absol-utely sure about that?" Shannon cracked.

"It's not just that, though there are some intuitive feelings of impending disaster," Jenn said absently, "But I know weather and this storm feels completely wrong."

"As long as you know that fire power couldn't help you here," Trish warned.

"Au contraire," Jenn arched an eyebrow, "It could come in very handy. What if we needed to keep warm or roast marshmallows?"

"Oh sure, marshmallow roasting is a very good reason to have Puck give your fire power back to you," Shannon teased.

"There are some things that you should give up on, Jenn," Ash said gently.

"Ashy-boy, in the wise words of Jack Dawson, I'll never let go."

"Him?" Drake made a face, "He died."

"Yeah cuz he froze to death," Jenn said bluntly. "But if he had fire power, then he'd inherently have had a higher core temperature."

A particularly loud rumble of thunder sounded close to the villa and the wind picked up again. Rain lashed at the windows and Drake looked worried.

"You have to stop watching the _Fantastic Four_ movie," Trish noted to the blonde, squeezing Drake's hand in reassurance, "Don't worry, hon, things will be fine."

"So I watched it once or twice or ten times," Jenn said breezily, "It's not about that, it…"

"What?" Drake looked even more worried.

"Can't you feel it?" The blonde had stood up and walked to the windows in the other room.

"There she goes again with the freaky," Shannon looked worried, and the group rose to follow the blonde.

"Trouble is," Trish said, "She's been right."

"Now if only she can pick winning lotto numbers," Drake joked, "She could lay off my cards."

"Guys," Jenn pointed out the window, "We got a lot more important things than me allegedly spending Drake's money. That kind of rumbly feeling I felt but didn't mention? It had a reason for being rumbly."

Drake looked out of the window and almost gasped. Trish and Shannon took care of that for him, while Ash pulled out his cell phone. "What's the phone for?"

"I have to get Misty out of here as soon as possible," Ash looked grim. "Along with the rest of Pummelo Island and whoever else is in this thing's path."

"That'll be impossible," Drake shook his head. "You're talking the evacuation of millions and that's on _known_ islands. There are smaller islands with people who have never left them."

Ash shrugged, "They don't know Lu."

Shannon eeped, "You think it is Lu?"

Ash gave a bitter little laugh, "A hurricane that pops up out of nowhere that's gaining power and growing massive while it's on a direct path to Pummelo? Oh yeah, I really think it's Lu behind it all."

The group turned from the window and the sight of the ocean pounding the beach.

ooo

_Ten minutes later_…

Puck and Callie had gathered the rest of the group from the girls' villa to Drake's. Puck and his sister had reassured the Crew Leader. They could set a barrier around both villas, if he so wished, to protect them. While they could not do the same for the islands as an entirety, as the use of that amount of power would leave them with naught against Lu, it was the least they could do.

Drake told them to go ahead with the barrier. He had enough on his plate to worry about. First thing he did was to have his family and any other relatives brought over to the villa, along with the household staff and their families. With over one hundred rooms, there was plenty of space for everyone, without being squashy.

Once that was taken care of, Drake took himself to his study. He planned to study the operations manual on national emergency situations; fully expecting the authorities to ring any minute to ask him to give the order to initiate proceedings.

While Puck and Callie erected the barrier, the girls busied themselves by helping the staff start to stockpile provisions ready to take down to the villa's basement storm shelter.

Ash had managed to contact Misty at their rental villa. "Honey, you need to pack your bags and get out of here as soon as possible. It's not safe," he urged.

"You don't think I know that?" Misty said shakily. "I _told_ you that something really bad was going to happen!"

"I know."

"I'm already packed and ready to go," she informed her husband. "Are you coming with me?"

"Misty…I can't. I need to stay here and help."

"What?" Her voice was panicked. "You _have_ to come back with me. _I_ need you!"

Ash ran a hand through his dark locks in frustration. "Myst, I would love to come back with you, you know that. But I just can't leave Drake here to deal with something on a scale like this by himself."

"Hurricanes are a natural phenomenon for him! He lives on an island chain where hurricanes happen all the time. He's used to dealing with them."

The Grand Master took a deep breath. "This one isn't natural, hon. It's Lu's doing."

"Lu!" Her tone was almost hysterical. "Then you _are_ coming with me, **_now_**."

"I can't," Ash said as gently as he could. "I can't leave the rest of my friends to face such a powerful foe alone. As the Chosen One, I have a chance of beating him."

"Oh for once can't you just forget about being a frigging superhero!" Misty screamed, in tears. "I'm your **_wife_**. Don't I and the baby count more than your friends?"

"You and the baby mean everything to me, you know that."

"Well if you cared, you would be going back with me now!" she retorted. "The baby needs a **_father_**, not a dead hero wannabe."

Ash gritted his teeth at that, "Misty, if I leave and Lu wins then there won't **_be_** a world left for the baby," he said firmly. "Please listen and trust me. Go back to Indigo or Pallet. I _will_ come home to you, I promise. You know that I've never broken a promise to you, ever."

"Ash, there are some things that promises can't cover," Though she tried to sound calmer, she failed. Her voice hitched, "I just can't believe this is more important to you."

Ash took a deep breath, owing up Misty's reaction to pregnancy hormones, and said, "I can get Will to send his Alakazam over to bring you home."

"Don't bother," Misty said, "Will's probably too busy anyway, training in some spooky decrepit corner of that maze under the Plateau."

"The maze isn't that bad."

"Ash, it's a freak show that sends more kids to a shrink than anything in the world."

"I've installed escape ropes at every…" He shook his head, "Listen, the important thing is getting you out of here."

"I've already got a ride out," Misty said coldly, "I was just about to call and confirm a ride out."

Ash's eyes widened, "What? Who are you going with?"

"That's none of your business," Ash heard a suitcase snap shut. Misty's voice sounded even colder than before, "But maybe if you weren't so busy with fairies you might have seen it."

"Seen what?"

"I have to go, Ash. I still have to get some things from downstairs," She paused, "I'll see you whenever you get home."

"I love you, Misty."

"…I love you too, Ash."

She hung up then and Ash stared at the cell phone in his hand. He flipped it shut and slid it in his jeans pocket. He had an instinctive bad gut feeling, but it didn't feel related to Misty's safety.

ooo

The chefs (along with Brock who had come to see Ash and Drake soon after the storm hit) were cooking up mountains of food in preparation. Some of the meals would be taken to the designated storm shelters to feed the people who would be moved there as soon as it was safe.

The authorities were in constant contact with Drake, Ash and the national storm warning centre. The declaration of a national emergency situation had not been made yet; all of them wanting to be certain as to what they would be facing before telling the people.

All signs pointed towards an enormous hurricane with the potential to reach a Category Four or Five, brewing a few thousand miles to the north of Pummelo and in direct line to hit.

Drake, Ash, and the girls were gathered in Drake's study. A large map of the archipelago was spread out on the large executive desk; the site of the hurricane's origin marked with a black felt tip pen. The Orange Crew Leader was currently on a conference call linking the national weather centre, the police and emergency services.

"Calculations of the wind speed have led us to predict that it will be at least three to five days before it hits landfall," the expert from the weather centre said over the speaker phone.

"Three to five days," Drake exhaled loudly. "….is that enough time to work a full-scale evacuation to get everyone off of Pummelo?"

"It _has_ to be," the Head Officer Jenny said grimly. "The reports I have indicate that many people are leaving already by plane or Pokémon. Boats are out of the question, since all vessels are currently grounded in the harbour."

"The airport won't be able to cope by itself once we make the official call to evacuate," the Orange Crew Leader shook his head. "We're going to have to gather together as many high level Psychic Pokémon as possible to teleport groups of people out."

Ash made a notation down on a pad. "I can contact Will, Karen and Sabrina to lend their Pokémon. They won't mind helping out in an emergency." He paused. "What about large Flying Pokémon? They can fly people out and easily avoid the path of the hurricane."

"True," Drake nodded. "I've got Gengar and the Gym's Dragonites to use."

"I've got Espeon, Charizard, Pidgeot and…um…." the Grand Master ticked off on his fingers before hesitating. "Um…and whoever else I have in my collection."

"Got so many Pokémon that you can't remember them all?" Drake grinned.

"Yeah…you could say that."

"That'll teach you not to specialize," the Orange Crew Leader chuckled. "At least, specialising mainly in Dragonite evolutions means that I only have three to remember – Dratini, Dragonair and Dragonite."

Ash just shrugged. "I just like all Pokémon…"

"Back to matters at hand," Officer Jenny coughed to get everyone back on track, "will you allow the police to forcibly evacuate people from their homes?"

Drake was silent for a few moments. "I don't really like the thought of forcing anyone to do anything against their will, but I also don't want to have any deaths on our hands. Deaths that can easily be prevented." He sighed. "I will allow the use of force to evacuate to be exercised at the officer's discretion. If they don't want to leave and they have adequate shelter, I guess you can't make them."

"When was the last time Pummelo was hit by a hurricane of this size?" Ash enquired.

The Orange Crew Leader looked at a notepad. "I looked it up, and last time was sixty years ago. Way before any of us were born."

Jenn looked like she was about to make a quip about that until a glare from Trish silenced her. Now was not the time nor place to be wisecracking.

"What was the aftermath?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Seventy percent of homes were destroyed, sixty percent of infrastructure, and 400 lives lost," Drake informed them. "I don't think it needs to be said that I am **_not_** wanting a repeat of those statistics or worse."

Ash tapped the notebook with his pen. "If the worst comes to the worst, is Pummelo set to cope financially with the costs?"

The Orange Crew Leader leaned back in his executive chair. "I can tell you with confidence that money will be the least of our worries. There's plenty in the national bank flowing in from the League, plus money from tourism and taxes to cover reconstruction costs with plenty left over."

"What about the other islands in the Archipelago?" Trish spoke up quietly. "What about all the other people on the sea that may be in the path of the hurricane?"

"All we can do is give the general order to evacuate to as many islands and ship routes as possible. However, there isn't much else we can do for them. Pummelo alone will be a mammoth problem without anyone else added to it."

"I suppose so…" she conceded but didn't sound too happy about it. Jenn patted her friend's hand, she knew that the one thing that Trish hated most was not being able to do anything to help.

Drake sat up decisively. "Okay, I want everything to be in place for a general evacuation by tomorrow afternoon at the very latest. When I make the call, I want the transition of people to go as smoothly as possible. No hiccups or problems if at all possible."

"I'll call Will and the others right after this," Ash pulled out his phone.

"Good," the Orange Crew Leader turned to address the experts from the national storm warning centre. "Guys, I want you to keep tracking this bugger as closely as possible. I want regular updates on position, speed, and intensity." They nodded.

"You've all got my number. The moment everyone is ready, let me know and I'll make the call."

ooo

Jenn and Shan went to the kitchen to get themselves a snack, while Trish went upstairs. When the two girls went in search of their friend, they found her seated on the floor in her room, playing with her Pokémon.

It appeared that Clio, the newest member of her Pokégang, was already accepted by the others. The Dratini was playing hide-and-seek with Hamlet, Espeon and Pepita. Ophelia was on Trish's lap, getting a much appreciated tummy scratch.

"Hey, T," the blonde greeted before plopping herself down on the floor. Pepita squeaked and hopped into her lap. Shannon sat down on the bed.

The girl looked up. "Hey Jenn, Shan. What brings you two here? I thought you had gone to stuff your faces."

"We've already done that," Jenn blew a raspberry at her friend who grinned innocently. "We wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine, you know that," Trish dismissed her concern with a wave of her hand which Ophelia licked lazily.

"No you're not," the blonde retorted. "You were so quiet during the end of that meeting that I thought you fell asleep. I know that means that you're upset." Her friend did not answer, which meant that she was right.

"Okay, so I am a bit."

"Drake can't save everyone in the archipelago, you know," Shannon said gently. "You shouldn't get upset at him for something that is physically and logistically impossible."

Trish sighed and cuddled Ophelia close to her. "I know…it's just that it sucks majorly. You know how I hate to see anyone get hurt or killed."

The brunette nodded. Her eldest friend was first and foremost a humanitarian, concerned for the welfare of her fellow human beings, no matter where they were in the world.

Jenn patted Trish on the back. "Don't worry, Trish. Drake and Ash sound like they have things under control. They're going to get as many people out as possible. Anyone who stays gets what's coming to them."

"Jenn!" Shannon squeaked. "That's not very nice."

The blonde shrugged. "No, but it's true." She placed Pepita back on the floor before heaving herself off the floor. "Aiight, how about Shan and I fetch our monsters and come back here so they can introduce themselves and stuff?"

Trish's eyes widened, "And stuff? When there's **_that_** outside?"

Jenn shrugged again, "Hey, we'll be here till the very end so why not just act like it's any other day?"

Trish and Shannon looked at each other, then at Jenn. "I guess you've got a point," Shannon finally said.

"I've got many good points," the blonde grinned and dusted off her pants. "I'll be back in a minute or so. Shan, you want me to bring your lil sweeties up here for you?"

The brunette nodded. "Yes please, the Poké Balls are kept in a little padded basket on my dresser."

"Aiight, I'll be back."

ooo

When Drake and Ash entered the room an half hour later, they found the three girls on the floor surrounded by a tangle of furry creatures. With six Growlithe, an Espeon, an Umbreon, an Absol, two Pichu and three Dratini – it made for a very boisterous gathering.

The Fire Puppies, especially, were having the time of their lives; romping around and chasing each other around the room. Little Kigali was alternately joining in or trying to hide on Jenn's lap and snuggle her head under the blonde's arm.

The two men took in the absolute bedlam and grinned. Pikachu and Poptart leapt down off Ash's shoulders to join in the fun.

Drake sat down on the bed while Ash took the nearest free chair. Trish managed to extract herself from the wriggling furry pile and sat down next to her fiancé.

"Welcome to our funhouse," she quipped. "You guys finished what you had to do?"

The Orange Crew Leader gave a tired smile. "Yeah, we're going to get things to start rolling first thing tomorrow morning."

"So what up?" Jenn asked.

Drake hesitated. "I was thinking that perhaps… it would be best for you girls to leave Pummelo as soon as possible…go home maybe until all this is over."

The three girls blinked, looked at each other and then looked at Drake, then answered as one. "No way!"

"Girls, listen to me _please_," the Orange Crew Leader held up a hand. "The safest place for you at this time would be back home with your families. I'm sure that they're probably all worried sick about you right now and wanting you to come home. They would never forgive me if something happened to any of you. What's more important is that I would never be able to forgive myself if one of you were hurt or killed." He squeezed Trish's hand. "Especially you."

"I'm _not_ leaving you," the Australian said firmly. "I'm not going to leave you to face this all alone."

"Don't even _think _of trying to tell me what to do," Jenn glared at Drake, "I'll do the exact opposite and not even care about what you think."

"And if they're not going then I'm not either!" Shannon vowed.

Drake narrowed his eyes, "I'm the authority here, girls, not you. What happens in Pummelo…"

"Stays in Pummelo!" Jenn cracked and looked over at Trish, who had swiftly glared at her friend, "Oh come on. It begged to be said."

"What happens in Pummelo is a duty that falls directly onto my shoulders," Drake went on, obviously trying to keep his temper in check, "Not Ash's, not the police, not anyone's but _mine_."

Trish softened at the tone and the words. She knew that Drake had a lot of responsibility, but the emotions that flooded through her made her realize that he cared about their safety more than he was able to show.

"I'll go," Trish said softly.

Jenn, who was in the middle of firing off a retort spun on her heels, "What!"

Drake and Ash looked equally surprised. Shannon gaped at the Australian, while the Pokémon all halted their play. Kigali sat by her mistress' feet and leaned against the blonde.

"You _cannot_ be serious!" Jenn's eyes were wide. "Lu is _all_ of our problem! We need to be here to. . ."

"To what, Jenn?" Trish asked gently, "We do not have high level Pokémon as Ash and Drake do. We do not have magical powers like Puck and Callie do. We do not have abilities to speak with the Legendaries and other Pokémon as Ash does."

"So what, you're saying we're just a bunch of Willows and Xanders?" Jenn frowned, "No, wait, Willow was at least a witch."

Trish shrugged, "That's sort of what I'm saying."

"It would be best, then," Shannon looked sad, "Even though I don't want to go, I will if it's the best thing to do. I wouldn't want to get in the way."

"Then you're going to have to do something irrational with me," Jenn said flatly, "Because I will not go. Lu has done too much to me to not justify a fight from me."

Drake considered Chris' idea and shook his head, "Jenn, you have to go."

"I will **_not_**!" Jenn said stubbornly. Kigali, unsure of what was going on, gave a little growl of unease.

"Then I'll have no other choice. Well, there's one but it's not morally proper," Drake said, "If you won't go when I ask you nicely, then I'll have to banish you from Pummelo and have you **_forcibly_** removed."

Ash could see a variety of emotions course over the blonde's face, from shock, to anger, to something a little conniving. '_Oh please, just **go**!_' The Chosen One thought fiercely.

"You could've just had Puck give me my fire power back and none of this 'forcibly removed' would be necessary," The blonde air quoted Drake's words and crossed her arms over her stomach.

Ash sighed. Of course it wouldn't be that easy with her.

The group groaned as one, Trish being the first to recover. "Jenn, for the love of Lugia, will you just give up? Not just on the fire power, but on leaving!"

"I can't do that," Jenn grinned, "I wouldn't be me if I gave up like that." She looked to Drake, "If you force me to leave, I'll just borrow Merlin again and come right back."

Drake shook his head, "Merlin and his brethren are under lockdown," he said dryly, "You couldn't get to him or any others without passing a palm scan and a retinal scan."

"Wanna bet?" the blonde crossed her arms.

The Orange Crew Leader raised an eyebrow. "If you break in to the Pokémon sheds, then I will just have to let Officer Jenny throw you into a prison cell and be charged with break and enter and attempted Pokémon theft. I'm sure that your parents would be thrilled to hear about that."

"They won't like it, but at least I get to stay," Jenn countered.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Jenn – why can't you be more like Trish and go along with it? Lu's done more stuff to her than to you, and you don't see her all fire and brimstone. She's definitely not on a revenge kick like you are."

"Then you don't know Trish as well as I do," she smirked. "She's never been the kind to be vengeful and the day she is will be the day the world ends."

"Which may be in a few days if Lu manages to succeed," the Grand Master said in a sober tone. That managed to quieten even Jenn.

"Look Jenn, we all know that you're itching for a fight with Lu," he continued gently. "But you have to understand the extreme danger you're placing yourself in by staying here. You don't have any magic and you don't have any powerful Pokémon."

"I know that, genius," Jenn snapped back irritably.

"You'd be extremely vulnerable to anything Lu throws against us."

"You have a point to this monologue, don't you?"

Ash sighed patiently, "We'll give you two days maximum to reconsider your decision and that's it."

Jenn mock curtseyed, "Thank you _ever_ so kindly, milord." Then she spun on her heel and left the room.

ooo

Jenn heard Trish and Shannon walking after her and the blonde slowed her fast walking to a slow stalk. Choosing to dodge into the spacious laundry room to her right, she waited for them to enter the room. When she did, the blonde rounded on her best friend. "What are you _smoking_ to think of leaving? Because I'd like some. I don't understand you two!"

Trish remained calm. "It is in our best interests, in _everyone's_ best interests, for us to leave. We'd only be in the way."

"That's true," Shannon nodded.

"But before that, you said that you weren't gonna leave Drake to face this alone," Jenn was confused. "Don't you love him enough to stay?"

"Jenn, I love him more than **_anything_** in the world, which is why I will be going," Trish explained. "Believe me, I don't want to go, but he's already under so much stress that I don't want to add to it by staying when he's so afraid for my safety."

"I'm not going."

Trish blew out an exasperated sigh, "Honestly, girl! I am just about ready to take Chris's idea to Puck and say that Drake and Ash approved it, and I'm sure they are just about to as well!"

"At least then I'd have something to defend myself with other than my trusty ITEO babies."

Shannon sighed gently. This was getting very uncomfortable. She really hoped her best friends were not _fighting_, fighting. Maybe it was another ploy in case Lu was spying on them.

Trish smiled thinly, "You would have your fire power but I'd make sure you were kept locked up until it was all over!"

Jenn's eyes widened, "That's unfair!"

"And you've been behaving unfairly."

Jenn bristled at that, "I have not! All I want is to make Lu realize how unfair he's been."

"So it's not about revenge?" Shannon asked.

"No."

"And it's not about your wounded pride?" Trish queried.

Jenn paused before saying no and Trish shook her head. "I think it _is _about your pride," the Australian said softly, "And that's never a good way to go about dishing out paybacks. Your pride would ignite your temper and you'd end up flying off the handle and into the way and end up getting yourself hurt. Your temper would blind you to rationalized thought!"

The blonde began to protest, but Trish held up a hand. "If you did somehow get powers other than an ITEO weapon, you'd have to act as part of a team. I **_know_** you Jenn, and you do not do team work very well. You like being a loner far too much."

"That's only partially true," Jenn protested weakly.

"If you had a power or even if you were temporarily changed, you'd have to listen to someone in charge. You like to control situations, even when they're beyond your ability."

"It's not as if I've always gone against every rule or person in charge."

Shannon stifled a grin, "What about sneaking out to get back at Gary?"

Jenn reddened, "I was curious."

"About what!" Trish laughed, "How soon you could get caught by the bad guys?"

"It wasn't supposed to end that way," Jenn grumbled.

Trish sat at the folding table, and the other two did as well. Taking seats opposite of each other, "What _was_ supposed to happen?"

Jenn shrugged, "I didn't think that far. I figured I could find him and then go from there."

Trish stared at Jenn, "You went under a false story and ended up confronting your ex and you _didn't_ have a plan other than when you saw him?"

"That's about right."

"That's probably about the worst reason for you to stay here, then," Shannon said gently, "Have you thought of what would happen if you stayed to help Ash and Drake?"

Jenn shook her head, "Not really."

"But you want to stay anyway?" Trish asked, "It sounds like a pride issue."

"It may be that. I have been real vocal about staying," Jenn took a breath, "But it's grown to be more than that. I just _feel _like I should be here. Can't you understand that?"

Trish and Shannon both shook their heads, "Not really," Trish said. "While I am very concerned about Ash and Drake, and Callie and Puck, I'm also worried about my own safety."

"Me too," Shannon said, "If I was hurt or killed, my parents would be devastated."

"I second that," Trish said, "Plus what of our Pokémon? They'd be distraught beyond belief."

"And what if those four already have a plan in mind," Shannon added, "They could have a whole strategy that doesn't include you in any way, shape, or form."

"I'm selfish, I know," Jenn said, "But I don't care. I have to be here. I can't not be here in person to see this end. The suspense would kill me."

"_Lu_ could kill you!" Trish was beyond exasperated.

"Lu's tried and I've survived. _You've_ survived!"

"That doesn't make you immune to him," Shannon spoke up, "He got you once before and once after the _Titanic_ debacle!"

"I'm not the only one to have been continuously duped by Lu," Jenn protested. "Uh…am I?"

"Can't say that I have been since that run in with the Puppy from Hell," Trish said evenly.

The blonde sulked and crossed her arms.

"In fact I think that having been duped at least twice more by Lu would make you even more vulnerable and susceptible to his magic," Shannon stated. "He could throw anything at the group and you would be the first to fall."

"I would not," Jenn said resentfully.

"Jenn, I hate to say this, but you are probably the most vulnerable of us all," Trish said gently. "Lu will be out to make sure that no one survives this time. What if you were killed? What then? What about your family? How would they feel? How would _I_ feel?"

The blonde was silent.

The Australian took this as a sign to continue. "How would little Kigali feel if you were killed? She was abused and mistreated by her former trainer, and anyone can see how she clings to you and needs a bit of mothering. She would be completely devastated."

"Plus she's only a baby still," Shannon joined in. "She gets so scared so easily – it's not fair to keep her in such a frightening situation. Kigali needs to be somewhere calm and peaceful."

"Well…." It was obvious Jenn's resolve was weakening. When it came to the welfare of animals or Pokémon, she could never do enough to reassure them.

"Do it for Little Kigali," Trish coaxed. "Please?"

"Fine, I'll go," Jenn waved a hand in surrender. "But it's _only _because of Kigali. If it wasn't for her, I'd stay."

Shannon cheered.

"You people suck," Jenn stalked out of the laundry room, "And you're still going to have to drag me out of here."

ooo

A lone figure stood on the cliffs, impervious to the drenching rain and howling winds. On closer observation one would have seen that the figure was smiling widely.

Lu stood on his deserted island and observed his swirling masterpiece with delight. This would ensure his victory over his archrival, he just knew it.

The rising level of fear from the mortals in the Archipelago was giving him renewed strength and vigour; and as his strength grew, so did the intensity of the hurricane.

A satisfied grin came over the Fae's face. After he wiped out his enemies, then he would be free to overtake the world. Once that had been achieved, then Elysium would fall…and Puck and Callie's sacrifice would have been for naught.

ooo

Later that night, Drake found Trish in her bedroom. A suitcase lay open on the bed with neat piles of folded clothes beside it. Her Pokémon were all loose. Clio was dozing in a small coil on a chair, Hamlet was giving Pepita rides, Ophelia was chewing on a Kong, and Espeon was asleep.

"How's things?" he asked as he sat on a free part of the bed.

"Okay," Trish smiled as she folded a shirt neatly. "We finally managed to convince Jenn on the wisdom of going."

"You did?"

"Yeah, but it was a psychological battle and a half," she chuckled. "I've never met a more stubborn human being than Jenn."

"I definitely agree with you on that." He paused. "I'm sorry about snapping at you girls earlier."

"No need to apologise," Trish soothed him. "You're under so much stress at the moment. We understand."

"I don't think Jenn did," he muttered.

"Oh she will, you know how she likes being difficult."

"Truer words have never been spoken," he grinned in spite of himself.

"I know," the Australian smirked back as she went to grab more clothes from her wardrobe.

"I don't really want you to go."

Trish stopped what she was doing and sat down beside him. "I know; and I don't really want to leave either. But it's for the best, and hopefully it will only be for a little while…"

Drake smiled and squeezed her hand. "I just don't want to risk losing you, or seeing Lu hurt you again. I love you more than anything in the world."

She smiled and kissed him. "Just promise me that you'll take care of yourself. While I know you'll take good care of the others, I don't want you to forget yourself. I want to come back and _marry_ you, _not_ bury you."

The Orange Crew Leader put his arms around her and hugged her tight. "I promise if you promise to do the same."

"Promise," her voice was muffled against his shirt.

"Stay with me tonight?" he whispered into her hair.

Trish raised her head and smiled at him. "You need never to ask."

ooo

Jenn was reading in her room, sprawled on her bed, when Ash walked in. Kigali yipped in delight and proceeded to jump like a coiled spring at the Grand Master's legs.

The blonde looked up. "Who gave you permission to enter my domain?"

"I did," Ash grinned. "It is a free world after all, and last time I checked, this villa and all its rooms belonged to Drake."

Jenn mock-scowled at him. "You know what I mean."

"And you know what _I _mean." The Grand Master sat down on the end of the bed, Kigali taking possession of his lap.

"Uh…yeah." She earmarked her page and put the book down. "So what did you want?"

"Just to say sorry for earlier. I know you didn't like what I said, and perhaps I shouldn't have made it sound like I was ordering you around."

The blonde shrugged. "Like you said before, it's a free world. I accept your apology, but Ash, I'm not as nice as you are. I'm not going to apologize for what I said."

"Fair enough, I suppose," Ash shrugged. "I heard from Trish that you've decided to leave with them."

"Yeah, but it's _only _because of my little baby cheekie poops on your lap that I agreed to go at _all_," Jenn said pointedly.

Ash sighed softly and it was then that Jenn noticed how tired and drained he looked. "You understand that we want all of you out of here only because Drake, and to a lesser degree, myself, is already under so much pressure with overseeing this mass evacuation. Things would be a lot more bearable if we knew that all our friends and family are out of harm's way."

"I know," Jenn sighed, frowning slightly as she searched for words that would best describe what she was feeling. She didn't think she'd succeed, and decided to just spit it out. "It's just that it's so unfair that Trish and I don't get to help lay the smackdown on Lu when we're the ones who have suffered tons. We're the ones who have every right to be there. Maybe we don't have magic or even powerful Pokémon, but we could help command the Pokémon you're going to use. We're fast learners. Even though T may pick it up faster than me, but we _could _do it if you'd just let us!"

"Yes it is unfair," Ash agreed as he stroked Kigali's soft fur. "But can you also understand it's because the two of you have suffered so much that we don't want you to suffer any more? Do you know how many times I thought we'd lost you forever? I've never felt so relieved as when you finally woke up."

Jenn was little surprised at this. She'd always thought that Ash had only ever saved her because of a sense of obligation being the 'Chosen One'. She never really understood that term. The Chosen One: Saviour of worlds, lives, and programmer of vcrs.

"Jenn?"

"Huh?" She blinked out of her contemplation.

"Just checking to see if you're still there," he chuckled. "You kind of zoned out."

"It comes and it goes," She shrugged, then turned back to the conversation, "So why'd you guys tell us to go and not people like your wife?" she looked at Ash pointedly. "I thought you'd be more insistent on her leaving and not us."

"Misty has already left," the Grand Master said gently. A grim smile flitted over his face as he remembered her last words to him on the phone.

"What? With who?"

"She wouldn't say."

"Oh," Jenn frowned, "Maybe it was with James."

Ash looked startled, "No, he left already with Jessie, Meowth, and some of the others."

"Okay." A silence stretched, short and choppy before Jenn said, "Maybe with Lugia?"

Ash stifled a snort, "Come on, Jenn. He's got better things to do."

"Yeah, you're right," Jenn nodded, but still appeared to be seriously considering who Misty left the Archipelago with.

Ash was about to get up to leave when Jenn spoke yet again.

"Maybe it was with Suicune."

'_This girl is mental_,' He rubbed his temples with his fingers, "Jenn, you can't be serious."

"Why not?"

"Because Suicune is not going to take Misty to the mainland."

"It's a Water Pokémon right? She's got that connection with them."

"Suicune isn't…Jenn, I can't have this conversation right now," Ash shook his head, "I really don't need another headache on top of the one I already have."

"Aww, I'm sorry," Jenn said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it," Ash waved her off, "Just don't try to think on who gave Misty a ride to the mainland."

"Consider it forgotten," Jenn grinned.

ooo

_Pallet._

Misty finished towelling her hair dry and sat down carefully on the bed. The first thing she had done after Gary had dropped her off at home was to unpack and have a shower.

She had never been so relieved to get home. Misty couldn't understand why; she loved being in the Orange Archipelago, surrounded by the ocean she loved. The other time she had encountered hellish weather was back when her and Ash were teenagers; when a collector's greed brought an ancient prophecy to life. That time it had not worried her in the slightest.

'_But things are different now,'_ she thought to herself. '_I am older and pregnant with my first child. I could never put my child in danger.'_

She had her priorities right. Unlike Ash, who was willing to put his life at risk to save the islands from some evil Fae. Misty couldn't understand that. What did it matter to her husband if the Orange Archipelago was completely devastated? They didn't live there, and she was sure that Orange League would soon be up and running again. Plenty of countries around the world suffered terrible natural disasters and recovered. Without Ash's help.

While Misty knew it was unfair, she couldn't help comparing her husband's recent behaviour with that of Gary. Gary had been friendly and attentive to her needs, while Ash was too busy helping with the League and with the fight against Lu.

Gary had offered to bring her home to safety. Ash had refused to come with her.

Misty sighed again. She was beginning to think that Gary was the better man.

ooo

_To be continued…_

_Author's Note:_ _Things are getting rather hairy here. In honour of Motor Neurone Disease Awareness Week out here, I ask that those of you who have not read it, read and reviewBroken Wings. As the motto says, "Care for today, hope for a future."_


	28. Still the Same or did You Change Somehow

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Puck. Ashura the Mew has been borrowed with permission from Dragoness. I own the storyline and any other non-anime characters like Flory, Callie, Lu, Poptart, Poppy. The lyrics from the chapter title come from _I Still_ by the Backstreet Boys.

ooo

_Chapter Twenty-Seven_: _Are You Still the Same Or Did You Change Somehow?_

The official order for a general evacuation of Pummelo and the surrounding islands was made the next day. Drake, Ash and the authorities decided that they could not wait any longer and called a press conference for first thing in the morning.

The media room was packed to the brim with television and newspaper reporters jostling for the best seat. Drake was onstage with the Head Officer Jenny and the other authorities for the archipelago. Behind the Orange Crew Leader was a huge screen that allowed the media room to double as a movie screening room.

Ash, Trish, Jenn, Shannon and Mia were observing from the wings.

"So why aren't you out there?" Mia whispered to the man. "As Grand Master aren't you like almost the ruler of the entire world?"

The dark-haired man chuckled. "I'm not **_that_** powerful, Mia. The reason I'm not out there is because Pummelo Island and the Archipelago is Drake's domain. I don't want to look like I'm overriding his authority."

"In this case, I don't think that he would mind," Trish shook her head as she watched her fiancé with a slightly worried expression. "I've never seen him so stressed before, the pressure he is under must be unbelievable."

"Aw, surely he's faced this before," Mia said. "I mean he _does_ live in a tropical island chain and _everybody_ knows they get hurricanes and cyclones on a yearly basis. He must be used to this."

"But never one on this scale, Mi," the Australian said gently. "Category Five is the highest and most violent hurricane or cyclone you can get. The last time Pummelo was hit by a Category Five was over sixty years ago."

"I think they're gonna start," Shannon informed them and the two quietened.

Drake took a deep breath to compose himself before stepping up to the podium. Hundreds of camera flashes went off and he waited until they died down before starting.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the press," he greeted the mass, "As you know, there is an massive hurricane brewing a few thousand miles to the north of Pummelo Island and headed directly for us. Meteorologists and experts from the national storm warning centre have tagged this storm system as a Category Five Hurricane. It is the highest rating a storm can get on the hurricane scale. It has the potential to be a killer."

The members of the press looked eager to bombard Drake with questions, but the severe tone of his voice held them back. Instead they thrust forward microphones, mini-recorders, and digital cameras. From the back of the room, red lights from cameras of various television crews stared at Drake like the eyes of robots.

Drake himself seemed to speak on autopilot, "In consultation with the authorities, I have decided to declare a national state of emergency for Pummelo and the surrounding islands in the Archipelago. All able-bodied people are to evacuate the islands as soon as possible."

"As evacuation by sea is too dangerous, we have arranged for evacuation by Psychic and large Flying Pokémon. Will and Karen from the Elite Four, Sabrina from the Saffron City Gym and the Grand Master Ash Ketchum have kindly lent us their Pokémon for this purpose."

The huge screen behind Drake came to life and a map of Pummelo was brilliantly lit. Prominently labelled were the airport, stadium, and training oval behind the stadium. He turned to it and used a laser pointer to indicate specific areas.

"Evacuations will take place every half hour from the airport and the Stadium and the oval outside the Stadium. Please do not try to take unnecessary or heavy belongings with you as this may weigh down the Pokémon and slow the process."

He turned from the screen to the media, "Police will have the discretion and authority to use force to evacuate people if necessary. Our duty is to prevent all loss of life if possible. However if people insist on staying despite our warnings, the state absolves itself of all responsibility."

Trish looked over at Jenn, who looked bored. The blonde looked over and rolled her eyes. The Australian suppressed a laugh. Her friend _still_ wanted to stay and fight. Given different circumstances, it would be a most admirable trait. At least she was holding back any comments during Drake's speech.

"I repeat," Drake said sternly, "The warnings from the experts hold that this storm has the potential to become a Category Five hurricane. In layman's terms, it would be a super hurricane beyond comprehension. The last time the Archipelago faced a Category Five hurricane, the islands were ill-prepared and around four hundred lives were lost. That was sixty years ago. Due to the growth in our populace and the integration of homes in previously uninhabitable islands, the losses could even be greater. I beg you to keep that in mind when you make your decisions to stay or go." He looked almost reluctant to ask what he had to in order to close his speech, "Any questions?"

Hands flew up at the same time as questions broke out into a melee of activity. Drake sighed to himself. Some days, it didn't pay to get out of bed in the mornings.

ooo

Drake finally called an end to the conference half an hour later. Relieved, he walked off the stage and into a big hug from Trish. He hugged back tightly, grateful for her support after the toughest press conference he had ever made.

"That went well," Ash noted.

Drake straightened up but did not loosen his hold on Trish. "Yeah, I only hope that the actual evacuation runs as smoothly in real life as it looks on paper."

"I'm sure it will," Shannon reassured him. "You've thought of almost everything possible."

"It's what I possibly _didn't_ think of, that worries me," the Orange Crew Leader admitted. "What if it costs people their lives? What if…"

Trish cut him off with a finger to his lips. "Drake…stop. Shannon's right – you've planned for almost everything you can think of in this situation. You've got public shelters set up and stocked with plentiful supplies and medical staff. Emergency wards and staff are on standby in the major hospitals. You've got commercial airlines, private planes lined up at the airports, you've got an army of Psychic and Flying Pokémon to move people out. You've done _everything_ you were supposed to do and more. Now it's up to the people _themselves_ to get to safety."

Drake sighed. "I guess…"

"Everything will be alright," Ash said firmly. "We're going to get as many people out possible. We can't let Lu claim a single victim."

ooo

Drake and Ash were kept informed throughout the afternoon on how the evacuation proceedings were going. The Head Officer Jenny reported that overall things were going pretty smoothly; people were patiently and calmly lining up at all departure points to await their turn. Stockpiles of water and Pokémon food were lined up at the Stadium to ensure that all transporting Pokémon were watered and well fed, maintaining their strength. The creatures were regularly rotated, allowing some to feed and rest while fresher ones took their place.

The Orange Crew Leader saw his parents and siblings off on their private jet that evening. They were headed to stay with some relatives who had moved to Kanto a few years ago. Mr and Mrs Thayer hugged their eldest son tightly, and his mother held on for a few minutes longer and prayed that he keep safe.

Shannon and Ben were a little tearful at separating, hugging each other tightly. Jenn caught the glint of silver on her friend's right hand, and guessed that Ben must have given Shannon a little keepsake last night.

The blonde couldn't help but feel a mix of jealousy and annoyance rise up in her. She knew that it was petty of her, but she couldn't stop the twinge of envy that shot through her when she realized that she had no one on Pummelo, or in the Archipelago, to say a tearful goodbye to when she left. Ash and Drake would probably be relieved to see her gone. It didn't take a genius to realize that she'd caused more than enough trouble this vacation.

Shannon had Ben, Mia had Puck, and Trish and Drake were practically inseparable ever since the decision to go had been made. Jenn sighed and hefted her bag over her shoulder. '_Let's get this **done **with already.'_

Shannon sniffled a little as the plane door closed behind her boyfriend, and she allowed Trish to draw her into a comforting hug.

"Ben will be alright," the Australian soothed. "You'll see him again very soon."

"I know," the brunette hiccupped. "It's just that I'll really miss him. And what if…"

There was a hiccup filled pause until Jenn said, "What?"

"What if he meets and falls for another girl while he's in Kanto?" Shannon fretted. "I'd be shattered!"

Though she knew it was wrong, Trish couldn't help but laugh at that statement. "Shannon, of all the things to be worried about! There is _no_ way that he would even think about cheating on you. This is the guy who fell completely head over heels in love with you the moment he saw you after all. He's never so much as looked at another girl." She squeezed her younger friend's shoulders. "What would make you think he'd do such a thing?"

Shannon reddened and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "It's just that he's rich and good-looking. He could have had anyone but he chose me."

"You're too hard on yourself," Trish grinned. "And you have to just trust that he won't do the wrong thing."

"I know..."

"I hate to interrupt, but shouldn't we get going as well?" Jenn spoke up, adjusting the bag strap on her shoulder. All this mushiness was making her uncomfortable and being uncomfortable irritated her.

"I guess so…" Trish sighed. She didn't really want to leave, especially after seeing the enormous strain Drake was under at the press conference.

Drake's private jet was waiting to take the girls to Kanto before refuelling and then flying onto Sydney. The three friends had decided that they would rather stay together (and someplace _warm_ as Jenn always insisted) and so had informed the families back in the States that they were going to be at Trish's place.

For Shannon it was for reassurance and support at such a stressful time, as it was for Trish. However it was also for the Australian's peace of mind as she could keep a close eye on her erratic best friend – though she wasn't about to tell Jenn that!

The girls had originally planned to leave just like everyone else; by commercial airline or Pokémon. But Drake wouldn't hear of it, insisting that they use his private jet instead.

"This is it," Shannon mustered a smile.

Trish nodded and gave Ash a farewell hug. "Take care Ash, and stay safe do you hear? You've got a wife and unborn baby to go home to."

"I will," the Grand Master hugged back. "I also promise to keep an eye on Drake for you. I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," he winked.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I rarely do anything stupid," Drake protested.

Trish grinned and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "I know. But I need to know that you're safe and taking good care of yourself."

The Orange Crew Leader hugged her back. "I promise."

"You'd better be there when I come back," she whispered fiercely. "Otherwise I'll kick your dead butt."

Drake's answer was to smile and give her a passionate and lingering kiss.

Jenn rolled her eyes and decided to make her goodbyes and get on the plane before things got too mushy for her tastes. She walked up to the Grand Master and stuck out her hand.

"I guess this is Ciaoness time," she said with a lopsided smile. "And I'm really sorry for all the trouble I caused you…"

Ash waved it off. "No need to apologise Jenn. I've already forgiven you, you should know that."

"Yeah, but I kinda forgot in all this rush," the blonde shrugged sheepishly. "Still friends?"

"Still friends," Ash stated firmly and surprised the girl by ignoring the handshake and taking her in a warm embrace.

Jenn hugged him back, enjoying the closeness and the smell of the black leather jacket he wore. She was gonna relish this, since it could be the very last time she ever saw him. "Take care of yourself Ashy Boy. The world needs you…" she whispered.

"I will, as long as _you_ take care as well."

"Don't worry about me, Argentina, I'll be fine." She stepped back and let go. There was one more goodbye she had to make. Trish and Drake had finally let go of each other and the Australian was walking with Shannon to the plane staircase.

Jenn walked up to the Orange Crew Leader and stuck out her hand. "Ciaoness Old Bean, sorry for all the trouble I've caused the past few months."

Drake rolled his eyes. "No you're not, but I've forgiven you anyway."

Once again Jenn was struck with the realisation that this may be the last time she would see Drake alive. If Lu got his way, then it would be. Hopefully not. She owed it to Drake and herself to not ruin the moment with sarcasm or insults. Or tears. Now _that_ would be embarrassing.

Drake hugged her tightly. "Take care of yourself, Jenn and look after Trish for me would you?"

"You know I will," she assured him as she returned the hug.

"I know," he smiled. "You're a great best friend to her."

Jenn revelled in the praise. "Thanks, Drake – and you take care of _yourself_. Get back to Trish in one piece. Unlike Trish, I'd do more than just kicking your dead butt. I'll find a way to reanimate you to kick your _living_ butt."

"You would enjoy that."

ooo

The plane had been airborne for a while and the girls had settled themselves comfortably for the long flight. As the rain made it impossible to see anything out the windows, Shannon was reading and Jenn was attempting to cajole Trish into playing a game on the _Playstation_ console.

The blonde was about to try to tickle her friend into submission when Trish suddenly raised a hand for her to stop and looked around.

"What up?" Jenn asked.

"Don't you feel that?" the Australian asked her friends.

"Feel what?" Shannon was puzzled. "I don't feel anything."

"The plane's banking to the right," Trish said slowly. "We're turning _around_."

"What?" Shannon frowned, "You must be imagining things."

"No, she's really not," Jenn said from her spot on the floor and looked queasy. "Oh I hate it when planes turn like this."

"I know I'm right," the Australian insisted. She hit the intercom button which connected them to the pilots in the cockpit. "What's happening in there?"

The pilot's voice was very shaky and confused. "I…I don't know. The plane is turning around but it's not due to our doing. We can't control it at all. The plane is heading back to Pummelo by _itself_."

Jenn paled, "By. . .itself?"

"It's almost as if it's in autopilot but we haven't set it in that mode," the co-pilot explained. "We move the controls around but nothing happens."

"What?" Trish rose from her seat and opened the door to the cockpit and looked in. Jenn and Shannon peered over her shoulder. The two pilots looked at their passengers and shrugged.

The pilot jiggled the gears. "See? Nothing happens…and the compass is doing a steady swing to the right." He pointed to the indicator board. "This is the strangest thing that's ever happened to me in all my twenty years of flying!"

"I thought things like this only happened in the Bermuda Triangle," the co-pilot was pale. "But we're _nowhere_ near it!"

"Can you land the plane without the gears?" Jenn wanted to know, her knuckles white.

"Normally we would have to hand crank the landing gear down, but I don't even know if we'll be able to do that!"

The three girls looked at each other.

"Well I guess we'll leave you two to work out if you can regain control of the plane," Trish said and closed the cockpit door.

Trish sat in her seat, "I can't believe it. This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"It'll be okay," Jenn said, not really believing it.

"No it's not!" Trish said it sharply, then took a breath. She had to keep calm. She spoke again a little calmer, "I don't like this. What if Lu's responsible for the plane returning."

"Somehow, I really doubt that it isn't him," Jenn said glumly, "I can't believe he did this."

Shannon sat in her seat, unable to enjoy the soft leather surface she'd enjoyed when she first got onto the jet. "I'm trying to not freak out." She played with the silver band on her hand, "I wanted to leave so they wouldn't have to worry."

"What if this is happening to the others?" Trish sounded worried, "What if Lu's blocking the other planes and the pokémon from evacuations?"

Jenn growled out a sigh of annoyance, "He'd better not be. Drake worked really hard to get that together!"

Trish leaned over and pulled her purse onto her lap. She dug through the purse and pulled out her cell phone. She dialled Drake's number and held the phone to her ear. It wasn't long before she hung up and looked at the two girls in annoyance. "The lines are jammed."

"Storm interference?" Shannon asked.

"More like millions of people trying to call their relatives," Jenn shook her head, "You think cell phone companies would learn to deal with natural disasters and cell phones."

For a second, Trish felt very alone and very trapped. They were on a possessed jet and flying very high above the surface of a tempestuous ocean. Then she remembered something else.

"Puck!" She called out, startling her friends. "Puck, we need you!"

"Puck?" Shannon looked confused, then she brightened. "Of course!"

"Puck, of course," Jenn rolled her eyes and flopped onto the floor, "Call up the magic man. Why didn't we just ask him for a teleportation ride to Sydney in the _first_ place?"

"Because he needed to not waste his powers on us."

Jenn sat up and arched an eyebrow, "You mean like he's going to have to now?"

"Oh hush and let me contact him!" Trish called out again, "Puck, please!"

The three girls held their breath as a faint shimmer of purple could be seen just beside Trish. Instead of Puck, Callie shimmered into sight. She was dressed the exact opposite of how she had been seen. The elegant Fae wore a lilac shift, but wore a deeper purple hued robe over it.

"What is the matter?" She asked in her lilting tone.

"You mean besides the fact that Lu has prevented the plane from leaving the Archipelago?" Jenn said snidely, "Not much, we were just hoping Puck could get some soda for us."

"Lu!" Callie's eyes widened, "Oh, that's what I sensed!"

Jenn's eye twitched, "You sensed something but couldn't find it?"

"Jenn," Trish said warningly.

"Hello, so not apologizing," Jenn said grumpily, "Drake's gonna have a **_cow _**when he sees us back on Pummelo."

"_What makes you so sure you're going to Pummelo?"_ Lu's disembodied voice asked maliciously.

At that, Jenn frantically got into her seat and fastened her seat belt. "I _really_ suggest you guys do the same because I've got a really bad feeling about this."

"Absol-utely?" Shannon cracked a joke as she and Trish fastened their belts.

Jenn rolled her eyes, "I'm never going to live that down."

"_You should be so lucky,"_ Lu said mockingly in the instant before the jet dropped towards the ocean.

Loose items began to fly around the cabin, though Callie remained in the spot she was in. Apparently unaffected by gravity, or the lack thereof, Callie narrowed her eyes.

"That's not nice, Lucius," she said and her eyes began to glow, "Now I'll have to do something you won't like."

"_Which would be **what**?"_

"I'm taking away your toy," she laughed, and with that a brilliant glow encompassed the cabin. In a split second's time, the jet went from plummeting to the ocean to sitting calmly on the tarmac of the airport they had left from.

"What the…" Jenn looked more than dazed and confused, she looked about ready to be sick.

"We're back at the airport," Trish said, looking out of her window. It was raining harder since they'd been gone and large puddles were forming on the tarmac. "This is the airport we left."

Shannon sighed with relief, "I guess we can try to get a hold of Drake now?"

"I already did," Callie said, "Right before your jet's great drop, I contacted him telepathically. He'll be here soon with a limo."

"I'd really love to crack an 'ooh lala' joke at that, but I'm too tired to," Jenn looked ready to bolt from the jet. "How much more crap is Lu going to throw at us!"

"I'm guessing until he kills us," her best friend said shakily as she stared fixedly out the window, as if willing Drake to arrive faster and whisking them all to relative safety.

"That's just _so _nice of him," the blonde said sarcastically.

"Yeah isn't it," Shannon said weakly. "Are the two pilots okay?"

Callie smiled as she straightened the cabin with a cleaning spell. "They're both unhurt and back home safe. I teleported them back to their respective homes."

Trish looked out the window again and a smile spread across her face. "The limo's here."

The girls looked out separate windows at the vehicle. It was a sleek black stretch Escalade limousine with tinted windows and orange lights along the running boards. The wheels splashed through large puddles that spread over the tarmac and sprays of water lashed the limo's sides. Windshield wipers worked as fast as they could, but the rain was falling faster than the blades could wipe the rainwater away.

The girls jumped up and Callie lowered the plane gangway telekinetically. No sooner had it touched down than Jenn clattered down the stairs and straight across the short distance of tarmac and into the open doors of the Escalade. Drake and Ash stood next to the limo and almost as one were the girls relieved to see the two males.

Trish and Shannon were not far behind Jenn and as soon as all three rather wet and bedraggled looking girls were inside the vehicle, Drake and Ash got into the large SUV. The Orange Crew Leader shut the door and the vehicle began moving. From beside the jet, the female Fae watched the limo go, made sure the plane was closed up properly, and vanished.

A concerned Ash wrapped a warm blanket around a shivering Jenn and she clutched it gratefully.

"What happened?" Drake demanded, a slight frown on his features as he gathered Trish to him. "All Callie told me was that there was a problem with your plane and that you were coming back to Pummelo."

"It was **_Lu_**," Trish managed to force out through chattering teeth. Now that the fright over their recent misfortune was gone, the shock had now set in. "Lu took control of the plane and turned it around…he obviously didn't want us to leave."

"Then just after Callie contacted you, we all heard Lu's voice saying that we weren't going to go back to Pummelo and then we just _dropped_ like a stone from the sky," Jenn choked the words out and Shannon whimpered in agreement. Ash, who was sitting between the two girls, wrapped an arm around both and drew them close.

"Luckily Callie managed to take control of the plane and made it reappear at the airport we left," Trish finished off.

Drake and Ash exchanged looks; both mirror images of anger and determination. Drake held his anger in check, "Let's get you girls home and dry and then we can work things out."

ooo

The girls were ushered inside the villa where they were surprised to see three more blanketed and bedraggled figures; Mia, Chris and Jaime.

The brunette cried out in relief and rushed to hug as many as possible. Jenn hugged the girl back before drawling out, "Let me guess, Lulu didn't let you three go either."

Chris shook his head. "It was as if our Pokémon came up against some invisible barrier. Try as we might, we couldn't get through. The weird thing was that everyone _else_ seemed to be able to leave just fine."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah," Drake answered as he came back with more towels and blankets. "The Pokémon are all leaving and coming back without their passengers just fine. My dad called to let me know that they all arrived safely in Kanto."

That news cheered Shannon a little, despite being rather unhinged by their near accident.

"So it's just us huh?" Trish grinned weakly. "Obviously he loves us too much to _ever _let us go."

Ash frowned. "Sit down and I'll get some hot tea or something."

Jenn and Shannon needed no further prompting and sat down together. Trish shook her head. "Thanks Ash, but I prefer to get something myself."

To everyone's surprise, the Australian did not head to the kitchen for coffee, but instead went over to a mahogany cabinet where Drake stocked some wine and other alcohol. She took out a crystal wine glass and then pulled open the door to look over the bottles.

"Uh…Trish…" Jenn said slowly. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

"That's all _alcohol_ and you don't drink!"

"I do so drink!" Trish protested as she twisted off the cap of one bottle of some amber liquid and poured some into her glass. "I have been known to have a glass or two once in a while."

"Wouldn't you rather have coffee?" Chris asked.

"After nearly falling from the sky in an enclosed steel coffin known as a plane into a raging sea, I think I need something stronger than that," Trish said dryly. She quickly gulped it down before coughing and spluttering madly for a few seconds.

Drake rushed over and patted her on the back. "Whoa…are you okay?"

She looked at him with glassy eyes. "Does it _sound_ like I'm okay?" She coughed again before leaning against him. "But that sure hit the spot."

The Orange Crew Leader looked at the bottle. "Jack Daniels Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey," he read and grinned at his fiancée. "Honey, you are full of surprises. That's some real hard stuff."

Jenn wrinkled her nose, "I know everyone has a disgusting thing they do, but that stuff stinks."

"Hey, don't knock it until you've been dropped a few thousand feet," Trish said indignantly.

"I already have," Jenn said with a glare, "But if there's nothing else, I'm going to bed."

"But you almost died!" Shannon said wide eyed, "All three of us almost did! After that you're just going to bed!"

"I'm so tired my eyes are burning," Jenn said with a slight yawn, "Almost dying does that to me."

"That's not funny," Drake said.

Jenn shrugged, "It wasn't meant to be but, well, there you go."

Ash looked at her incredulously, "There you go?"

"Yes, Ashy boy, there you go," She yawned again, "And here I go. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room."

She went to leave, but Drake stopped her, "What!" She whined.

"I know you're tired and that's understandable. We all deal with stress and shock differently."

"I'm not in shock," Jenn defended herself.

"I'm sure you're not," Drake said in a tone that said he didn't believe her at all, "Regardless, I think we need to set up a sleeping room. No, I don't mean your bedroom."

Jenn gaped at him for a second, then uttered an annoyed sigh, "Fine, Master, where would you want me to sleep at?"

He turned to the others, who were gathered in the kitchen, "The media room will do. We can set up cots from the storage room."

"So where am I supposed to sleep?" Jenn asked sweetly.

"The cots will do for tonight."

"Drake, a cot does not a bed make!" Jenn said.

"I don't know about that," Ash said with a grin, "I seem to remember a certain Absol who didn't mind sleeping on a bench during a televised match."

"You _so_ need to shut up about that," Jenn snapped, "I'll be in your little living room until you set stuff up."

The group watched the blonde storm off and Drake chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Trish asked.

"I'm actually relieved that you guys are all here," Drake smiled, "And what better than having Jenn around to make things difficult."

Trish smacked his arm lightly, "You're impossible."

"You're impossible too, hon," Drake said and kissed her before leaving the kitchen with Ash and Chris. The four remaining girls all looked at each other.

"So what do we do?" Mia questioned.

"We go see Jenn," Trish decided as she fetched a bottle of Penta water from the fridge and grabbed a small bottle of pills from the cupboard.

"But won't she bite our heads off?" Shannon squeaked, clutching her blanket around her like a safety net.

"Nah," the Australian said as she walked out of the kitchen. "Not after I give her a little 'tude adjustment. That girl is in serious need of one."

Mia, Jaime and Shannon exchanged glances before following their friend.

"What's she got in mind?" Mia whispered.

"I don't know," Shannon whispered back. "I guess we'll find out."

ooo

Trish walked into the living room to find Jenn sulking on the sofa with a pillow clutched to her stomach. The Australian walked in and sat down beside her and the three younger girls sat down on the sofa opposite Jenn's.

"Why can't I go to sleep in my own room, Trish? I mean, _hello_, I've just survived nearly being fish food _again_ and all I wanna do is go to sleep in my own bed. And by bed I _don't _mean cot because they are not comfortable," the blonde complained. "It's totally unfair of Drake."

"Have you ever seen his cots?" Trish asked. "Who knows, he might have the very best in cots."

"Yeah," Jaime agreed. "I mean, he's got the very best in everything else."

"I could say a really rude thing about seeing Drake's cots, but it wouldn't change the fact that they'd still be cots," Jenn said flatly. "Cots are nothing more than bed wanna-be's to me."

"Jenn, Drake's got a perfectly good reason for making us all sleep in the one place," Shannon tried to reason with her. "For one thing, it will be reassuring to not be alone at night, and secondly, it would be easier for him to move us all down to the basement if things get worse."

"I don't have to listen to reason," Jenn folded her arms over her chest. "I know that I want to sleep in my _own_ bed and that's all I need to know. I've been through storms like this before and survived. It's nothing."

"Why do you have to be so difficult?" Mia sighed. "Drake and the rest are only trying to help, and all you do is bitch and moan! They're already under so much pressure that they don't need you to add to it!"

"I'm not being difficult," Jenn snapped. "I just don't like being told what to do and where to go. They're the ones being unreasonable."

"I could tell you where to go," Mia sang out sweetly.

"And I could tell you where to shove it," Jenn sang out just as sweetly.

"Jenn, you're being difficult," Shannon grumbled.

"That's not true! I'm not difficult, you guys just can't deal with me being assertive."

"Jenn, shut _up_," Trish said flatly. "I have had just about enough of your 'Tude recently. You're being really unfair, unreasonable and just bloody difficult."

The blonde blinked at Trish's bluntness, but figured that was just the alcohol speaking. Trish wouldn't speak to her like that, all rude and such. Would she?

"By acting the way you have been, you are just fuelling Lu's power. If Puck and Callie are on the side of good and get their power from good things; then Lu is the exact opposite. So he thrives on hate, anger and fear. Stuff like that. And we don't need him to get any more powerful than he is at the moment."

"But I don't hate, anger, or fear! I just don't want to be told what to do!"

"Well, being pushy is in that category."

Jenn was silent. She had never thought of it like that.

"Either you try to leave here and die, or we turn you into an Absol and lock you in a Poké Ball until this is all over. Or you try to be a nicer person and act as part of a team. We need to act as a team if we are to beat him."

Trish handed her the bottle of water and two small pills. "Take these, drink this."

"What are they?" the blonde looked at them suspiciously. "I don't really feel like taking drugs from you when you're pissed at me."

"Just take it. _Now_!" If looks could kill then Jenn would have been one very dead girl.

"Fine," Jenn glared at the pills but took them from Trish's hand. "This is like a psych ward nightmare."

"It'll get worse," Trish said, staring Jenn down, "because we're not leaving your side for the next twenty minutes so you can't put the pills to the side of your mouth and spit them out when we leave."

Jenn rolled her eyes but took the pills. She washed them down with the water, finishing the glass. She opened her mouth, showing that she'd swallowed them, "There, happy Nurse Killjoy?"

"Oh yes," Trish smiled, though to Jenn it looked decidedly evil and smug. "I'll be even more happier later…"

"What's that mean?" Jenn was suspicious. "If you are thinking of getting it on with Drake while the rest of us are in the same room, that's sick. Or if you're hinting that you gave me sleeping pills, you know that they don't work on me!"

The Australian just laughed and shook her head. "Jenn! I would _never_ do that with Drake in front of other people – I _do_ have morals you know. As for your second question, they're not sleeping pills. But I'm not gonna tell you what they are."

Jenn glared at her best friend. "Just realize that paybacks are a bitch."

Trish just chuckled and hauled the blonde to her feet. "Now how about you go and have a shower and get ready for bed? The guys should have the cots ready by then."

Jenn started to go off, but paused. "You sure they're not sleeping pills? I'm not gonna black out in the bathroom and split open my forehead am I?"

"They're not sleeping pills."

"I'd question your truthfulness, but I really can't be bothered. I'm too tired and I don't think it would be any use after what you've already done," the blonde grumbled as she left.

"What did you give her?" Shannon whispered to the eldest girl.

"Oh just a little something," Trish grinned. "You'll see."

ooo

"There…" Drake pushed the last cot against the wall and sat down on the soft mattress. "We're all set?"

"We are," Ash informed the Orange Crew Leader. "We've got sheets, pillows, blankets, hurricane lamps, torches, candles. All set for the night."

"Kind of reminds me of school camps," Chris chuckled as he plumped one of the pillows.

Jenn ambled in, clad in a summer pj set of tank top and shorts, her blonde hair brushed and loose.

"Hi Jenn," Drake said carefully. "Still wanting to rip my head off for making you sleep here?"

She blinked in surprise. "Why would I want to rip your head off for? After all you're only doing this with my best interests at heart."

The three guys all blinked and looked at each other. This was _not_ the snappy, snarly girl from before.

Jenn smiled and sauntered over to where Drake was sitting and sat down beside him. She patted the mattress and sighed happily. "Wow…these cots feel really comfy. It feels as comfy as my bed upstairs! Trish was right, you really _do_ have nice cots."

Now Drake was staring at girl beside him with confusion. But before he could say anything, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug and laid her head against his broad shoulder.

"Thank you so much for letting us stay here, Drake," Jenn beamed. "You really are the nicest guy on the face of this earth. I'll never make fun of you again."

"You're scaring me," the dark-haired man stared at her. "Are you feeling okay, Jenn? Because this isn't like you."

"I've never felt better, Drakey," she gave him a lazy smile as she hugged him again.

The three men stared at each other then at Jenn who grinned then detached herself to go and lie on one of the cots.

Chris spoke first. "_Trish_ was the one who sculled all that whiskey, wasn't she?"

Drake nodded, "But she's not acting strangely, at least not so far…"

"I know this sounds stupid, but you know how those two like to say that they have this strange connection between them," Ash began.

"Yeah."

"Then could Jenn be drunk by proxy?" The Grand Master grinned.

"Normally I would have asked what drugs are you smoking," Drake smirked. "But in this case, I would seriously consider it as a possible explanation. With those two girls, anything and everything is possible. _Especially_ when it comes to Jenn."

"I agree," Chris chuckled. "My life was never the same again after meeting those two."

"But you still loves us, Chrissy wissy ain't no sissy," Jenn had overhead the Scot, and now wandered over to him. She pulled the surprised guy into a big hug. "Cuz we loves you! Who's the good lil Scotty poo? Aww, you's are!"

Chris's eyes widened and he tried to extract himself from the hug but to no avail.

They were interrupted by the arrival of the four other girls, all showered and ready for bed. Trish smirked at the sight of Jenn hanging onto a distressed Chris, while Mia and Shannon went into a fit of giggles. Jaime took a photo with her digital camera for blackmail purposes.

"Trriiiiiiish," Chris whined. "Did Jenn hit her head in the plane or something? Because she's acting strange and won't stop hugging me!"

"No she didn't hit her head," the Australian chuckled.

"Did you slip her some alcohol?" Drake asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because she really isn't herself tonight."

"It could just be a symptom of shock," Ash mused. "After all, she nearly died again tonight."

Jenn nodded as she released a relieved Chris from her grasp. "You are sooooo right! After what happened to me I just need to make sure that everyone's okay and that they stay safe." She sauntered over to the Grand Master and latched onto him. "That includes _you_, Ashy Boy. You may be the Chosen One, but I've chosen to not let _you_ out of my sight!"

"Try not to breathe out when she hugs you," Chris said warningly. "Girl's like a boa constrictor. A _hungry_ one."

"Aww I would never want to eat any of you and I'd never hurt you," Jenn's eyes widened. "You're my friends and I loves you all!"

"You gave her _alcohol_ didn't you," Drake murmured to Trish who had sat down beside him. "Or else you two did that weird sharing thing you do."

"That's _only_ with migraines," she corrected. "And I didn't give her any alcohol either. I'll tell you later what it is."

"Okay," the Orange Crew Leader rose and stretched slightly. "If you girls are okay, then I think it's our turn to have showers and get ready for bed."

Ash looked down at Jenn and patted her arm. "You have to let go of me, Jenn. As much as I know you'd love to be able to come with me, it wouldn't be right. I promise to come back as soon as I've finished."

"Okay," the blonde let go immediately. "I'll be waiting here until you come back." Pikachu chirped and leapt up beside the girl, wanting a pat. The guys left with promises that they would be back soon.

Shannon looked around the spacious media room. A variety of cots were set up, some single, some double at varying intervals with plenty of room in between. Piles of assorted pillows of varying height and softness, as well as sheets and blankets were placed on a few chairs. "I guess we pick any cot," she said as she felt one mattress.

"Yep," Trish said as she grabbed two pillows, two sheets and a blanket, before proceeding to make up a double cot. Mia gave her a funny look. "What?"

"You're not gonna get frisky with Drake after the lights go out are you?" the brunette questioned.

Trish gave an exasperated sigh and sat down, glaring at the younger girl. "**_No_**! What do you girls take me for? A sex maniac? Honestly, just because Drake and I are engaged does _not_ mean that we have sex on the brain." The Australian glared again. "Unlike _some_ people."

"I don't have sex on the brain," Mia protested.

"Suure you don't," Jenn grinned as she stroked the fur on a purring Pikachu. "I heard you and Puck last night getting it oooon, and boy was that yell at the end _loud_."

Mia turned bright red as the other girls stared at her in amazement. Though Shannon turned red as well in sympathy.

"What were _you_ doing listening in?" Mia spluttered in embarrassment.

The blonde merely shrugged. "I didn't listen in on purpose. I had to get up to get a glass of water and was passing by your room when I heard it."

Mia turned beet red.

"Sounds like someone else needs to be warned off the hanky panky tonight," Trish smirked.

ooo

When Drake, Ash and Chris returned, the girls had made up all the beds. All but Jenn were already snuggled down between the sheets. The blonde was sitting cross-legged on a cot, eyes fixed on the entrance to the room.

She brightened when she saw the men enter and leapt up, crossing the room swiftly to envelope each in a big hug. "I'm so glad that you're all back!" she cheered. "I was beginning to get worried about you all!" Chris scuttled away as quickly as he could.

"We told you we'd come back," Ash said before she embraced him yet again in a tight hug.

"I know," Jenn nodded. "But I just needed to see it to believe it."

"Well I'm really here."

"I know," she sighed happily as she leant her head against his toned abdomen.

Drake quirked his eyebrow as he got in beside Trish. "So what exactly did you _do_ to Jenn? Because Chris is traumatized and she's beginning to scare _me_!"

"I made her take two Prozac pills," Trish whispered to him. "But they weren't just any Prozac pills but Fae strength."

The Orange Crew Leader grinned. "You _evil_ girl, you. You sure there are no side effects?"

"Positive," the Australian reassured him. "Mia's taken them before and there's nothing wrong with her."

"With her choice of boyfriend in Puck, you have to wonder sometimes," Drake chuckled softly. "Aren't you afraid of Jenn's reaction when she comes out of it?"

"It lasts for about two days, so I'm not worried; no," Trish said cheekily. "Besides, she won't be mad when she finds out she's been hugging Ash a _lot_."

"That's true," he mused. "Or else she'll be totally mortified and want to be sucked into a Poké Ball, encased in cement and dropped into the ocean."

"That would only be if Ash turned out to be Lu or Rudey," the Australian corrected. "But seeing as she's hugging the real deal, I don't think so."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because _Pikachu_ would know the difference between a fake Ash and the real Ash. Just like Dragonite would know if someone was pretending to be you. And I don't see Pik shocking the living daylights out of Ash, do you?"

"You're right," Drake sighed and wrapped his arms around his fiancée.

"You know I'm right," Trish laughed. "Now just relax and enjoy watching Ash try to get away from Jenn."

ooo

The Grand Master had managed to make his way over to a double cot, with Jenn clinging onto him for all she was worth. Pikachu was rolling around on the adjacent cot, laughing over Pikapi's and Pikapichu's antics.

"Jenn, I'm not quite sure what's gotten into you, but you _have _to stop hugging me now. We need to get to bed, and I can't do that while you're hugging me," Ash said gently but firmly.

"Yes, you can," The blonde insisted, not releasing her hold at all. "I _need_ to hug you to know that you're safe. I promise not to hug too tight."

Ash looked to the others for help, but they were either asleep (or pretending to be) or else too busy sniggering.

"Jenn, I'm gonna sit down on this cot and you're going to let go of me so we can all get some sleep." He sat down, as did Jenn, but did she release her hold on him? Of course not.

"I'm not tired, honestly!" Jenn chirped, eyes bright and looking as if she'd been drinking a lot of energy drinks. "And I'll never let you go. _Ever_." She cocked her head slightly. "Of course I'll have to if you need to go to the bathroom and ditto for me. But other than that, never ever."

Ash rolled his eyes. "You've been watching _Titanic_ again, haven't you?"

"I don't need to. I memorized it all."

The Grand Master sighed and lay down on the cot, Jenn still attached to him. "Let's make a deal. You can hug me for a bit more, but then you've gotta get into your own bed. Okay?"

"Okay," Jenn said amiably as she rested her head on his chest. "I'll have you know that I'm not tired at _all_."

"That's good," Ash sighed. "Because Misty would have an absolute….oh _Lugia._"

Jenn was fast asleep.

"Gosh, Ash," Drake snickered, "I thought for sure Misty was having a baby, not Lugia."

From his hooked up place on his cot, Ash glared at Drake. "Shut up."

Drake just laughed more.

ooo

Mia woke up in the middle of the night, her throat parched. Careful not to disturb Puck who was slumbering beside her, she carefully swung her legs over the side of the cot and got up. She fumbled for the torch and flipped the switch, shining a beam of light onto the floor.

The girl walked over to a small table that had been set up on the side with a jug of water and glasses. Pouring herself a glass, she gulped it down greedily, then poured herself another. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she could make out the forms of her slumbering companions. Chris was sprawled out on his back, snoring peacefully.

Mia stifled a giggle when she saw that Jenn was still snuggled up tight against Ash, arms still locked around him. The Grand Master's arms were wrapped around the blonde – it was probably more comfortable that way. In any case, Mia was willing to bet that Jenn's dreams this night were probably very sweet. _If only in real life things had been different for Jenn,_ she thought. It would be so unfair if things turned out right for everyone else except Jenn when she had been one of the ones who suffered most.

She shifted her gaze to the other member of the group who, apart from Jenn, probably had had the crappiest vacation of them all. Trish slept cradled in Drake's arms, both looking peaceful and content. Mia smiled. She was so happy that things were finally working out for her eldest friend. Even though that meant Trish would be moving to Pummelo permanently, it would provide the perfect excuse for Mia to visit, and often.

_But if this doesn't work out and we can't beat Lu, then **no one** is going to have a future._

ooo

The red-haired Fae was also sleeping. Lu's dreams were sweet and full of grand visions of the world domination that would finally be his.

He had never felt stronger. He had been empowered by the intense fear and near hysteria from the mortal population as people went to flee the island and the archipelago.

Puck and Callie would never be able to defeat him now.

ooo

Ash was the first to wake up, mostly because he hadn't had a whole lot of sleep. It seemed as if every time he had started to nod off that Jenn would move and hold him a little tighter. Eventually he must have fallen asleep, but his eyes were still burning enough to let him know that they were still tired.

He managed to disentangle himself from Jenn and slipped his pillow where he'd been. He sighed internally in annoyance because the pillow managed to fool the sleeping Jenn. The girl hugged the pillow just as tightly as she had hugged him and didn't wake at all. That in itself was a miracle since the blonde somehow seemed to know the moment that he was leaving her side.

He wasn't sure if the pills Trish had given Jenn were responsible for the whipped puppy complex the blonde was going through or if the blonde's actions were what she felt for him but had never dared to act on but did since the pills lowered her reserve.

The Grand Master quietly padded around the rest of the cots, full of sleeping bodies – when _had_ Puck slipped in to sleep next to Mia? – and into the hallway. He had to check on the weather and the best place to do that was in the great room. It had an amazing view of the ocean thanks to one wall of floor to ceiling windows. The view was unimpeded by supports as the glass was specially crafted for Drake's villa.

Pikachu trotted up behind him and Ash paused for his oldest friend. The spry electric mouse leaped up into his open arms and nuzzled the man's face. '_Pi, Pikapi_,' she said softly.

"Good morning to you, too," Ash whispered back. "I think it's safe enough to talk louder, but with Jenn still affected by those pills, I'm not sure."

Pikachu nodded and looked over Ash's shoulder, "_Cha._"

"Yeah, it looks nasty out there," Ash noted the grey clouds, heavy with rain. The rain had slowed, but it was still extremely windy, and rain lashed at the shield Puck and Callie had put into place. The rain revealed the shield as a dome of purple energy. "It's going to be a rough day today."

The mouse nodded again and burrowed her head in the crook of his neck. She sighed softly and sent a purring buzz of electricity through him.

Ash chuckled softly, "Thanks, Pik, I did need that."

The electricity stopped as gently as it had begun and Pikachu patted him on the shoulder twice before jumping from his arms. She darted out of the room, towards the media room, and out of sight. Ash figured she was going to check on the others and winced when he saw a flicker of motion from the shadows in the hallway.

He relaxed when he saw Drake walking towards him, "Morning," Ash said with a nod.

The Orange Crew Leader looked as tired as Ash had felt before his morning jolt. Drake blinked slowly and yawned widely, "It is? I hadn't noticed."

He walked over to where Ash was standing. The floor to ceiling windows were untouched by rain or flying debris and the shield provided a clear view of the advancing tide waters.

"The shield's doing a good job," Ash said.

Drake grunted a reply.

"You sound like you weren't sure it would hold," Ash looked out towards the ocean.

"I wasn't," Drake said and crossed his arms over his chest, "Especially not when they're sleeping, or however Faes sleep."

"It's really not based on whether or not we're asleep," Puck said from behind them, "Once a spell is cast, a specific amount of energy has been set for that spell. No more or less is necessary and we're not required to be conscious for it to be effective."

The two turned around to see Puck standing at the entrance of the great room. The Fae looked refreshed and bright in the storm darkened dawn.

"Looks like you got enough sleep," Ash said wryly.

"Looks like you didn't," Puck said with a small smile, "Sorry about that."

"It's not your fault," Drake said, "Jenn is just a hundred times weirder than normal."

"It's the pills Trish gave her," Puck explained, "They kind of spaced her out. She could walk into a wall and not feel it."

"I thought for sure she wouldn't fall asleep," Ash shook his head, "She was more wired than I'd ever seen her."

"For a moment, I was a little worried," Puck admitted, "If the pills had reacted badly with her, she could've burned herself out."

Drake frowned, "You mean if she hadn't fallen asleep or was it the seemingly infinite energy?"

"Kind of," Puck said, "It's like that human saying, burning the candle at both ends."

"What about when the pills wear off?" Ash asked, "Think she'll be angry at Trish?"

"Personally, I'd have to say yes," Drake gave a little laugh, "_Exceedingly_ angry."

"Even with all the hugging she's done with Ash?" Puck said teasingly, "And sleeping with him, too."

"Hey, I'm right here!" Ash looked indignant.

"Yeah, yeah, we know that Grand Master," Drake said, "You should also know that your hair is standing on end."

Puck laughed as Ash raked his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it.

"Thanks, Drake, for letting me go all this time without telling me," Ash muttered and gave up on the hair, "Pik gave me a little jolt of electricity."

"So that's your morning coffee?" Drake asked it jokingly.

"It's cheaper than coffee," Ash said and walked towards the hallway. "C'mon, we'd better go wake everyone."

"Even Jenn?" Puck asked cheerfully.

"Uh, no," Ash shook his head, "I think we should let _her_ sleep."

"Aren't you going to miss your number one fan?"

"Drake, I'd like at least _some_ time without her hanging around so we can be able to come up with a solid plan of action."

"Aww, he needs to concentrate," Drake teased.

"Damn straight," Ash said quietly as he walked into the media room.

ooo

Much to Ash's relief, they managed to wake everyone without rousing Jenn or Jaime, and gathered them for breakfast in the kitchen. The girls set about preparing a breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausages, pancakes and toast, while the guys set the small kitchen table with cutlery and plates before feeding the Pokémon in the next room.

A pot of coffee was brewing in the espresso machine, the aroma filling the air. A kettle of water was on the boil for those who preferred tea to the hard stuff.

Shannon filled a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice for those who didn't like tea _or _coffee.

The bacon and sausages were sizzling nicely when Drake walked up to Trish, Shannon and Mia.

"Did you three manage to sleep well?" he asked as he slung an arm around Trish's shoulders.

"So-so," Trish yawned in reply. "I didn't have a really good sleep because you were quite restless."

"I didn't move around that much," Drake protested. "Did I?"

"No, but I could sense you were having trouble sleeping, so I didn't have a good sleep."

"Maybe you should have slept in different cots," Shannon grinned. "I had a great sleep."

"Me too," Mia agreed. "I feel really refreshed and alert."

"Good for you," the Australian yawned. "But for me, I need coffee to do the trick."

"Me too," Drake agreed. "But Ash apparently prefers a Pikaccino or an Electric Espresso for _his_ morning jolt."

The girls groaned and Trish hit him on the arm. "Don't give up your day job, hon," she said dryly. "That was feeble."

"Don't you mean Feebas?" Drake grinned.

"You are insufferable."

"I try."

Mia turned the rashers and the sausages over. "Do you think we've got enough for breakfast? After all we've got three big eaters in Ash, Jenn and Shannon here."

Trish glanced over at the growing plates of food ready to be served. "I think so. What I'm wondering is if we'll have enough food to see this thing through however long it takes."

"We've got more than enough," Drake reassured them. "I had the chefs go and do a huge grocery shop before they left. There's enough food to feed a small army here."

"And we all know what your definition of 'small' is," Mia joked.

ooo

Finally everything was ready and the group sat down to eat, though Trish had put aside a plate of food for a still slumbering Jenn. Pikachu and her small brood had a bowl of Pika Pellets and a bowl of fresh water placed on the floor.

Strategy for the next few days was being discussed over breakfast.

"The Head Officer Jenny has informed me that most people have been evacuated off the island with the final batch due to be evacuated later this morning," Drake told the group. "That gives us about three more days before this hurricane is due to hit."

"I don't think it's any use for us to try and leave again," Trish mused. "Lu would only block us again and we don't want to put any other people in danger because of us. We have to see this through here."

"I guess so," Shannon said, looking a little nervous.

"You'll be fine," Drake smiled at her reassuringly. "If we all work together we have a good chance of beating Lu. I'm sure that you would be able to command a Dragonite if taught how."

The girl's eyes sparkled. "Oooh, do you really think so?"

"You'd do a great job," the Orange Crew Leader grinned. "And the Gym-bred Dragonite are more obedient and loyal than their wild cousins."

"Speaking of the Gym Pokémon," Trish said. "How on earth are we going to get access to them in this weather? It would be crazy to venture out."

"Plus it would be ever so unsafe!" A new voice chimed in.

Ash stifled a groan. Jenn was awake.

The blonde sauntered in at such a normal pace that Ash thought for sure that she was back to normal. Unfortunately for the wary Grand Master, that theory was soon out the door. Jenn gave everyone at the table, regardless of whether or not they were eating, a quick hug. Then she sidled next to Ash, shoving Chris to the side.

"A simple excuse me would have sufficed," the annoyed Scot glared at the blonde.

Jenn oozed sympathy, "I'm so sorry! What can I do to make it up to you!"

An evil look crossed Chris's face so fast that Trish glared at him enough to kill him on the spot.

"Chris. . ." was all she said in a warning tone.

"What! I was just going to say that I could use a laundry slave. . . er. . .someone to do some laundry for me."

Jenn clapped her hands together and gave Chris a quick hug, "Oh thank you!" she said and sat back, "I just _love_ to do laundry. Who _doesn't_?"

Chris went to raise his hand, but lowered it when Trish glared once again.

Ash just shook his head, while Drake raised an eyebrow. Jenn enjoying laundry? That was certainly news. The blonde seemed to enjoy nothing more than letting one of the maids do all her laundry.

"And cleaning, I simply _must_ clean your room in the villa," Jenn was on a roll and looked excited, "There's nothing more soothing in the world than cleaning."

Shannon, who had been about to eat some pancakes, froze with her fork in mid-lift. "Cleaning?"

"As in cleaning a room?" Mia echoed Shannon, "Cleaning? _You_ cleaning."

"Oh yes, cleaning! I just love to vacuum! The best part is leaving all those straight lines across the carpet."

:_Just remember, Mia, this is her talking under the influence,_: Puck said to Mia telepathically.

:_Yeah, well it's weird and unnatural:_ Mia sent back.

_:Since when is Jenn **not** weird and unnatural?_: Puck retorted.

_:True:_ his girlfriend conceded. _:But this is weirder than usual! You shouldn't have left a bottle of that stuff lying around.:_

:_Well I did think that some of us could use it.: _

:_But on Jenn:_

_:Hey I didn't know Trish_ _was going to give it to her:_ the Fae defended himself. _:However, you must admit this is a **great** improvement on what she has been like. I quite like Jenn like this. She isn't so much trouble. I could get used to this.:_

_:Yeah well I don't think I can,_: Mia grumbled.

Mia was not the only one who was freaked out by Jenn's perky mood. Drake stared at the blonde a little longer before leaning over and whispering in Trish's ear, "You really think it was a good idea to give Jenn those pills? She's scary."

"Hey, I did it for the common good," the Australian whispered back. "You were all complaining about how Jenn was so difficult and bitchy before, and now that she's all nice, happy and co-operative, you're _complaining_?"

"A grumpy Jenn I can deal with," Drake grinned. "A touchy feely Jenn is a little too much."

"Well then stop complaining when she's being difficult," Trish retorted. "Do you really think that turning her into an Absol and locking her in a Poké Ball would have got you into her _good_ books?"

"With that girl, you never can tell. Besides, it's almost a little less disturbing than her current behaviour."

"So how do we get the Gym's Pokémon?" Shannon spoke up, trying to get everyone back on track.

Drake grinned. "Simple. There's a state of the art transportation system installed in this villa which is linked to each of the Pokémon sheds behind the stadium. You key in which number Pokémon you want and the Poké Ball is converted into energy and reappears here. No need to put a foot outside at all."

"Oh sort of like what's in the Pokémon Centres," Chris understood.

"Exactly," Drake nodded. "Just a little more advanced."

"So can anyone use it?"

The Orange Crew Leader shook his head. "No, it's protected by a palm and retinal scan. This one only has mine on record."

"Well then it's a good thing you're safe and sound here," Jenn chirped up, "It would be horrible if you were sick or injured or dead!"

The others stared at Jenn, who was beaming as if she'd just gotten a pair of Louis Vuitton purses at a buy one get one free sale.

"The way you just said that is extremely disturbing," Chris was the first to recover.

Still not losing the smile, Jenn tilted her head to the side, "And I mean that for all of us!"

Chris leaned to Ash, "Is it just me, or is she acting like some freaky brainwashed cult member?"

"It's not just you," Ash muttered.

"Come on, folks!" Jenn beamed again, "Let's turn those frowns upside down!"

Realising that she would not stop until they did so, everyone plastered a smile on their face. The blonde grinned. "That's _much_ better!"

"How many Dragonite do you think we need?" Puck asked.

Drake thought for a moment. "I think that ten of the strongest Dragonite, including mine, would be enough." He turned to the Grand Master, "What do you think?"

Ash tapped the side of his plate with the fork. "Ideally, I'd like to be able to throw everything we've got against Lu, but that's just not possible in these conditions. What about if we increased the number to twenty of the strongest Dragonite? They've been trained to obey commands as a group. You could command more than one, so could I."

"Are you going to use any of your Pokémon?" Drake asked.

"Pikachu, Charizard, Pidgeot, Espeon, and Gengar," Ash ticked off on his fingers. "I think that they are the best types to cope with anything Lu might try."

"Of course they're the best types," Jenn agreed. "They've got the best man in the world as their trainer."

Ash blushed as Chris snickered.

Jenn threw her arms around the Grand Master and glared at the Scot. "Don't laugh at _my _Ashykins! He is the _best_!"

Drake raised an eyebrow. "Ashykins?"

"Yes, Ashykins," the blonde beamed. "And you are Drakey and that's Chrissy wissy! You's are all my boys! Yes you are!"

The girls all laughed as the men turned red. "Why do I feel like she's treating me like one of her kittens?" Chris muttered.

"Because they're her kids," Shannon explained. "Be thankful that she didn't call you her cheeky poops."

"Awww but he could be my Chrissy Poops!" Jenn had overhead the end of Shannon's sentence and turned her attention to the Scot, hugging him.

Chris's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as she squeezed him hard. "Jenn…need…air…you're killing me!" he managed to croak out.

The blonde let go, immediately apologetic. "Oh I'm sooo sorry! Can you _ever_ forgive me!"

Slumping in his seat, Chris gasped for breath. "…I need a drink…"

"Oooh! Oooh!" Jenn jumped to her feet. "Let me get it for you!" Before Chris could answer she had rushed over to the kitchen and grabbed a glass and pulled something from the fridge. She returned with a full glass of cold milk and set it down before him, beaming.

"Milk is the best!" she chirped, "It does a body good!"

Chris's face fell as he looked at the beverage in front of him. This was _not_ what he had in mind when he said he needed a drink. He was about to refuse the offering when he caught Trish's gaze. The dark-haired Australian glared daggers at him and he gulped.

"Ahhh…thanks Jenn! That's just what I wanted," he said hastily and began to drink. With Trish's malevolent stare on him, he made sure to finish to the last drop before putting the glass back down.

Trish smiled benignly and Chris sighed in relief. He would live to see another day. Though with Jenn the way she was, he wasn't sure if he would be killed by Jenn's affections or if Lu would beat her to it. Or else he would be mauled to death by Trish if he dared to do anything to the blonde. He sighed. He just couldn't win.

Ash chuckled at Chris's milk predicament, but in doing so, caused his forkful of sausage to drop on the table. "Ooops…"

Jenn quickly came to his assistance. "Are you having trouble eating Ash? Let me help you!" Before he could protest, she had taken his plate and proceeded to cut up his breakfast into little bite sized pieces. She then speared a piece of sausage with his fork. "I can help feed you! Open wiiide!"

The Grand Master had no choice but to open his mouth and let her put the forkful in. The rest of the group were trying to stifle grins at Jenn's antics.

"She may be freaky," Mia whispered to Puck. "But at least she is giving us plenty of amusement!"

The chestnut-haired Fae nodded. "I quite agree!"

Jenn was having a ball feeding Ash his breakfast. "Now you'd better be chewing each piece thoroughly before you swallow," she instructed brightly. "No one wants you suffering from heartburn or indigestion."

"I am," Ash smiled weakly at her. "It's just a little disturbing how much you're sounding like my Mom."

"I love your Mom!" Jenn grinned. "She's such a gracious hostess and cooks the most superb meals!"

Ash smiled genuinely at that statement. Delia was famous in Pallet and Viridian for her hospitality and cooking.

"And next time I see her," Jenn continued with a bright smile, "I'm gonna compliment her on what a wonderful son she has! She did a fantastic job raising you all by her onesie. You're a real credit to your mom!"

Ash blushed at this fulsome praise while Chris sniggered. "What is this, an Ash love fest?" the Scot wisecracked.

"Of course it is, Chrissy Poo!" Jenn placed the fork down and hugged the Grand Master. "I don't just _like_ Ashy, I _love_ Ashy!"

Ash glared warningly at his laughing companions. "Not one word of this leaves the room. You got that? Not **_one_** word."

Jenn let the poor man go and took a sip of her pulp free orange juice. "Of course I mean that for _everyone_ else too! I just WUVS everyone!"

Chris stared down at his plate and muttered, "She's beginning to freak me out again…" before Jenn hugged him again.

"I _especially_ wuvs my Chrissy Wissy!" she chirped. "He's my widdle Scotty Pookie Poos!"

Now it was Chris's turn to glare at everyone. "Don't say a word. Just **_don't_**."

"As fun as this is, Jenn," Puck said calmly, though he looked more like he wanted to laugh, "We do need to finish breakfast so we can get on with other things."

"Like what?" Jenn chirped brightly.

"Like, uh," Puck trailed off and looked at Mia. His unasked question was obvious to everyone.

Except to Jenn.

With Jenn in her current state, dare he say what they were doing and risk ten billion questions or dare he simply lie.

"We're going to go shopping later on," Mia said for Puck, who looked at a loss. "We need to find something special for a special friend."

Jenn perked up even more, which Ash thought would've been impossible, and the blonde clapped her hands, "Oh can I go with you? Huh? Can I?"

This time Mia was at a loss and Puck supplied the answer. With a smooth tone, the impish Fae nodded, "You sure can, Jenn, and take as much time as you need."

Mia shot Puck a glare but before she could say anything, Jenn was suddenly up and around the table and helping the startled brunette to her feet.

"C'mon, Miakins! We've got to go get dressed and get ready to go out!" With that, the blonde dragged the poor defenceless girl towards the bedrooms.

"Anyone have the heart to tell her none of the shops are open?" Chris asked dryly. "Or is Puck just going to knock Jenn out so we have some peace and quiet?"

"I'm not sure which is worse," Ash slumped in his seat, putting his elbows on the table and resting his head in his hands, "The hurricane or Jenn."

"I know," Trish said, "I almost feel like I've been run over."

Ash, Chris, and Drake just gave the Australian a group look of exasperation.

"What?" Trish said innocently, "I had no idea how the pills would affect her."

"Anyone still prefer _my_ idea?" Chris asked, "Because at least you could lock her up when she gets too annoying. My neck and ribs say that those pills increased her strength as well as her ability to infuriate people."

Drake and Ash began to raise their hands, but Trish glared at them.

"Guys, that's just not fair!"

"Trish, the way she is now, you could drop her off at Lu's secret lair and he'd self destruct after ten minutes!" Chris said, "That or she'd strangle him or annoy him to turning himself in to be arrested."

"Well this time tomorrow afternoon, she'll be back to normal," Trish said and shoved some of her breakfast around on her plate.

"Oh goodie," Chris rolled his eyes, "Then she'll be back to being angry and we'll be stuck her with her. Let's hear it for the proverbial rock and a hard place. Deal with her or deal with Lu."

"Actually, if we can deal with Lu today, we won't have to worry about being stuck here," Ash said with a shrug. "As long as you don't try blackmailing her with anything, you'll be fine."

Trish winced a little, "I'm going to have a bit of explaining to do."

"Yeah," Chris said slightly sympathetically, "I'd say _that's _a given."

"Thanks, Mister Obvious," Trish said sourly, then sighed, "I just hope she isn't too irritated with what I did."

"Don't worry about it," Drake said reassuringly, "You're best friends. She'll understand."

"Or maybe give her a gift," Puck said, "You females always think that getting a present makes things all better."

"You're both weird _and_ un-knowledgeable in the ways of females," Trish raised an eyebrow. "Though Jenn has said she always wanted a Rapidash."

"I can get in touch with Mica in Saffron City," Ash said, "Her ranch raises some of the best Rapidash around. I might be able to arrange something."

"That would be nice if you could," Trish admitted. "Jenn has always said that she can be 'bought' with bling or Pokémon. I don't know how true that is though."

"To a point," Drake said. "She was not mad at me after I bought her that ruby and diamond bracelet she had always wanted from _Tiffany_'_s_ after that messy fight and break-up we had. But I think she was mad at me for you."

"Oh yes, I remember that," the Australian nodded. "That was quite an expensive bracelet; at least $3000."

"Boy if you got that for Jenn, just what are you planning to buy from _Tiffany_'_s_ for _Trish_?" Shannon asked slyly.

"I've already given Trish lots of jewellery from _Tiffany_'_s_," Drake grinned. "And the diamond engagement ring is the best money can buy."

Trish's eyes widened as she looked down at the ring in question. "I don't know if I really want to know how much it cost," she admitted. "I'd be too petrified of losing it to wear it!"

"Jenn would have no such hesitation," Ash grinned.

"What about asking Lara Laramie from the Big P Ranch outside of Fuchsia?" Drake brought them back to the main subject. "Doesn't she owe you still for winning that race on her behalf?"

"Doesn't almost everyone I know still owe me?" Ash said jokingly, even though it was true. He had yet to call in all of the favours he had done for so many people over the years. If he did, he'd be set for life. Not that he wasn't already.

"I don't think I do," the Orange Crew Leader smirked.

"She would have some Rapidash and pedigreed one at that," Trish mused as she sipped her coffee. "I just hope that Jenn isn't _too_ mad at me…"

"Aww, fret not," Shannon patted her friend's arm. "You two are the bestest of best friends. In all the years I've known you two, I have never ever seen Jenn get really mad at you. Nor you really get mad at Jenn. It's an impossibility!"

"I guess so…."

"We know so," Drake reassured her. "Besides, should Jenn get mad at you, all you have to do is remind her of all the things she'd done to you over the years. I'm pretty sure that list would be _much_ longer than things you've done to her."

"And the most important thing is that it was done out of concern and love," Shannon added.

"It was more for us than for her," Trish said wryly.

Puck chuckled and leant back in his chair, "I don't know why you humans are all complaining for. I quite like Jenn like this."

"Speak for yourself," Chris glared. "I'm gonna be in need of years of therapy after this!"

"Physical and mental." Shannon smirked.

"Hey…"

Ash finished his cup of coffee and pushed back his chair. "I'm gonna try and ring Lara now, see if I can get the Rapidash transported here."

"Thanks Ash," Trish flashed him a grateful smile. "I owe you one."

"Nah," the Grand Master waved it off. "Just try to keep Jenn out of trouble."

"That's a mission impossible," Drake grinned. "We all know that Jenn _is_ trouble."

"She's not trouble," Trish sought to defend her best friend. "She's just…"

"Trouble?" Chris offered.

"No!" The Australian said sharply. "She's just…I don't know…a magnet for trouble."

Pikachu hopped up on the table beside the girl, '_Piii_ _Pikapi_ _Pikaka_ _chuuuuu_…'

Drake grinned. "Sounds a bit like Ash was? I can believe that."

"Hey, I've turned out alright," Ash protested. "I haven't done so bad, so there is hope for Jenn."

"That is true," Trish nodded. "You proved them all wrong."

"And so can Jenn," Shannon beamed.

"Speaking of Jenn," Puck spoke up. "Are we going to let her go out in this weather or should we stop her?"

"Of course we're gonna stop her!" Trish looked indignant. "She could catch her death of cold out there!" Her dark gaze fell on the chestnut-haired Fae who began to feel a little uncomfortable. "Actually…**_you_** are going to stop her. You were the one who suggested it and your lady love is about to be dragged out with her."

"I'd be getting up there quick smart if I were you," Drake warned. "A soaking wet Mia is a _very_ unhappy Mia."

"And a very unhappy Mia is a mad, scary Mia," Trish added helpfully.

"Very," Shannon agreed. "She's like Mount Vesuvius when it destroyed Pompeii."

Puck gulped and quickly rose from the table. "I…uh…better go and see what Jenn and Mia are up to."

Trish chuckled as the Fae vanished from the room. "I would not like to be him."

"Why not?" Chris sipped his tea.

"Have you ever tried stopping Jenn from _shopping_?"

"Good point."

ooo

Puck reappeared in Jenn's bedroom to find the blonde had changed into a pair of jeans, a nice beaded top with long flowing sleeves and black sandals.

The girl was currently hunting through her jewellery box for a nice pair of dangling silver earrings to match with her necklace.

"Jenn…" he began only to have a hand wave at him.

"Can't talk now Pucky Wucky," she chirped. "I've just got to get ready to go shopping with Mia! She said she'd meet me downstairs."

"Uh…that's kind of what I came to talk to you about," he fidgeted with his shirt unsure of what her reaction to his news would be. Sure she was in a drug-induced good mood now but what if she snapped out of it at a certain word? What if the trigger words were 'no shopping'?

Jenn turned to him as she picked up her eye shadow compact. "Just to let you know that I'm still listening to you, but really you'll have to make like a Totodile and make it snappy."

"Well, the thing is that you and Mia can't go shopping…"

She stopped in mid-application and stared at him. "Why not?"

Puck gulped. He had been afraid of this. "Because there are no shops open because of the hurricane," he said quickly. "And because it would be far too dangerous for any drivers on the road."

Instead of the snarl of anger he expected, Jenn just blinked and looked confused. "But then why did Mia say that we had to go shopping?"

The chestnut-haired Fae thought quickly. "Because she kinda forgot about the hurricane. She didn't have much of a sleep last night you see."

"Oh?" Jenn cocked her head slightly then smiled slyly. "You and Mia really should lay off the nocturnal activities, Puck. You won't be getting the rest you need to build up the energy to fight Lulu!"

Puck reddened but said nothing. He realised that it was no use telling Jenn in her present state that what he said had been misunderstood by what he had meant by lack of sleep.

"I mean look at me. I get plenty of sleep and I am full of energy. I'm like a fricking Energizer Bunny!" Jenn beamed, flexing her arms.

"Well Energizer Jenny," Puck smirked. "How about we put that boundless energy to good use?"

The blonde looked at him with bright eyes. "Okay, what should we do?"

"Well I overheard Ash say that he just loved your cooking," the Fae told her. "So I'm sure that he would really appreciate it if you cooked him something. The Chosen One needs to keep up his energy for the final fight against Lu."

Jenn clapped her hands. "Oh I just love cooking! What do you think he'd like?"

"There are probably a few cookbooks in the kitchen here. They might give you a few ideas."

"Okay!" With that, she was off.

Puck sighed and shook his head before making his way to where Mia's room was located. He rapped on the door sharply.

"Who is it?" her voice floated out.

"It's me, Puck."

The door cracked open and she stuck her head out and looked both ways down the corridor. "Is it safe to come out yet?" she asked anxiously.

"Oh yes," Puck reassured his girlfriend. "I managed to convince Jenn not to go shopping and I have her cooking instead."

Mia came out, closed the door and slumped against it in relief. "That's good to know. I thought she was going to drag me out in that hurricane for sure!" She slapped him on the arm. "That was your fault you know! Encouraging Jenn to do something that you know very well can't happen!"

The chestnut-haired Fae rubbed his arm. "I'm sorry, Mi…but I just couldn't resist it! Can't a guy have a little fun?"

"You can have fun after we defeat Lu," the brunette told him. "I know you are a natural prankster and I love you for it; but now is not the time."

Puck pouted.

"Should we go and see what Jenn's up to?" Mia started to pull him along the corridor. "She's not hugging Ash to death again is she?"

"No, I told her that Ash might appreciate if she cooked him a dish or two. The way to a human's heart is through their stomach."

Mia thought about it. "If Ash wasn't already married, I'd say that would have worked."

Puck looked thoughtful and Mia slapped him again.

"Ow!" Puck rubbed his arm again, "What was that for?"

"For thinking of. . .stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Mischievous Puck stuff," Mia pointed at him warningly, "Don't get any funny ideas in your head, mister."

Puck shook his head, "You are _far _too late for that."

"You know what I mean," Mia sighed softly, "Your version of funny is a lot different than ours."

"I can't help being who I am."

"I know, but could you possibly tone down a bit on the deathly funny comedy?"

"Just for you," Puck gave Mia a kiss on the cheek, "_Only_ for you."

"Thanks, baby," Mia wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked towards the kitchen area. "I hope things won't get too messy."

ooo

Back in Pallet, Misty sat down gratefully on the sofa after returning from a lunch and shopping outing with Gary. The redhead rubbed her swollen belly and sighed. It was getting harder and harder to carry the baby as the last month of the pregnancy drew near.

Misty snorted at the memory of one of her girlfriends excitedly saying that it must be the greatest thing in the world to be pregnant. There was nothing great or glamorous about being pregnant. She was fat, constantly feeling bloated and having to go to the bathroom every few minutes or so it seemed. She just wanted to get the baby **out**.

Thankfully Gary was always around to distract her from her pregnancy woes. The chestnut-haired Trainer was over at her house several times a day, every day, offering to get her lunch or go shopping. He'd even given her a foot massage once after she complained how all the weight was making her feet ache.

She found herself really enjoying his company. Perhaps his banishment from the Pokémon League had been good after all. It seemed to Misty that Gary had really changed and for the better. He was attentive, kind, considerate and very generous.

Misty had heard from Ash twice. First time via email as the phone lines were jammed out of the Archipelago and the second time via cell phone. She had assured her husband that she was fine as was the baby and that he needn't worry about her. He would have questioned her further but the fact that she had hung up to take an incoming call.

The redhead sighed and slowly got to her feet, groaning all the while. She'd have a little rest in bed before getting ready for dinner. Gary had offered to take her out to a dinner and show and she had accepted. One dinner couldn't hurt could it?

ooo

Jenn had set about her task of cooking for Ash with gusto. Various ingredients and bowls were set out on the marble counter and no less than ten recipe books were open on the countertops.

Drake was nowhere to be seen, but Chris was going back and forth out of the room with a large basket. Each time he entered they were full of Poké Balls which he emptied into a basket beside Ash who was seated at the kitchen table with an open laptop. The Grand Master quickly examined each sphere and then entered something into the computer.

Trish and Shannon were seated on the kitchen stools on the opposite side of the counter to Jenn. The Australian was sipping an inevitable cup of coffee while watching her best friend with a raised eyebrow. Shannon was just staring.

"Is it possible the, uh, Prozac may have brought out some latent OCD in her?" Shannon whispered to Trish, "Because those books are spaced out evenly."

"Anything's possible," Trish murmured over the rim of her coffee mug, which read '**Mangos quiver before Me**'. "Especially now. Of course, if she does have OCD, she's been hiding it well."

After bringing in yet another basket of Poké Balls, Chris dropped them off to Ash and then collapsed in one of the empty chairs at the counter. "Don't worry about it," he panted out, "I had it completely covered," Then he winced and looked cautiously at Jenn, who was unaware to his comment.

"Nice save," Trish lowered her mug and grinned over at the wary Scot, "You almost got caught by the Consideration Committee."

"Try not to remind me, okay?" Chris shook his head, "What the hell is she doing?"

"If you weren't so busy being a Poké Ball bus boy, you'd have known that Puck got Jenn to make a huge feast," Trish looked at her watch, "Or lunch, actually."

"Blah, blah," Chris sighed, "When is that stuff gonna wear off? I'm getting tired just watching her."

Jenn was currently zipping between the stove and the counter, as she was simultaneously cooking pancakes, elaborate omelettes, crepes, and sausage.

Shannon bit at her lower lip before saying, "She's going to be _really_ tired after this."

Chris smirked, "Oh good, then maybe she'll just drop and fall asleep for a week or two."

Trish slapped at his arm, "That's not nice!"

"It wasn't _meant _to be," Chris rubbed at his arm, "And really, don't you think she will?"

"I think she will," Shannon said, "I mean, I do agree with Chris, but I hope she doesn't just drop in the middle of things here."

"You mean like in the ultimate showdown between good and evil?" Chris said mockingly, "That would really suck."

"Yeah, it really would," Ash said from the table behind them. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"I didn't think they'd affect her like this." Trish turned around in her chair, "You know how she likes to brag that it takes a lot to bring her down."

Ash looked up and flashed a reassuring look, "Don't stress yourself over it," He looked back down at the laptop. The glow from the screen reflected off of his mahogany eyes, "She'll shake it off before the battle starts."

"I hope so," Trish said worriedly. She looked back at the blonde, who was busy flipping pancakes with one hand and stirring a batch of crepe mixture with the other. For once, she seemed oblivious to their conversations, so much that they had stopped whispering and were talking normally.

Puck and Mia walked in soon after. Mia had an arm wrapped around Puck's waist and Puck had an arm around her shoulders. They looked like a perfect couple.

"What army is she feeding?" Mia looked at the array of plates and platters of cooked food on the counter closest to the table, "Seriously, because that is a _lot_ of food."

"She _is_ cooking for four guys," Ash said without looking up from the laptop, "I think we can be considered an army. Seriously."

"If you weren't the Grand Master, slash Chosen One, slash part of the team responsible for saving the Archipelago and therefore the world," Mia sounded annoyed, "I'd really have to kick your butt."

In reply, Ash silently took another Poké Ball, studied it, and logged something into the laptop.

"Men," Mia rolled her eyes and sat in an empty chair by Shannon. She watched Jenn for a few moments and looked annoyed, "She makes me tired just watching her and I just woke up!"

"Noted," Trish said dryly, "I hereby vow to never get her to take anything more potent than aspirin."

"Hoo ha!" Ash said from behind them.

Mia glared at him, then motioned for Puck to sit by her. He walked over, but hugged her instead.

"I have some things to talk to Ash about," He explained, then walked over to Ash and sat in a chair at the table.

For a second, Mia looked torn between being angry and exasperated. Finally she just sighed and poured herself a glass of water, which was conveniently in a pitcher on the counter in front of them. "So," she said after a pause, "Is the food here any good?"

"Haven't had any yet," Shannon said, "She won't let us even sample anything. All she said was that no one eats until she's done cooking."

The four watched for about ten minutes before Chris stood up. "That's it, I'm hungry now."

He went to grab a sausage, but even before he could hover his hand over the rack of sizzling meat, Jenn was there to stop him.

"So sorry! I'm not done yet," was all she had to say, though the warning look in her eyes said loads. "Won't you take a seat? I'm almost done!"

Jaime walked in then, fully dressed but rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Wow, I can't believe I slept in like that! It was good though. I should ask Drake if I can take one of those cots!"

"They are the most comfortable cots I've ever used," Mia agreed. "It must be nice to be able to afford to get the very best in everything." She looked around. "Speaking of Mr Crew Leader, where is he?"

"He's just shutting down the Pokémon transporter in the other room," Chris told them. "He's just transferred all the Pokémon we need from the Gym Sheds. Professor Oak and James also sent through Ash's main teams."

"Guess what also came through," Drake said as he walked into the kitchen. "One pedigreed Rapidash, courtesy of Lara Laramie and the Big P Ranch. Trish, I put it with the rest of your Poké Balls."

Trish snuck a quick look at Jenn but to her surprise, her best friend was still completely oblivious to everything but the feast she was cooking up. She sighed in relief and flashed a smile at the Grand Master. "Thanks for that, Ash."

"No problem," the dark-haired man smiled back. "I'm glad I could help." He went back to talking in low tones with Puck.

Drake sat down on the empty stool next to Trish and took her hand in his before glancing over at Jenn. "Wow, looks like someone's been busy. How long has she been cooking for?"

"At least half an hour or so," Shannon looked at her watch. "She's been multitasking the whole time. We've offered to help but she refuses."

"Miss Independent," Trish quipped. "So can you tell us what Ash is up to or is it so deeply classified that you can't say upon pain of death?"

The Orange Crew Leader laughed. "No, nothing as dire as that. We're going to run a computer simulation program that we have for planning battles. Ash has entered all the Pokémon that we're going to use and based on their data, work on the best strategies and formations against Lu."

"Ugh," Jaime helped herself to some water. "Sounds way too complicated for me. I'll leave that up to you guys."

"Yeah," Mia echoed. "You two are the best in the business, so if you can't come up with a sure-fire way of beating Lu then what chance do the rest of us have?"

"Hey what about me?" Puck pouted, having overheard his girlfriend's statement. "Don't _I _count in the final battle? Or Callie?"

Mia's answer was to go over to him and give him a kiss. "Of course you do, sweet. However when it comes to handling Pokémon, you should leave it to those two."

"I agree with you," the Fae sighed. "I have never trained anything in my life."

"Much less _trained,_" a disembodied voice smirked, as Callie shimmered into existence. Chris's face immediately went into goof mode at the sight of the ethereal beauty.

Her brother pouted again. "Hey, I'll have you know that I was much better at my studies than Lu ever was."

Callie patted his arm. "I know you were, brother dear. Lucius really was quite the dunce."

"What I would like to know is," Trish said quietly, "if Lu was as bad as you say he was, then how is it that he is so powerful?"

"Fear," Callie said in a serious tone, "He comes from a. . well from a family line, if you will, that can siphon power from emotions. His ruling emotion, ironically enough, is fear. The more fear people emit, the more power he can use for himself."

"But there aren't anymore people in the archipelago," Jaime said, "So how can he still have enough power to keep up this hurricane?"

"Because not all the people are gone," Callie said wisely. "There are still some people that have refused to leave. We're all still here. And of course there are still media people around to broadcast the weather to the people on the mainland. In turn, the people on the mainland worry. Worry is a by product of fear, so Lu can draw off of worry as easily as he can fear."

Jaime blinked and shook her head, "Oh, Lugia, why did I even ask?"

"Yeah, Callie," Mia agreed with the Canadian, "That was a lot of information."

"Necessary information," Trish said with a shrug, "It's better that we know and understand, rather than to be ignorant and be in danger."

"But what can we do to kill off Lu's supply of fear?" Chris asked, "We can't go save people that didn't leave, and we can't stop the media from broadcasting."

"Or you could overload him on fear, which would set his power levels to the breaking point, which could kill him," Jenn said brightly, right as she was setting out plates near the stacks and platters of food. "Lunch is ready!"

As the food was attacked, Lu didn't even get a second thought in the minds of some people.

ooo

Not that it bothered Lu at all; in fact he was not even aware of it. The red-haired Fae was sitting in his cave, taking a fiendish delight in the events he was viewing through his globe. The immense distress and terror that he saw on the mortals and Pokémon that remained pleased him immensely. It also empowered him.

He had never felt so invincible in his long life. Feeding on the fear from the mortal population strengthened and intensified his powers.

Lu smirked as he raised the intensity of the hurricane; causing the winds to blow even more ferociously and the sea level to rise. Massive waves and storm surges crashed along the beaches and coastline and crept inland.

He laughed as the fear level immediately rose up a notch. It was really just too easy.

And it would be just too easy to defeat his enemies. Lu didn't know why he hadn't thought of the hurricane in the first place. His power supply from the fear and the worry was unlimited, thus making him equal to Callie and Puck.

And there was no greater emotion than fear.

ooo

_Pallet._

Misty sat at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. How on earth had she allowed such a thing to happen?

She had woken this morning to find herself naked in bed with Gary snoring beside her, also bare. With a squeak of dismay, she had managed to get out of bed and pulled on her robe to make herself a cup of tea.

The evening had been very pleasant, Misty enjoying the dinner and the show very much as well as her companion. Gary was looking very sharp and smart, and she had felt a little thrill when he smiled at her.

After inviting him in for a coffee or tea, the two had sat on the sofa and talked for a while. During the course of their talk, she hadn't realised he had moved so close until he began to kiss her. Why she didn't react by pulling away instead of kissing him back she didn't know, except to say that her senses went haywire. Next thing she remembered was being lowered to the bed and being undressed.

Misty had broken her marriage vows, her pledge to forsake all others as long they both should live. The redhead had always been of the belief that marriage vows were sacred….so why didn't she feel that guilty?

Gary walked in to the kitchen, yawning and clad in a robe. "Morning Babe," he said. "I was wondering where you'd gone."

Misty raised her head and looked at him. "Gary…about last night…"

"You're gonna say it was a mistake, aren't you?" he sat down opposite her. "Because to me it wasn't. And you know you could have told me to stop at any time."

The redhead blushed as what he said was true. She _could _have told him to stop, but she didn't. Nor did she have the excuse that she was drunk and didn't know what she was doing.

"But Ash…"

"Who cares about Ash," Gary dismissed with a wave of his hand. "He's probably out getting himself killed, or getting it on with that blonde floozy, Jenn."

Misty stiffened at the mention of the American girl who she saw as a rival for her husband's affections. Had she left the archipelago with the rest of the people or had the blonde stayed behind? If so, was that a reason why Ash refused to leave when she asked him to?

"Ash doesn't really care about you, Misty," Gary continued. "He would have come back with you when you asked him to."

The fact that Gary's words so echoed her own thoughts, chilled her. "He felt he needed to stay and help," she protested, albeit half-heartedly because she shared Gary's view.

The chestnut-haired former trainer snorted. "The only help he could give was with the evacuations. He could have left after that. No one can stop a hurricane. What does he think he is, some kind of god?"

ooo

The man in question certainly wasn't thinking he was some kind of god. Instead he was seated in front of a laptop with Drake and Puck, trying to work out the best strategy and deployment of Pokémon against Lu.

The rest of the girls (and Chris) were seated in the living room, trying to work out exactly how they were going to contribute to the final battle.

"I'm worried that the Pokémon won't listen to us," Jaime admitted. "The Gym's Pokémon are pretty powerful and none of us here are serious trainers. Plus Lu puts the wind up me. If he gets his power from fear, how do I stop myself from unintentionally helping him?"

"I could assist you with that," Callie said in her gentle voice, "If you wouldn't mind, I could lay a simple reduction spell on you."

"What's that?" Jaime voiced her uncertainty, "It sounds like you want to _shrink _me!"

"Only your potential to fear," Callie reassured the girl, "All it would do, would tap down your fear so that you could help the others in the battle."

"Count me in!" Jaime relaxed, "I like the sound of that."

"Me too," Shannon said shyly, "Could you do that for me as well?"

"Of course," Callie smiled, "And once the battle is over, it will fade away. You won't even realize it."

"Good," Shannon also relaxed, "That's a good thing."

"Yes, because one shouldn't rely on a spell to get through life," Jenn said in a blasé tone.

The others stared at her, who looked comfortable sitting on a black leather recliner.

"What?" Jenn asked, true confusion in her voice, "It wouldn't do to have magick help you with day to day duties. Or even to just face life."

"This from the girl who wanted fire power," Chris snorted.

Trish glared at him, but he defended his words, "It's true though. She wasn't going to give up on that stupid power."

"Now if this isn't a good time to clear things up!" Jenn said in a chipper voice, "I just wanted that so I could be a better help in this battle. I'm not really sure if I can handle a powerful Pokémon, since mine are just so cute and fuzzy and not really powerful yet, so I figured if I had an elemental power I'd already had control over, then I could be a good help."

Once again, they stared at her.

"This is almost as effective as that truth spell," Shannon murmured to Trish, who nodded in agreement.

"That and I get so cold sometimes," Jenn smiled, "And having your own internal fire would keep you warm regardless. I admit, it's more than a bit selfish, but that's what I felt."

"This is like a bad version of Truth or Dare, stuck on truth," Chris muttered.

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Mia grinned. "Gives me a chance to find out things I normally wouldn't about Jenn. That girl is so secretive that getting information out of her is like trying open a rusted treasure chest with a plastic stick!"

"I agree," Trish said. "I've had to really battle to get her to open up over the years."

"How have you managed to stay best friends without either giving up on her, losing your sanity or throttling her?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow. "You must have the patience of a saint."

"Nah," the Australian shrugged. "I just wasn't about to give up on her. I can be just as stubborn as Jenn when I want."

"What was that?" Jenn quipped.

"I just said that I can be just as stubborn as you," Trish told her.

"Nah," Jenn waved a hand. "You can be stubborn, but no one is as stubborn as me."

"That's true," Chris smirked.

"I just don't like people telling me what I can and can't have," the blonde said. "If there's something that I really want, then almost nothing is going to stop me from getting it."

"That's a good philosophy to have," Shannon mused. "Depending on what it is that you want," she added hastily.

Trish leant back against the sofa. "What bugs me is the fact that Lu can source power from emotions, like fear. That means he's got an almost endless source of supply to fight us with. You can't stop everyone from being afraid; it's a natural human emotion."

"Yeah," Mia echoed. "If only we could tap into something similar…"

"Why couldn't we?" Jenn sat up and looked at Callie. "Surely Lulu isn't the only Fae able to tap into emotions. If he's all bad then you and Pucky are the total opposites, which means that you could tap into good emotions. Right?"

Everyone blinked at the blonde.

"You know…she sounded almost intelligent then," Chris gulped. "She's getting scarier by the minute."

"She's right though," Callie admitted. "I don't know why we didn't think of that before."

"That's because you've all been thinking inside the box," Jenn grinned. "You gotta start thinking outside the box."

"And if anyone's outside the box," Chris said, "And I mean way, _way_, outside the box, then that's you."

Jenn grinned.

"That's all very well for Puck and Callie," Mia hugged a pillow to her chest. "But is there a way that we lesser mortals can tap into the same power? That would really help to blast Lu."

"Oh there is!" Jenn stated. "Spells and incantations! I've got a book of them upstairs!"

Shannon frowned slightly. "Spells? Is that very wise Jenn?"

Jenn frowned for a moment, then shrugged, "I probably shouldn't have told you about it, but don't worry Shanny Shan. It's all good stuff like Willow in _Buffy _or in _Charmed. _Nothing on the side of evil at all."

"Um, Jenn, Willow did turn evil," Mia reminded the blonde. "She tried to end their world."

"Right, well, more like the girls on _Charmed_," Jenn said, "Okay?"

"If I'm not mistaken," Mia said, "Phoebe went evil a few times, and so did Piper, Paige did some spells for personal gain, and Prue got turned into a Siberian husky."

Jenn stood up, "Well I'm not evil or about to turn evil, and I'm sure not a Siberian husky."

"You were an absol," Chris said, "So isn't that kind of the same thing?"

"I don't believe that!" Jenn's eyes widened, then she shook her head. "You're just being ridiculous. People don't turn into Pokémon. I'm going to go get that book."

They watched the blonde leave the room.

"Anyone want to bet that the book she has is a prop copy of the book of shadows from _Charmed_?" Mia asked. "I'll be taking wagers for the next five minutes."

"Count me in," Chris said, "That's about a sure a win as anything. The girl loves her props."

ooo

Meanwhile Drake, Ash and Puck were still huddled around the laptop, working on possible battle scenarios on the simulator.

The Orange Crew Leader sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Have we got every Pokémon that we can think of?"

_:Obviously you forgot about me!_: A playful disembodied voice said before a blue bubble appeared and burst to reveal Ashura the Blue Mew.

The three men were startled.

"Ashura!" Ash gasped. "What are you doing here?"

_:Simple:_ the Pokémon beamed. :_I want to help in the battle against the Evil One:_

"Does Joanne know you're here? I hope you haven't come here without telling her," the Grand Master raised an eyebrow.

_:Of course not:_ the Mew's eyes were wide and innocent. _:I mean, of course I didn't go off without telling Joanne! I would not want her to think I was missing.:_

Ash could not help but think about how serious the situation must be for a previously carefree Pokémon, who came and went as he pleased, to suddenly start informing his owner of his whereabouts.

_:I have a message for you, Chosen_ _One, from the Legendary Birds and Lugia: _

"What is it?"

_:They will await your telepathic signal to join the battle before leaving the safety of their homes:_ Mew told him. _:They do not want to risk injury before the time comes.:_

"That's sensible," Drake approved.

_:I have also brought along an old friend or two of yours.:_

Ash blinked. "Who?"

A small giggling ball of pink fur materialised out of thin air before slowly uncurling and resting on a pink bubble. _:Meeew. Long time no see Ash:_

The Grand Master grinned. Oh yes he remembered this Pokémon alright. How could he forget the night that he died? "Nice to see you too, Mew."

Puck was confused. "So you're a Mew," he pointed to Ashura. "But you're a Mew too?" he pointed to the pink one.

:_Did someone say my name?_: A deeper voice was followed by its owner. A tall, purple cat-like Pokémon with strong muscular legs and a long thick tail materialised beside the pink Mew.

"Mewtwo," Ash stood up at the sight of the clone master. He walked over to the Pokémon. "How are the clones?"

_:They're doing very well,_: The tall stately Pokémon tilted his head:_In fact, they have asked me to be allowed to come and help. They wait only for word from you.:_

Ash frowned, "How did _they_ know?"

Mewtwo shook his head:_You're not a Pokémon. You cannot sense the malice that hangs around the Archipelago. Even from where I keep the clones safe, the level of evil is extreme.:_

_:He's got pokémon ties though,_: the pink Mew prompted:_If he wanted to tune in, he could sense the same evil that we do.:_

:_If he hasn't already,_: this from the blue Mew, who was looking at Ash with a deep look. _:Right, Chosen_ _One:_

"Ah, yeah, well I kind of try to shield myself from it," Ash admitted, "It's strong and I need to focus on the battle with Lu, so I keep my shields up."

Drake shook his head and looked at Ash, "You really are very weird. You know that?"

Ash shrugged, "It comes with the whole Chosen One thing."

"So have you ever been normal?" the Orange Crew Leader asked with a sly smile.

The Grand Master grinned. "Considering the Chosen One thing was decided before I was even born, apparently not."

_:In order to be the Chosen_ _One, he cannot be what you call normal.: _the pink Mew said solemnly.

"I guess that makes sense," Drake looked thoughtful.

"Tell the clones that I would be happy and honoured to have their help," Ash told Mewtwo. "This is as much your fight as it is ours. And by 'your fight' I mean **_all _**Pokémon."

The purple Pokémon nodded and his eyes glowed brightly for a moment. _:I have told the Pikachu to tell the others. They will be pleased.:_

"It is good to have you on board, Mewtwo," Ash smiled. "After that second adventure against Team Rocket, I had thought that would be last I saw of you."

_:So did I: _the Pokémon admitted. _:But I could not stand by and watch the world be destroyed by evil.:_

Ash raised an eyebrow. "No offence, but I seem to remember a time when you tried to destroy the world."

_:True, I do not deny it,_: Mewtwo admitted. _:But before you showed me the truth, I was angry and misguided. I am much gentler now.:_

"Glad to hear it," Ash said, "So was it Mew's gentle ways that rubbed off on you?"

_:No, anger management therapy.:_

"I just hope that with the Faes, and all the Pokémon's help, that we can defeat Lu," the Grand Master ran a hand through his hair. "The world is in danger of ending, for at least the third time, and here I am stuck in the middle of it. Again."

_:You cannot avoid your destiny:_ Pink Mew gently patted him on the shoulder with her tail. _:Whenever the world and the world's Pokémon are in need of you, you will find yourself there:_

"Mom would say that I have a knack of getting myself into trouble."

"Your mom would say that you _are_ trouble," Drake laughed.

"His mom would be right," Jenn said from behind them.

They turned to look at her and the blonde squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed at her forehead. She looked back up at them, shifted the large green hardcover book she held in the crook of her left arm, and smiled, "I'm so sorry! I can't believe I said something so rude! All of that cooking must have taken a lot out of me!"

"Doing some heavy reading, Jenn?" Drake asked in an amused tone.

"Oh nothing like that!" Jenn said with a cheerful wave with her free hand, "This is my little book of shadows. I'm going to try some magick to help you guys out against Lu! Well, bye!"

The guys, and assembled Pokémon, watched her skip away.

"You think it's a good idea for her to cast spells in that condition?" Drake asked, then blinked and shook his head, "Wait…book of shadows and magick and _Jenn_?"

"I'm sure Callie's close by," Ash said slowly, "Right?"

"You're the Chosen One," Drake said, "Don't ask me."

They looked to Puck, who shrugged. "I don't keep tabs on Callie. She'd turn me into a hamster if I tried to."

The guys looked at each other for a second before each got to their feet and went after Jenn.

ooo

Jenn bounced back into the room with a big grin. "I got the book!" she said brightly as she plopped down next to Trish.

"Oh goodie," Chris said, rolling his eyes.

"Can I have a look at it?" Trish asked.

"Sure," the blonde handed it over.

"Where did you get this?" the Australian slowly leafed through the book.

"Duh, you know I get just about all of my _Charmed_ stuff off of eBay!" Jenn grinned. "I got it from my favourite prop seller."

"I should have known," her best friend smirked as she handed it back.

"Yeah, you really should have."

Chris nudged Mia, "You want to pay up now, or later?"

"Later as in never," Mia muttered, who had bet that Jenn would have a small book instead of the prop that Chris wagered for.

"I accept payment in the form of cash, alcoholic beverages, and cash," Chris said smugly.

It was then that Drake, Ash and Puck came running in.

"Jenn, don't do it!" Puck gasped when he saw the blonde with the book open.

_To be continued…_

ooo

_Author's Note:_

_And that dear readers is another chapter in this five year saga. Keep an open mind, no one can say that they know for sure what the characters would do in the future – and that is the beauty of fanfiction. It is not canon nor sticking strictly to the anime and I have never claimed otherwise._


	29. With Courage You Can Set Things Right

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon (unfortunately), nor Puck. Ashura the Mew has been borrowed with permission from Dragoness. The storyline and other characters belong to me. The lyrics from the chapter title come from _The Power of One_, by Donna Summer, title theme from _Pokémon the Movie 2000: The Power Of One_.

_A/N: Dedicated to Jenn._

ooo

_Chapter Twenty-Eight: With Courage You Can Set Things Right_

Jenn looked over at the Fae, "Don't do what?"

"Don't use that book," Puck said, "It might…" He frowned and studied the book from where he stood. "That's not a magic book, Jenn."

"It is!"

"It's not real," Puck looked relieved, "It doesn't hold any magic."

"It is too real!" Jenn said forcibly, "It's as real as I want it to be!"

"Don't encourage her, brother," Callie murmured into her brother's ear. "If she believes enough, it could become real. That is how mortal magic works."

He took a breath and sighed it out, "I'm sorry, Jenn, but I didn't know how familiar you were with that book."

"Oh very!" Jenn said perkily, then blinked and looked uncertain.

"You okay, Jenn?" Trish asked with concern. "You don't look so well."

"I'm fine!" The chipper tone was back in her voice, "I just got a little light-headed." She looked down at the open book and brightened, "Here it is! Summoning Belthazor."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Trish looked uneasy, "What if it goes wrong?"

The others knew that she meant: What if something actually comes through?

"Don't worry about it," Jenn said calmly, "Belthazor is just the sweetiest!"

"The…sweetiest?" Ash said slowly.

"I'm gonna be sick," Chris looked ill, "It's just too much."

"I'll need some candles," she looked over the page, "And some ingredients for a potion."

:_What's the best thing to do:_ Ash asked Puck.

_:Teleport her to Lu's lair and let her blow up his cavern when this spell backfires.:_

:_Be serious, brother:_ Callie chastised.

_:I am! Anyway, I didn't invite you in to this conversation, sister_: Puck said with annoyance.

:_Well you didn't start the conversation,_: Callie said:_Did he, Chosen One:_

_:Play nice, kids_: Ash said:_Why don't we just let this go? There's not much she can do since she doesn't have magic.:_

:_All humans have some magic_: Callie informed him, _:It's just not as easily accessed as it is for Faes.:_

:_You mean since magic is as natural to us as breathing:_ Puck was definitely annoyed.

:_Your sarcasm is not lost on me, brother: _Callie said:_But Ash needs to know that there could be a slim chance of her even summoning something.:_

:_She's gone_.: Ash said.

_:She's been long gone:_ Puck said:_What else is new:_

_:No, I mean she went to the kitchen and took the book with her.:_

"She what!" Puck yelped.

The others were looking at them with a mix of amusement and annoyance.

"Done with your little conversation?" Chris asked, "Or should we let you carry on?"

"No we're done," the Fae said quickly. "Perhaps we should go into the kitchen and see what Jenn's doing."

"Good idea," Drake looked uneasy. "Jenn and magic are two things which should never ever be put together."

"Drake!" Trish scolded half-heartedly. She shared his opinion but still felt as if she should stand up for her best friend.

"Do you want to risk Jenn possibly blowing this place up?" the Orange Crew Leader led the way into the kitchen.

"No," Trish admitted while crossing her fingers that it wouldn't come to that; but with Jenn you never knew.

They found Jenn with all the necessary ingredients and candles set up on the kitchen table with the book spread out in front of her.

Shannon was impressed. When Jenn was inspired she really moved fast.

"Hey guys," the blonde grinned. "You're just in time to see me weave my magic!"

"I don't know if I want to see _this _magic show," Chris muttered before he was shushed by Shannon.

"Now everybody has to be quiet or else I can't concentrate," Jenn ordered.

Chris would have made a crack that the blonde could never concentrate anyway but a glare from Trish silenced him.

Cheerfully, Jenn lit the candles, one black and one white. She turned to Puck, "This would be so much easier if I could use fire power instead of matches!"

She giggled, then held her hands dramatically near the candles. Looking down at the large green book, she began to recite, "Magic forces, black and white..."

Puck shivered as a chill ran over his arms. This sounded familiar...

"...Reaching out through space and light..."

Callie tapped her brother's shoulder, "Doesn't this sound like the spell to summon Darius?"

Puck's eyes widened as a white column of light had appeared beyond Jenn. "It is."

Darius, a notorious ancient demon who had a short temper, but enough insanity and power to back up any threat. He was currently under lockdown back home, but anyone who knew the spell could free him. It wasn't that often that any spell from home would be known by mortals.

"...Be he far or be he near..."

In the blink of an eye, Puck silenced Jenn by momentarily freezing her vocal cords. The blonde looked stricken, but Callie wasted no time in extinguishing the candles. The column of light faded, but not without the rumbling of muttered cursing.

"What's wrong?" Trish asked Callie.

"Oh nothing," Callie said calmly in her lilting tone, "Just averted a major disaster."

Puck rolled his eyes. Leave it to a sister to speak nonchalantly about something more dangerous than a hundred of Lucius on his most insane days. He unfroze Jenn's vocal cords and the blonde rubbed her temple.

"I don't feel so good…" she mumbled before she suddenly collapsed to the floor to the horrified gasps of the onlookers.

"Puck! What did you _do_ to her!" Trish yelped before rushing to her friend's side and kneeling down. She checked the girl's pulse quickly before breathing a sigh of relief.

"I just froze her vocal cords with telekinesis, that's all," Puck said weakly.

"Telekinesis on vocal cords?" Mia shot him a look. "That's not what Darth Vader did to his opponents is it?"

"Nothing like that!" Puck said quickly, noting the sudden dangerous glint that came into Trish's eyes. "I just gave her temporary laryngitis so she couldn't summon ultimate evil, that's all."

"Is Jenn okay?" Shannon asked in a fearful tone of voice.

"She's just fainted," Trish reassured her. "Drake, could you pick Jenn up and place her on one of the cots please? I'll bring an icepack or else she might end up with a nasty bruise."

The Orange Crew Leader obliged and Trish followed him out of the room. When she was out of earshot, Mia leant towards Puck.

"You are _so_ lucky that she's okay, otherwise Trish would have killed you."

"Mia, she almost summoned something very bad," Puck defended himself, "We're lucky that she didn't!"

Mia glared at him.

Puck sighed, "Oh yes, I'm lucky and avoided being killed by Trish. Don't I know it."

"That's better," Mia said with satisfaction.

"So what exactly did you mean by 'averted a major disaster,'" Ash asked warily. "Or do I really not want to know?"

"Jenn almost summoned Darius," Puck explained. "He's an ancient demon who's imprisoned back home. He's a hundred times more insane and more powerful than Lu. We didn't think that anyone outside the Fae realm knew that spell."

His listeners all turned pale. "Then how did Jenn know it?" Jaime squeaked. "I thought that book wasn't real!"

"It isn't real," Callie said as she scanned the open book. "But these spells are loosely based on _real _magic. A changed word here and there, coupled with belief, can make things happen. Whether or not the spell caster knows this is another thing."

"Jenn wouldn't intentionally summon evil," Trish said as she walked back into the room with Drake. She had overheard the end of the conversation. "Even though she likes to think she's evil, she really isn't. I _know _Jenn and she would _never_ hurt one of her friends or family. Not deliberately."

"I'm not so sure about that," Chris said wryly, rubbing the back of his neck. "My neck and ribs say just the opposite."

"She underestimates her own strength sometimes," the Australian shrugged.

"Well I say that we should grab that book and burn it," Jaime looked scared. "It's too dangerous to leave around."

"We can't do that," Shannon objected. "That's Jenn's property. How would you like it if someone took something of yours and destroyed it? And imagine you found out about it after the fact!"

"But we can't risk her keeping it," the Canadian rebutted. "If she could almost summon an evil demon once, she can do it again! My gran always says that you should never meddle in things you know nothing about."

"Is there a way that you can fix things so that she can still keep the book and yet not have any of the spells actually work?" Trish asked Callie.

The Fae looked thoughtful, "Yes there is," she said and as she spoke the words shimmered and reformed on the pages. "They will still read like spells but no matter how she changes the wording, it won't unlock any real spells."

"That's a relief," Chris sighed. "Honestly that girl is a walking disaster. Causes nothing but trouble." He shrank back at the withering glare sent his way by a certain Australian. "Oh you know it's true! I don't think being an Absol had anything to do with her being a disaster. I think it's a natural thing."

"Even though you may be right," Trish said, "Let's try to be a little kind, okay?"

"Why must you always stick up for Jenn?" the Scot grumbled. "Every time someone says something bad about her, you bristle up like a momma bear with a sore head."

"That's what best friends do," the Australian shrugged.

Chris looked at Drake. "You do realise that when you get married to Trish, you'll be getting a two for one deal? You'll be stuck with Jenn for life!"

"Hey what about me?" Shannon pouted. "I'm like the little sister she never had!"

"Yes, don't forget Shannon," Trish grinned and hugged her younger friend.

"Of course we haven't forgotten you, Shan," Drake reassured the girl. "But the rate you and Ben are going, you're going to be my sister-in-law before too long. So I'll be stuck with you for life anyway!"

Shannon blushed.

The Orange Crew Leader winked at the brunette then turned back to Chris. "Yeah, I know that, but I don't really mind having Jenn around all the time."

"Plus you also know that trying to block her from visiting would never work!" Trish smirked.

"That too."

"So are we all prepared to fight Lu or is there stuff that still needs to be done? Jaime asked.

"All that needs to be done is to give every Pokémon an Item to boost their strongest power," Ash said.

"Then what?"

"We wait until Lu strikes."

"Just as well Jenn's not conscious then," Shannon grinned, "She _hates_ waiting and the suspense it causes."

"She would have been full of complaints," Chris groaned. "Thank Lugia that we were spared."

"Chris!" The brunette glared.

"What!" the Scot said defensively. "Don't tell me you're sticking up for Jenn as well! Trish is bad enough. Why are you so loyal? She's completely insane!"

"That's what's so great about her!" Shannon beamed. "She makes me laugh."

"So laughter is the quickest way to a person's heart," Chris rolled his eyes.

Puck look confused. "I thought it was food…"

"That's only for men," Mia told him. "Women are different."

"Mia, I know _that _much!" Puck said defensively.

"I didn't mean it like that," she laughed. "I only meant that there are different ways for people to enjoy each others companies."

"Human terms are so baffling," Puck said and his voice was laced with consternation.

"Tell me about it," Chris muttered, "You think you've got it all figured out and that's when you realize you don't know jack."

"That's for sure," Ash agreed, then seemed surprised by the flabbergasted looks he got. "What? It's not all peaches and cream being Grand Master. Things aren't instantly easy once you get the big office with the corner window view."

"Even with all the deputies and assistants you get to boss around to do your work?" Chris raised an eyebrow. "I'd say that being a CEO would be a piece of cake!"

"Having lots of staff helps, but I still do a lot of the work myself," the Grand Master said. "It depends on what type of boss you want to be. Some like to have all the work done for them. I prefer to have a more hands on role myself, as does Drake."

The Orange Crew Leader nodded. "I love the work anyway, and the employees respect you more when they see that you're prepared to work just as hard as they do."

"Sure being Grand Master or Orange Crew Leader may sound like a slacker job," Ash grinned. "But then again the buck stops with you. You have to make some hard calls and hard decisions, and if things go wrong then _you_ cop the blame."

"Plus there are always Trainers out there who want to knock you off from the top spot," Drake added. "So on top of everything else you have to constantly train with the Pokémon."

"I never really thought of it like that," Mia tilted her head. "I mean all we ever hear about is the oodles of money, the parties. We never hear about what really goes on."

"That's right," Ash nodded. "And as much as I love making small talk, we really should get out to distribute those items."

The items the two men had gathered were all attached to leather strings like pendants. "Frees up the Pokémon's paws or claws and lessens the risk of them dropping it," Drake explained.

Ten of the Dragonite were given Nevermeltice to boost their Ice moves, while the other ten were given Dragon Fang to increase their Dragon type moves.

Ash carefully fastened a Light Ball around Pikachu's and Poppy's necks.

Poppy sniffed the item quizzically. '_Pi?_'

"This will help to double the strength of your special attacks, sweetie," Ash explained.

The Pikachu beamed. '_Pika! Pikachu Pi Pikakaka!_'

"I'm guessing Poppy likes that idea," Jaime smiled.

"You bet," Ash grinned. "She wants to fry the baddie to a crisp."

Mewtwo stared at the item Trish was holding up. _:I am **not** wearing **that.**:_

The Australian sighed. "So a Twistedspoon is not my idea of fashionable jewellery either, but it increases the strength of Psychic moves. Espeon and the two Mews will be wearing them too."

:_I quite like it:_ Ashura the Mew giggled and did a back flip. :_It's quirky like me. Look I'm Mew-ri Geller:_

"Oyyyyy" the rest groaned, but Gengar found it funny.

Wearing the Spell Tag, the Ghost Pokémon laughed so much he was rolling on the floor, clutching his sides.

"It wasn't _that_ funny, Gengar," Ash told his friend.

"Anyway," Trish turned pleading puppy eyes on Mewtwo. "Would you _please_ just put this on? It will make you even more powerful than before."

The Psychic Pokémon sighed and relented, for he was a sucker for puppy eyes. Mew knew this and used it to her advantage every so often. _:Fine. But just this one time.:_

"Thanks Mewtwo!" the Australian beamed. "I promise that I will never tell anyone else about this."

_:Good_: the Psychic Pokémon sighed. :_Otherwise I may have to wipe your memory.:_

ooo

Soon all there was to do, was to wait for Lu to strike; which in many respects was the hardest thing of all.

The men were all gathered around the Playstation console, playing fantasy battles and racing games to pass the time.

Puck and Callie had withdrawn to another room to meditate. Callie explained that it was an excellent way to help concentrate their powers for the final battle.

The four girls were gathered in the great room. Trish was building a 3D jigsaw puzzle of Neuschwanstein Castle with Shannon. Jaime was attempting to sketch stuff as was Mia.

"Do…you think that we're going to be able to beat Lu?" Jaime broke the silence.

Trish paused with a piece of the 'paving' in her hand. "I don't know for certain, I doubt if anyone can. But we have a pretty good chance with Puck, Callie, Ash, Drake, some powerful Pokémon and all the Legendaries. If we lose…all we can say is that we gave it our best shot."

"I guess…" the Canadian fiddled with her pencil. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared about this whole thing. What will happen if we lose?"

"Lu takes over the world and kills us all," Mia said glumly.

"But I don't wanna die!" Jaime's eyes went wide. "I'm too young and haven't done everything I wanted to do yet!" She chewed on the end of the pencil. "I'm also a little afraid of death itself. Aren't you guys?"

"What about death that scares you?" Shannon spoke up as she put a piece into place.

Jaime shrugged. "I guess it's the whole fear of the unknown. What really happens when one dies? Where do you end up? Is there really a Heaven or a Hell? No one's ever come back to tell us what it's like. Then there is the whole thing about never seeing your family again."

"If no one's come back then the afterlife must be a wonderful place," Trish grinned then sobered. "Seriously though, death is a journey that everyone must make at one point or another; and most will die alone. And as for never seeing family again, I know I've always liked to believe my grandparents were still watching over me." She wrinkled her nose. "It's the possible **_pain_** factor of death that scares me."

"Me too," Shannon agreed. "I just want to fall asleep and never wake up."

"That would be ideal," the Australian admitted. "However, after my experiences with Lu, I think he definitely won't be so obliging."

"Very painful?" Jaime squeaked nervously.

"Excruciatingly so," Trish told her. "Of course I _was_ wearing a tightly laced corset at the time, but that's how I felt."

"At least there's no chance of any of us wearing those," Mia quipped. "Unless Lu has a corset fetish."

"Don't give him any ideas would ya?"

ooo

The guys were also making small talk while playing the Playstation games.

"Think we can do it?" Chris asked, a little nervous. He wished desperately for a cigarette but he had run out.

"I hope so," Ash said as he took a sip of soda. "It will all come down to the following factors on the day; Who has the greater strategy and who has the greater will to win."

"As long as we don't lose our nerve and don't give up," Drake added.

"Easier for you guys to say and do," Chris complained. "You've both been in 'almost the end of the world' disasters. Me, I try to stay as far away from them as much as possible, and now I'm stuck smack in the middle of one."

Ash was about to answer when there was an almighty crash of thunder and a splintering of glass, followed by the terrified screams of the girls.

Without hesitation, they ran for the room the girls were in. The Pokémon looked at each other, unsure of what to do, then as a group followed the humans. The two Mews flashed out of sight with a quick teleport.

Mewtwo sighed, then followed suit by teleporting in the general psychic direction the two Mews had gone. When he reappeared, he found himself in a room that was currently very windy, very rainy, and very much occupied by a large palm tree that had fallen into the room through a wall that had previously held floor to ceiling windows.

It was also empty of any humans that were female.

Ash looked around with something akin to frantic worry. "What the hell happened?"

Drake ignored him and called out for his fiancée, "TRISH!"

Chris looked around a little calmer than the others. Or perhaps not calmer, but more realistic. He was the one to find the note and called out to Ash and Drake.

"What is that?" Drake asked, unable to keep the slight tremor of worry from his voice.

"Looks like Lu left a calling card," Ash said grimly.

The note was written in brightly glowing green letters that were printed neatly on the one wall untouched by rain. Ash read the note out loud.

_**Chosen One, If you wish to see your loved ones alive, go to the stadium for the final battle. I will be awaiting you. Bring your little friends with you, if you wish, even though it will not help you.**_

_**Lucius**_

Drake gaped at the words, which faded soon after Ash stopped reading them. He turned to the Grand Master and Ash winced at the agony that crossed the Orange Crew Leader's face. "What do we do?"

Ash looked at Drake. He had to answer the man honestly. "We go, we fight, and we win."

"What if we don't?" Chris had asked it, not with a hint of his earlier wariness, but with blunt frankness.

"That's not an option," Ash said simply, "We're not only fighting for the world anymore. Lu just made it personal."

ooo

The guys discovered that though Trish, Mia, Shannon, and Jaime had been taken by Lu, Jenn hadn't. To add to the mix was the fact that she'd kept on sleeping through the palm tree crashing through the window and the screams of her best friends.

"So what do we do?" Chris had asked, "Do we just leave her or try to wake her up?"

"We can't force her to wake up," Puck had answered easily, though his voice was tight with anger for Lu. "If we do, it could harm her."

Normally Chris would've cracked a joke, but not even he had the desire to joke at a time like this. Instead he had nodded and followed the Fae out of the room, with Drake trailing behind them. Ash had stayed behind for a moment and instructed Flower Mew to watch over Jenn.

"I know that you'll be a little pissed if you sleep through this final battle, but Puck said that we can't wake you." Ash had told the sleeping blonde. "Besides, no one knows what you'll be like when you wake up. You'll either be really pissed, confused, or as weird as you were when you passed out."

After leaving instructions for Flower Mew to inform Jenn about what had taken place if she happened to wake up while they were gone, he had left with the others. Mew and Mewtwo would teleport them inside the Stadium, and then the final battle would begin.

ooo

Ashura, more affectionately known by the humans as Flower Mew, hovered over the sleeping human. He was planning on taking a little siesta, since the darkened room made that an oh so desirable thing to do, when he heard the human making little groaning noises.

He cocked his head and looked at the human. She had raised a hand to a head of dishevelled hair and was blinking blue-grey eyes. Even though the room was dark, he could see what colour they were. An odd colour, almost like muddy water.

He hovered there for a moment, watching her watching him with a confused look in those blue-grey eyes. She blinked once, then again, and he giggled.

The blonde's eyes widened and she gave a little shriek.

Though he wanted to giggle more at her fright, he calmed himself and spoke to her telepathically:_Don't worry, Jenn, I'm a friend. I'm Joanne's Mew.:_

"Y…you are?" She looked confused, "Where am I?"

_:You're in your room at Drake's villa. Are you ready to go:_

"Go where?" She sat up and rubbed at her head, "Oh, ouch."

_:Does your head hurt:_

"Yeah, like only a lot."

:_Want me to heal you:_

She opened her eyes and looked at him, "Can you?"

:_Sure! It's part of what I can do. It's the least I can do:_ He smiled reassuringly at her.

She didn't seem to need to think on it, "Please!"

The cat-like Pokémon hovered closer and concentrated. He searched and found the irritated nerves in her mind. He used his powers and soothed them. A brilliant blue glow surrounded her head and in seconds he had halted her headache in its tracks. He floated away from her and she opened her eyes and smiled brilliantly.

"I've never felt better!" She beamed her happiness and swung her legs over the side of her bed, "But hello, what am I wearing!"

She was wearing a conservative skirt and t-shirt outfit, which she looked at with a mix of disgust and annoyance. "Time to get out of this." She ruffled her hair, "And to take a quick shower."

_:You may want to skip the shower and just throw on a pair of jeans and hurry:_ the little mew said:_Lu's taken Trish and the other girls_.:

Jenn stumbled in shock, "He WHAT!"

_:Lu launched a surprise attack on the villa and kidnapped all the girls while the guys were in another room.:_

The blonde's eyes were wide. "Don't tell me he got Callie as well…cuz if he did then we're sunk like the _Titanic._"

Flower Mew shook his head. :_Nah, just all the human girls.:_

"Except me, obviously," Jenn grabbed her favourite pair of blue jeans and rushed into the ensuite, closing the door slightly. "How come he didn't grab me as well?" her voice floated out.

:_He was probably in a rush:_ Flower Mew shrugged_. :He did leave a note for the Chosen One though.:_

"What did it say?" Jenn came out of the bathroom dressed in her jeans and the t-shirt. Her hair had been pulled back into a messy ponytail. She knelt down and rummaged around under her bed for a pair of sneakers.

:_That if he wants to see the girls alive, then to come to the Stadium for the final battle.: _

Jenn quickly pulled on her sneakers, then jumped up. "So that's where the rest are at?"

:_Yup. You ready:_

A grim smile was on the blonde's face. "You bet. That Lulu is gonna get his ass so thoroughly whipped when I get there. No one, and I mean _no one,_ ever hurts my friends."

ooo

The scene that greeted the pair when they teleported was grim. The hurricane was still going on strong, with gale force winds and driving rain. On one side of the stadium was Lu, flaming red hair blowing back in the fierce winds. Next to him were the girls, held completely hostage within a dome of crackling magic.

On the opposite side stood Ash, Drake, Puck, Callie and Chris, with the small army of Pokémon behind them. The Dragonites were lined up and bellowing with anger, and hovering above them were Mew and Mewtwo, as well as the Legendary Birds and Lugia.

"Or maybe _not_ so whipped," Jenn bit her lip as she looked at her captive friends. She caught Trish's eyes and mouthed '_Can you move at all?_' and hoped her friend would understand.

Her heart sank when the Australian shook her head. Trish had looked momentarily surprised to see the blonde, and Jenn felt frustration when she tried to remember how they all got to this point. Hadn't they all just been coming back from…from…She couldn't remember. All she could remember was taking a couple of pills that Trish had given her. What had they done to her? She felt like she'd lost a lot of time between then and now. _How_ had she lost time?

The blonde shoved that thought away. Whatever the pills had done was in the past. The important thing was getting her friends out of harms way so that Ash and Drake could do what they had to do. Jenn could tell the two men were holding back. The girls were too close to Lu.

But what could she do to help? She had no magical powers, thanks to Puck (and she was this side of tempted to tell him "I told you so!" but she'd have to save that for if they got out of this mess alive and in one whole, healthy piece.), and she had no Pokémon. What _could_ she do?

An energy blast pummelled a hole into the ground next to her, sending up a spray of rock and mud, and the blonde was tossed back by the blast. She fell against the ground, pain blossoming along her left shoulder, but she ignored it and tucked into a roll. Jenn got up as fast as she could and cursed herself out. '_Idiot! If Trish saw you, then duh and a half, so would Lu! They're practically holding hands, they're so close!'_

Lu had turned an angry gaze towards her and an idea flashed through Jenn's mind.

Diversion. Ash and Drake needed a diversion. Maybe she couldn't fight, but she could diverse. Or whatever.

:_Need any help:_ It was Flower Mew.

"What's your name?" Jenn had started to run to the right, behind a stand of palm trees. Rain lashed around them here, but the wind had lessened so it wasn't hard to stand against it.

_:Flower…:_

"I mean, tell me what Joanne calls you."

_:I…Ashura.:_

"Okay then, Ashura, I have a plan and I need you to help me with it," She levelled a look at the hovering catlike Pokémon. "Capisce?"

The blue Mew gulped nervously, but hovered a little closer.

ooo

Jenn's appearance hadn't gone unnoticed by anyone else. Once Lu turned his focus on her, Drake, Ash, and Chris had seen the blonde take up a place behind a stand of five palm trees.

"Is that Joanne's crazy mew with her?" Chris narrowed his eyes. "I can't tell from here."

"It is." Ash said.

"But how can _you_ tell?" Chris was trying to look around the palm trees. "They're way over there and…Oh, right. Freaky Chosen One thing?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah. Freaky Chosen One thing."

"Ah, well, we can't all be freaky," Chris said sympathetically, "But what do you think she's doing?"

"I think she's scheming," Ash said grimly. He looked up at the Legendary Birds, who were currently pummelling Lu with various attacks. He looked over at Mewtwo, who was levelling him with a look. "Can you teleport over and see what she's doing?"

_:She's plotting a diversion.:_ The Psychic Pokémon looked bored at Ash's reaction:_Ash, I'm psychic, plus she's telling this to Ashura, who is relaying it to me. Don't look so surprised.:_

"I'm not surprised you know about it. I'm surprised she's planning that!"

"Planning what?" Drake was looking anxious. His fiancée was in a tight spot.

"Jenn's planning a diversion," Ash said, "So we can get to the girls."

"Well once you get to them, then what?" Chris said, "How are you gonna get them from that dome thing?"

"We can do that with no problem," Callie said calmly.

Chris felt his apprehension fading as she said it. She was so soothing to listen to. Maybe after all this was over, she would go on a date…

"We shall see," Callie turned teasing eyes towards him and he flushed.

"And stop thinking so loudly," Puck said grumpily, "You're broadcasting your thoughts louder than a rock concert."

Mew giggled, but Chris flushed deeper. Why did he have to be surrounded by psychics!

"We've got bigger things to worry about than teasing Chris," Ash said, "Mewtwo, go on over and keep Lu from hitting Jenn with energy blasts. Let her taunt and tease him and keep him out of our hair. I'll tell Flower Mew to inform Jenn that you're going to be there to protect her."

_:Yes, sir:_ Mewtwo said mockingly, then vanished from sight.

"He's not dangerous, is he?" Drake asked. "Mewtwo, I mean."

"Not anymore," Ash said, then added under his breath, "At least, I don't think so."

"Let's go!" Drake said hurriedly, "We have to save the girls!"

Lu's attention was back to the guys, before Jenn yelled out a taunt from behind the palm trees. Then the Fae got as red in the face as his hair and threw more energy blasts towards her. A pair of palm trees fell with a resounding thud and Drake winced.

"The landscapers are going to have a field day," he bemoaned the trees.

"Oh, no, Drake," Chris said as they rushed towards the girls, "They're gonna _love _you. You'll keep them financially secure through the next three or so generations."

"Thanks, Chris," Drake muttered. "Your words bring me so much reassurance."

"I thought so," Chris grinned.

They crossed the distance quickly, running under the protection of the Legendary Birds, while Lu was busy running after Jenn. Chris looked over and saw the blonde successfully dodge an energy blast, momentarily surrounded by a blue glow provided by Mewtwo.

"I hope she can continue to keep that up until we can get the girls away from Lu," he muttered.

"Jenn's always liked to say that she's just as good as Lara Croft, Buffy or Xena," Drake shrugged. "This is a chance for her to prove it."

Ash frowned as he watched Jenn dodge another blast. "I just hope that she manages to keep one step ahead of him. Despite Mewtwo's shield around her, Lu's out to kill. If he wants to kill her, he will."

"I don't think we need to be reminded of that fact," Chris snorted. "Now how about getting the girls out of here?"

Puck and Callie joined hands and concentrated. A bright blue glow surrounded the dome, briefly obscuring the girls from view. When the light had died down the dome was no longer there and the girls were blinking and rubbing their arms as if released from bonds.

Mia cried out and rushed straight into Puck's arms, the Fae holding her tight. Drake swept Trish off her feet and into his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked anxiously. "He didn't touch you or hurt you in any way?"

Trish shook her head. "I'm okay, Lu just tied us up with magic so we couldn't move."

The Orange Crew Leader kissed her forehead. "I am not letting you out of my sight again."

"Are we ready?" Callie asked in her lilting tone. They all nodded and a warm lilac light enveloped them and they found themselves back at the opposite side of the Stadium. Dragonite trumpeted happily when he saw Trish back safe and sound.

"Good to see you too, Dragonite," Trish grinned at the big Pokémon as Drake put her down.

"Perhaps you girls should go inside the Stadium," the Orange Crew Leader said. "You'll be safe there from the battle."

"Heck _no_!" Trish frowned, a stubborn look on her features. "I'm staying right here, mister. That freak has done so many things to me that I would like to repay the favour!" She waved towards the palm trees where Jenn was engaged in a game of cat and mouse with an enraged Lu. "And with my crazy but thoughtful best friend out there, there is no way I'm leaving!"

"Neither are we!" chorused the three other girls.

Ash and Drake exchanged resigned looks. Not only was there no point in arguing with them, but there was no time either.

Mew floated over to the two men. :_It is time to call on all able Dragon and Psychic Pokémon to fight.:_

Ash nodded. "You're right." He opened the telepathic link he used to communicate with all Pokémon and sent out the prearranged coded signal that would call them for battle.

_:You must also unleash the full powers granted to you as the Chosen One:_ the little pink mew advised the Grand Master.

"My…full powers?" Ash looked confused. "I thought I was limited to psychic abilities and an unerring ability to find trouble."

Mew giggled and tapped him gently on the nose with her tail. :_No, it is much more than that. As Chosen One, the Fates have granted you untold powers in order to save the world. The powers are fully realised only when you are ready for them. You, my dear Ash Ketchum, are ready.:_

"But…how do I invoke them?" the Grand Master looked perplexed. "I only knew the spell to invoke the Jewel of Coni Neume because you gave me the spell and I memorised it."

More giggles from Mew. :_You **do** know it, Chosen One, for it has been with you since birth. Focus and listen to your inner heart.:_

"How am I supposed to focus with all of this noise!" Ash ground out.

:_Patience, Chosen One, you can do it._: Mew seemed very confident in him.

Ash sighed, but closed his eyes. Almost instantly, he was assailed by a swirl of power and he staggered back a step. He could feel someone walking towards him and he held out a hand, "No. I'm okay."

He opened his eyes and saw Mew looking at him with a satisfied expression on her cute little face.

:_I told you so.:_

Beside him, he heard Trish gasp and he looked at her. "What?"

"Your eyes…"

"They have a golden glow to them," Drake said in a hushed tone.

Ash would have questioned their observations if he hadn't felt the rush of the power that filled him. It filled him from the tips of his fingers, down to his toes. "I almost feel like I can't hold it all in."

"You're not meant to hold it in," Callie said, "You're meant to wield it against great evil."

"Then let's do that," Ash looked up at the approaching dragons with a golden gaze. "Let's get this done."

ooo

"You cannot run from me forever!" Lu screamed, "I will find you and when I do I will take extreme pleasure in killing you!"

"You couldn't catch a cold, you idiot!" Jenn taunted back, taking momentary refuge behind a tall statue of Dragonite in flight. "You'll never catch me!"

A green flash of energy sheered off the statue Dragonite's wings. Jenn darted out of the way as the huge wings crashed to the ground. Bits of stone flew past her, once again deflected by the blue glow provided by Mewtwo.

'_I'm gonna owe him **big** time after this,'_ Jenn thought, '_Maybe I can send him a fruit basket or something.'_

:_I do not accept fruit baskets_.: Mewtwo's voice boomed through her mind and Jenn stumbled. Another green glow almost hit her and the blonde yelped.

"Don't do that!" Jenn said in a frustrated tone, "You almost got me cooked!"

_:I do not accept fruit baskets.:_

"Fine, fine, maybe a gift card, or something."

_:I do not…:_

"A gift card was all I was saying, geeze." Jenn got up and dusted herself off. "The least you could do is come out of hiding and actually fight."

"You mean to fight like you do?" A voice purred behind her. "That would not be wise. You are not the world's best fighter."

Jenn spun around with wide eyes to see Lu leaning against the trunk of a palm tree. The upper half of the tree was gone, sheared off in an earlier attack.

"Speechless?" Lu walked towards her, "The world could only be so lucky."

"You are such an asshole!" Jenn snapped out.

Lu's response was to form a green energy ball in his hands. At this range, not even Mewtwo's shield would help. The evil Fae smiled thinly, evilly, and advanced closer.

Jenn knew she had no room to move and the nearest cover was the Dragonite statue, but not even that would provide any shelter. The base of the statue was ornately carved and would more than likely fall if hit with Lu's shot.

Still, Jenn ran for cover as Lu threw the energy ball. Green energy raced for her, covering the ground twice as fast as she ran, and she could hear a crackling sound of the energy as it advanced on her.

Then a sudden wrenching feeling overcame her and without warning, her surroundings blurred, reformed, and she was held in mid-stride and hovering very close to Trish and Drake.

She blinked her confusion, two quick blinks, and asked, "What the hell just happened?"

Whatever held her up let her down and the sudden rush of adrenalin vanished and left her feeling very tired. She sank to the ground, not feeling the mud seeping into her jeans, and was suddenly surrounded by people hugging and chastising her at the same time. Jenn felt a rush of claustrophobia envelop her. Too many people were far too close.

"I think you should let her up and get some air," Ash's voice was full of humour.

The group of people parted and Jenn no longer felt so claustrophobic. The blonde slowly got off the ground and grimaced at the mud on her clothes. "Is everyone okay?" she asked as she dusted off her t-shirt. She glared at the swipes of mud that she spread over her shirt. It was a lost cause.

"We're all fine so far," Trish answered. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Yah, I'm fine," Jenn managed to look smug. "Twinkle toes never even touched me, thanks to Mewtwo. Plus he saved me again just now by teleporting me over here." She looked dismayed. "Tell me it wasn't Mewtwo that teleported me over! I'd _really_ owe him then cause I don't think a fruit basket would cover that."

"Actually it was Ash," Puck grinned.

"Ash?" the blonde blinked. "How did he do that? Did he use Espeon?"

The Pokémon in question spoke up telepathically_. :No, the Chosen One didn't need to use me. He did it by himself.:_

"No way," Jenn breathed. "Ash doesn't have superpowers."

_:He does now:_ Mew giggled. :_Look at him, Jenn. Doesn't he seem a little different:_

Jenn tilted her head slightly as she studied the Grand Master. Trish suppressed a grin as she noticed that her best friend's gaze strayed much lower than necessary.

"He still seems the same to me," the blonde joked, then frowned. "Except that his eyes are glowing gold." Her own blue-grey eyes widened, "His eyes are _glowing_! Aww, man, this goes _way _beyond fruit basket territory."

_:The Chosen One has come into complete possession of all his powers:_ Mew beamed like a proud parent. :_He has fully matured into the Chosen One he is meant to be.:_

"Complete with glowing eyes? That's just freaky." Jenn said, "I mean, helpful around Halloween, but for now it's freaky."

Ash flushed a little under the scrutiny.

"Just another thing to add to his list of Freaky Chosen One Things," Chris quipped.

_:Ash won't always have golden eyes:_ Mew informed them. _:They will only become that way when he invokes his powers.:_

"Oh good," Jenn sighed. "I'd miss seeing those sexy mahogany brown nummy eyes."

Mew giggled and Ash flushed a rosy pink.

Jenn flushed a matching hue when she realised what she had just said. "I didn't mean to say that out loud." She sighed with some annoyance and thought, _Geeze, idiot. Open mouth and insert whole leg. Le sigh._

"Not that it would have made any difference if you had just thought it," Trish grinned. "You're surrounded by psychics."

"Well they shouldn't be eavesdropping on my thoughts without permission," Jenn retorted.

_:We're not eavesdropping when you're broadcasting your thoughts so loudly:_ Mewtwo grumbled. :_You think so boisterously, it's as if you're shouting.:_

"Hel_lo_, why don't _you _try thinking over this noise in my head," Jenn said saucily.

"Jenn, whatever the voices say, don't do it," Chris chipped in.

"Chris," Trish said warningly.

"What?" Chris said innocently, "I'm just saying, is all. Don't listen to the voices."

"Actually, since they're saying to choke him, I guess it would be in his best interests if I didn't listen," Jenn said sweetly, to which Chris glared at her.

"Har dee har har," he said with a glare.

"As much as I love the banter," Ash broke into the conversation, "We have a battle we're trying to win. The Legendaries _are_ getting a little tired."

They all looked up and saw that he spoke the truth. While they were still attacking Lu with everything they had, their attacks were getting a little slower and more spaced out.

"I sure hope we can win," Jenn said, feeling a little uneasy. "If the Legendaries are gonna be out of action soon, then we're out of luck. We don't have that many powerful Pokémon other than the Mews and Mewtwo."

"Oh I wouldn't worry too much," Trish said casually. "Look behind you, Jenn. The cavalry has arrived."

The blonde looked back to see the air was filled with flying or levitating Pokémon. Dratinis, Dragonair, Dragonites, Vibravas, Flygons, Altarias, Salamences were all hovering above the stadium, bellowing or roaring in turn. Powerful Psychic Pokémon levitated amongst them.

"Wow," Jenn breathed. "Who let the dragons out?"

"These aren't my dragons. They're all _wild_ Pokémon," Drake grinned.

"Aw man," Jenn groaned. "If there are _that_ many out there, how come _I _can't ever find one!"

Trish grinned and tried to suppress a giggle. Trust Jenn to make light of a tense situation.

"That's easy," Chris smirked. "They all know you're coming and they hide until you leave."

Jenn glared at the Scot, "Don't make me go Absol on your ass."

"Ooh, I'm shaking," Chris said it lightly, but looked beyond her at the dragons. "They're amazing."

Jenn arched an eyebrow. "I'd say it takes one to know one, but I'm considering where the compliment came from."

Chris shook his head. "Don't expect me to _ever _compliment you."

"If I promise that I won't, will you go away?"

He gave her a quick hug, "Aww and never annoy you again? Of course not."

Mewtwo looked annoyed:_You two realize that there are **psychics** up there, too.:_

"We haven't forgotten about you," Trish said reassuringly.

_:Good.:_ The Psychic looked mollified. :_The only reason I decided to help at all is because of the Chosen One. You lot seem to forget there are **other** Pokémon besides the Dragon ones.:_

"It's only because the Dragon Pokémon are so rare in the wild, and they look so majestic," Trish soothed. "There are lot more Psychic Pokémon around and this is a really rare chance to see all these Dragon Pokémon in the one place. We know that you Psychic Pokémon are just as important."

Jenn rolled her eyes. Trust her friend to be diplomatic and smooth things over. She would have just let Mewtwo sulk or teased him into a sulk.

_:I heard that_.: Mewtwo glared at the blonde. _:Trish is **much** nicer than you_.:

Jenn rolled her eyes again. "What else is new? She's _always_ nicer than me."

Suddenly, a small blue blur rocketed towards Jenn. Her eyes widened as the blur slowed and hovered in front of her. "Tamu!"

The little dragon cooed and wrapped itself around her neck. The baby Pokémon nuzzled her cheek and Jenn scratched it along its neck. "You silly little thing! You are nothing but trouble."

Drake coughed. "Guys, we're getting off track again." He turned to the Grand Master. "So what are your orders?"

Ash was silent as he surveyed the situation. Surely Lu was getting tired and a little weak from the constant attacks from the Legendaries. And he had a fresh army of some of the most powerful Pokémon in the world at his command.

Dragon Pokémon, as he well knew from his battles against Drake and Lance, were notoriously difficult to beat. They were able to learn different elemental attacks and use them with a superior flair.

Psychic Pokémon were also very difficult to fight against. One Psybeam from a well trained Psychic was usually enough to knock out an opponent in one go. Plus they had the Confusion attack which often resulted in the opposing Pokémon hurting themselves.

He turned around with a look of pure determination on his face. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. Dragons, all those to my left are to use only Hyper Beam attacks. All those to my right are to use Dragon Breath attacks in tandem. In other words, while the ones who are doing Hyper Beam are recharging, you will attack."

The Dragon Pokémon bellowed and trumpeted their agreement. The noise was deafening.

"What about us?" Jenn asked in the following lull. She rubbed Tamu between his eyes. She hadn't had to calm the little dragon after the bigger ones roared. The little guy was calm.

Ash turned to her, "You guys are going to take cover."

Her jaw dropped. "What?"

"You heard me," Ash said firmly. There was not one ounce of teasing or friendliness in his tone. "You will go into the Stadium with Trish, Shannon, Jaime, Chris, and the younger Pokémon and take cover. It's not safe out here."

Tamu gave a little nervous noise and Jenn reassured him, then surprised Ash. "Okay. Let's go guys."

Ash's jaw almost dropped, "What? No fighting?"

Jenn shrugged and Tamu clung a little tighter at the movement. "I figure you guys can take Lu down to a level I can actually fight him at. If lil' Tamu was older and more evolved, you can bet I'd have been out here."

"Oh, _quick_, someone place bets," Chris said, "Because this much from her, I don't believe!"

"I'm almost willing to place one," Trish said teasingly.

"Oh hah hah," Jenn said, "Anyway, we're going in. Anyone else who wants to come and have something to drink or eat can follow me." The blonde started walking towards a large set of steel doors that led to the veritable labyrinth that lay under the Stadium.

There was a small stampede and Jenn turned around. Almost all of the dragons and psychics, as well as Articuno, were behind her.

The blonde's eye twitched, "Okay let me be a little more specific. Anyone _not_ in the deadly fight to the bitter end against Lu can come with me. Everyone else has to help out Ash and Drake and the good Faes against Lu. You can come to the party _after_ you win the battle."

They turned back to the fight with a little more gusto and a few embarrassed looks. Ash just shook his head.

"Come on guys," Jenn said as she led the way indoors, "I've got a few things in mind to make and I know that Stadium has a killer kitchen."

"There's four killer kitchens," Drake called out after her, "Four!"

The doors closed behind the group with a telekinetic clang, but not without a few backwards glances from Trish and Shannon.

Then the battle was on.

Lu sneered at the four who remained. "You should have joined them while you could, especially you pathetic humans. What makes you think you can beat me? You are nothing."

Ash smiled thinly. "We'll see about that. Hyper Beam and Psybeam."

As one, the army of Pokémon responded to his command in a blinding flash of light.

ooo

"Jenn, how can you _possibly_ eat at a time like this?" Trish stared at her friend who was stirring up a batch of cookie dough.

"For one thing, there's nothing else to do. For another, I'm hungry for cookie dough," Jenn shrugged. "I hate suspense and I have to do _something_ to do to pass the time. I'll go nuts otherwise."

"It's too late for that," Chris smirked, "You're already nuts."

"Aww, that's sweet!" Jenn smiled, "You do know that it takes one to know one."

Chris just shook his head.

Trish sighed deeply and the blonde reached over and patted her friend's arm. "Drake'll be fine."

"I hope so," the Australian sighed. "It sucks that I'm in here and he's out there. What if he is hurt or killed? I won't get a chance to say goodbye."

"He'll be all right," Chris reassured her. "You couldn't kill him with a ton of bricks."

"Same with Ash," Shannon grinned. "Except for that time when a chandelier dropped on him. He kinda died then, but he came back. Look at how many times he's nearly died other than that time when he did die, but only for a little while."

Jenn waved the spatula at the brunette. "Shannon! That's not very reassuring!"

"Actually, it is," Trish smiled. "I know that there must be something that we can do to help!"

"Like what?" Chris asked. "We don't have any superpowers or powerful Pokémon."

The Australian's eyes gleamed. "Wait a minute…if Lu is feeding off the world's fear…why can't we help Callie and Puck re-energise with just the opposite?"

Jenn looked baffled. "Like…."

"Think, guys!" Trish was getting excited. "Think of the all good things that you enjoy about life! Think of family and friends, think of all those you love. Let's beat Lu at his own game!"

Jenn looked a little dubious, "Think happy thoughts, you mean? Like Tinkerbell is gonna let us fly if we do?"

"No, nitwit," Chris said, "Like we'll be able to _live_ if we do. Even I understood what she meant."

"Hey, just because not all of us think coherently doesn't mean you can take it out on everyone."

Chris stared at her for a moment then shook his head. "I so did not understand what you just said."

"That even gives me a little headache," Trish admitted, and Shannon and Mia nodded in agreement.

"Fine, I'll just think happy thoughts," Jenn muttered and nibbled a spoonful of dough.

"You'll be thinking Jenny Craig if you eat that all by yourself," Chris teased.

"Shut up, double A," Jenn said sourly.

"Ain't nothing anonymous about my drinking, babe," Chris said proudly, "At least _I_ can hold my alcohol. You couldn't hold a drink if it was a glass."

"Guys, _happy_ thoughts!" Trish said merrily. "Like the time Drake and I went down to the beach at night for that long stroll."

"Or the day I got my first Pokémon," Shannon mused with a happy smile.

Jenn said dreamily, "Or the day I happened to walk in on a buy one get one free sale at the Louis Vuitton counter at _Saks_."

The others stared at her.

"What?" Jenn said, "_Nothing_ in the world can beat that. The happiness at that thought alone should defeat Lu in one fell swoop." She sighed happily. "Buy one get one free and Louis Vuitton in the same sentence…It's love."

A sudden tremble ran around them and the merriment ceased.

"I guess your happy thought didn't work," Chris said.

"Maybe it did," Mia said, thinking of Puck, "Maybe that was the final throw down."

"What do you think that was?" Jaime asked.

"Solar beam," Trish said, thinking of Drake and Dragonite.

"Seismic toss," Jenn said, thinking of Ash and Charizard.

"A combination," Shannon said with a nod.

ooo

Actually, none of the girls had been right. The noise had been the sound of Lugia landing very hard in the centre of the Stadium after being hit with a surprise attack from Lu.

Luckily the ceiling had been retracted and the large water bird did no damage to the structure itself. The adjustable floor of the stadium had been built to withstand large amounts of destruction. It was also safe.

Articuno had flown down to check on it, but Lugia was already struggling to his feet. Nothing seemed to be broken or bleeding, but the great bird swayed a little. Lugia would have to be careful or he would go down.

Ash swore under his breath as the large Legendary once again took to the skies. "They're _really _exhausted. There's no way he would have been taken by surprise if he was at his full strength."

"So what do we do?" Drake asked as he gave another command to the Gym's Dragonites. "We can't risk any of the Legendary Birds being killed. That would just throw the whole world into more chaos."

The Grand Master gritted his teeth. "We pull them out of the battle and hope that we don't need them anymore."

"Do you think we're getting anywhere?"

Ash was silent as he looked over the battle. The Pokémon were lined up in rows and rotated after a few consecutive attacks. The row would fly up above the rest and take their place at the back while fresher Pokémon took their place.

"Lu's gotta be hurting," he said finally. "There is no way in the world that any mortal or non-mortal could withstand such constant and powerful attacks. He's only one and we have a army of thousands."

Ash turned to Callie and Puck. "Is there any way that we can find out what state Lu's in?"

Callie looked to her brother, who looked tired, "I could do a spell."

"Callie," Puck protested, but shook his head. "Don't make it anything too taxing on you."

"I won't," she said gently. She was also tired and hoped that Lu was equally as tired. It did not do to have an enemy who could stand so strongly against them. "Chosen One, I got the idea after seeing you and Chris playing video games."

Ash looked a little confused, but stood back as she performed the quick spell.

Before their amazed eyes, two small horizontal bars appeared in the air above Lu in red and green tones.

"What's this?" Puck shot a confused look at his sister.

"The top bar shows power levels, and the bottom shows health status," Callie explained. "I noticed on all the games they have these things. So I thought why not use it for Lu?"

"Great idea," Drake grinned. "And by the looks of it, Lu's as tired as we are, if not more." He spoke the truth for the power level and the health level were mostly in the red.

The Grand Master drew a deep breath. "Just where I want him." He turned to face the others and there was a twinkle in his eyes. "Let's win this."

ooo

"Do you think it's safe to go outside?" Mia fidgeted with a pencil. She was really anxious to find out if Puck was alright. After being apart from him for two long years, she really didn't think she could learn to live without him again.

"I don't think so," Trish said, listening to the sounds of battle raging above their heads. "It seems to be still going on."

"I hope they're okay," Shannon fretted. "I didn't think it would take this long to beat him. One Fae against everyone else? I thought it would be over in a matter of minutes."

"You obviously don't know Lu at all," Jenn said. "If you went what he put me through, you wouldn't write him off as a lightweight."

Everyone cringed as there was one loud explosion that rattled the fixtures and lights.

"What the hell was that?" Chris gasped as he uncovered his head.

"Hopefully nothing bad," Mia muttered then jumped up from her seat. "I can't take this anymore. I have to go and see that they're okay."

"You go right on ahead," Jenn said and snuggled in on one of the leather sofas. "I'm staying right here."

"What?" Chris gaped, "What's wrong with _you_!"

"Sorry, Kiltmaster, I just don't feel particularly suicidal right now."

"Calling me Kiltmaster sort of qualifies you," he growled out.

"Whatever."

Trish looked from Chris to Jenn and back, "She's just a little worn out."

Jenn looked up from the pillow she was laying on. "If I had fire power, I'd be out there right by his side. I don't, so I'm not out there. "

"You were a pretty good distraction," Shannon said helpfully.

"Thanks," Jenn said and snuggled back into the pillow.

"Some friend," Mia muttered before running from the room.

Trish sighed out before running after Mia. Chris, Jaime and Shannon followed.

When they finally caught up to Mia, she was frantically pushing against the steel doors that led to the floor of the Stadium.

"Got…to…get this open!" she moaned as she pushed with the weight of her shoulders. The doors didn't budge.

"How are we gonna open them?" Chris asked. "We don't have a key or any strong Pokémon with us."

Trish walked over to the left wall and pressed a button. The doors slowly swung open with a metallic clang.

"Never mind," the Scot chuckled. "Let's go see."

Jubilant but tired Pokémon were standing or sitting on the ground, roaring and bellowing with joy.

The group managed to push through all the creatures until they reached their friends who were standing a few feet away from a hunched over figure on the ground with Mewtwo and Dragonite on either side. Lu.

All looked exhausted and a little grubby, smudges of dirt on their clothes and face. Trish enveloped Drake in a tight hug and the Orange Crew Leader hugged back.

"OMG, you guys did it!" Shannon squealed and clapped her hands.

"Yeah, we did," Ash gave a tired but satisfied smile. "But he sure put up a hell of a fight."

The Fae in question raised his head and glared defiantly. "You think you have stopped me? Not if _I_ can help it!"

Mia's eyes widened in horror as she saw what Lu was doing. Without a second thought she threw herself in front of Puck. "NO!"

A loud shot.

A puff of smoke.

The screams of friends.

Burning pain.

Then everything went black.

_To be continued…._

ooo

_Author's Note:_

_The attacks and the items I used come from the Prima Official Guides for Pokémon Emerald and the Official Master Pokédex._


	30. Never Forget What I Lost

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish_

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon otherwise I would have made them keep the original voice actors for the anime! I do not own Puck, and Ashura the Mew belongs to Dragoness and used with permission. I own the rest of the characters and the storyline. The lyrics for the chapter title belong to '_Wake Me Up When September Ends'_ by Green Day.

ooo

_Chapter Twenty-Nine: Never Forget What I Lost_

Many things happened at once. As a horrified Puck caught Mia as she crumpled to the ground, an enraged Mewtwo completely rendered Lu immobile through telekinesis just as Ash used his powers to knock the evil Fae unconscious. The pistol clattered on the ground before Charizard flamed it to scrap.

Trish grabbed a handkerchief and knelt down beside the fallen girl, pressing the material against the scarlet wound that was spreading rapidly across her chest as she barked out orders. "Jaime! Use Drake's cell phone and call the emergency ward! Tell them we've got a gunshot victim coming via teleport," She looked to Mewtwo. "Mewtwo, teleport Shannon and me to the hospital _now_!"

The Psychic Pokémon merely nodded before the three girls vanished.

Puck sat there, stunned and distraught. "Mia…."

Callie put a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"Mia…" he moaned his anguish before his gaze settled on the prone figure of Lu lying on the ground. He drew in a sharp breath. "I'm gonna kill him….I'm gonna KILL him!"

Puck lunged for his enemy only to find himself frozen in place. "CALLIE!" he yelled.

Callie merely glared at her furious brother. "No, Puck! I will **_not _**let you kill him! That's not going to help Mia at all and you know it."

"But he shot her! I can't **_ever_** forgive that!"

"Lu wasn't aiming for her," Ash gently corrected him. "Mia stepped in and took the bullet for you."

"But…why? I could have stopped it easily, there was no need for her to get hurt..." Puck was bewildered.

"Love," Drake said simply. "She did it out of love. She couldn't bear to see you killed."

The Fae buried his head in his hands. "And _I _can't bear to see _her_ killed."

ooo

Mia was rushed straight into the operating theatre, and Trish and Shannon were left to wait outside and fill in the necessary forms.

"Hope she's gonna be alright," Shannon bit her lip as she sat beside Trish.

"Me too," the Australian frowned as she checked the admissions form to see if she had filled out everything that she could.

"How on earth did Lu get a gun?" the brunette was mystified. "I didn't think he would even know what one was!"

Trish shrugged. "He's been in this world for a while, perhaps he saw it on TV or something. Lu could have conjured one up by magic or maybe Rudy got it for him."

"Do you really think Rudy would have done that?"

"I don't know but he'd better hope for his sake that he didn't," Trish said with quiet menace. "Because if I come across him…."

Shannon nodded and said grimly, "He won't have a snowball's chance on Moltres' back."

"You've been hanging around Jenn, haven't you?"

Shannon smiled sheepishly, "Who hasn't?"

Trish just shook her head and sighed, "I'd better take these to the nurses station. I'll be right back."

Shannon watched her friend as she rounded the corner. Once alone, Shannon looked around the emergency room waiting room. There wasn't anyone else in the waiting room with her. A television sat on a wall mount in a high far corner. It was playing some Pierce Brosnan version of a James Bond movie. It didn't seem very interesting.

Three people shimmered into the room, and Shannon thought she recognized the method of transport as Mewtwo's. But when the people solidified she could see that it was Jenn, Chris, and Ash.

Shannon stood up and was immediately in full hug mode. She hugged each in turn and looked to Ash. It was the normal eyed Ash and not Golden eyed Ash, for which she was innately grateful. The Golden eyed Ash freaked her out and sent chills up and down her spine. Either Mewtwo teleported the three or Ash had a greater control of his powers.

The four sat at one of the round tables set in the centre of the room. There were magazines on it, along with some abandoned children's toys. Shannon rather thought they looked cheap, easily pulled from some dollar store, but knew they were the keys to some child's imagination.

_Why am I thinking about toys?_ Shannon thought with amazement. _Mia_'_s on an operating table and I'm thinking about cheaply made kids toys._

"Has there been any reports from the doctors?" Ash asked from the chair next to Shannon's, breaking the girl's reverie.

"No," she shook her head, "I haven't heard anything. Trish just left to take papers back to the nurses. Information forms about allergies and previous injuries."

Ash nodded and a slight lull fell in the conversation, broken only by the sounds of a car chase scene from the television.

"Can't you just heal her?" Shannon asked hopefully.

"What?" Ash's eyes went wide for a second, then he shook his head. "I can't heal. It's the first thing I thought of, too, but I can't. Puck and Callie can only heal magical creatures."

"That's not very helpful."

Ash looked across the table at Jenn, "I can't change that."

Jenn glared up at him darkly, "Still not very helpful."

Ash almost shivered. Not even Misty had conveyed such emotion in one look. He had but one thought: _If looks could kill, Jenn would be doing so left and right_.

"What's your problem?" Chris said. "You had no reaction when Ash told you what happened to Mia and you said nothing from then till now, and all you do is bitch that he can't magically heal someone because it's beyond his abilities!"

"It's not like that," Jenn muttered.

"It sure as hell sounds like it," Chris shot back. "Maybe you should stop being such an ice queen and show a little emotion!"

Ash winced at the ice queen comment. It had been the one thing that set Jenn off before with Gary.

"Don't start with me," Jenn stood up and looked down at Chris, "You don't want me to show a lot of emotion, especially to you."

"Why? Gonna go all green and evil?"

Jenn turned to Ash, "Can you just send me back? I don't want to be here."

Chris shook his head. "You didn't have a problem with hospitals when Trish was in one."

"That was different."

"How!"

"I didn't piss off Lu enough to put Trish there. I pissed him off enough that he shot Mia."

Chris gaped. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

"It's not dumb!" Jenn shot back. "It's the truth!"

"No it isn't," a new voice broke into the conversation. Trish had come back into the room from the nurse's station.

"Oh come on Trish, you know it is!"

"I know that it _isn't_," the Australian said firmly. "You think that by taunting Lu, you got Mia shot, right? Well if you hadn't diverted his attention, neither Mia or any of us girls would have been rescued and we would all be dead."

Jenn remained silent.

"Lu is out to kill us all, regardless," Trish continued. "And let's not forget that Lu was not aiming for Mia, he was aiming for Puck. Mia stepped in front of Puck to save him out of her own free will. Jenn, you did not cause Lu to shoot Mia and that's the end of that."

"But I still pissed him off enough to shoot Puck!" the blonde protested.

"No you did not! Lu's ultimate aim has always been to destroy Puck no matter what he has to do to achieve it. He told me that when I was in Dartmoor. He would have tried to kill him anyhow, anyway."

"I guess you're right," Jenn grumbled.

"You know I am always right," her best friend smirked.

"That sounded too scarily like Jenn," Chris muttered. "You've been hanging around her for too long."

Shannon grinned, "We've been over that already."

Chris gave her a look that said, "Huh?" but Trish was already talking.

"Jenn, if you want to go, then you should," the dark-haired girl said. "The nurse said that Mia would not be able to be seen by us for a few hours anyway."

"I think I will," the blonde decided. "It's not that I don't care about Mia, it's just that I can't stand hanging around and doing nothing."

"I know," Trish said. "Just remember to switch on your cell phone so I can call you the minute we know anything."

"Okay," Jenn turned to leave but paused. "Does anyone know what the weather's like outside? Can I get back to the villa on my own or do I need to be teleported back?"

"The hurricane's long gone," Ash reassured her. "It was only sustained by Lu's magic. Now that Callie's disabled his magical abilities, it's run out of energy and so…it's gone."

"Okay, I'll see you guys later," Jenn gave her friends a quick hug before she walked out of the emergency waiting room. She walked down a short hallway before leaving the hospital and walking into bright sunshine. She blinked for a few minutes before her eyes adjusted to the glare. It sure was a huge change from the darkness of the hurricane earlier. "I should have brought my sunglasses," she muttered.

Jenn turned up a street, which had a short but steep grade to it, and sighed. She felt a little hurt that Ash hadn't offered to teleport her back or have a Pokémon bring her back, but squashed that hurt feeling with determination to keep her mind on other things. She knew that moping wouldn't heal Mia and it wouldn't make anyone happy.

"It's just a nice little twenty minute walk," She said to herself. "I hope. And anyway, it'll be good for me. Maybe I'll find a hot guy!"

As she walked, she observed the damage that the hurricane had inflicted on the island. Palm trees had sheared tops or were lying on the ground. Debris both natural and man-made was strewn everywhere. The bodies of small birds and animals that had not been able to survive the hurricane lay here and there, among glass fragments from building windows, leaves, and silt deposits left by the storm surges.

Most buildings and houses, Jenn was relieved to see, were still standing and mostly intact. Although here and there were ruins of houses or buildings that had not been built to withstand extreme weather conditions.

People were slowly emerging from storm shelters now that the all clear signal had been given from the authorities. Many were dazed and shell-shocked by the ferocity of the hurricane and the abruptness with which it ended.

Twenty minutes later, Jenn found herself at a small sea side shopping centre called _Water's Edge_. Jenn almost groaned, because not only did it mean she had been walking in the _wrong_ direction, she was now at least a half-hour's _drive _(aka a forty minute walk) from the villa.

She sat on a sun dried bench that edged the section of the centre that separated the beach from the paved walkway. "See, now that's the problem with relying on someone who can teleport when you can't. You're not really going to remember to bring your ATM card, or credit cards, or _cash_."

Jenn scuffled her foot in the sand, which was dry on the surface and icky wet just underneath, and sighed again. If she called the villa via a collect call, Drake would tease and torment her for weeks. If she called the hospital and asked for Trish via a collect call, Chris would tease and torment her for years.

"That is, genius, if the phones are even _working_," she chastised herself. "So the best bet would be to suck it up and walk back to the villa."

So it was a good thing she'd put on her sneakers this morning instead of the Blahnik sandals she'd thought of wearing.

However, she'd only gone as far as the edge of the shopping centre before she heard low whimpering. It was coming from the private enclosure behind the shopping centre, where deliveries were made and garbage was collected by a waste management service.

She paused and sighed for the third time. Then she walked over to the enclosure and found a break in the decorative wooden fencing. The blonde could look in and when she did, she didn't see anything. At first, that is.

A Mightyena limped into view and Jenn could see that it was dragging its hind right leg in a way that looked very painful. The blonde shook her head as the Dark Pokémon sidled up to the fence. The break was about waist high and was just enough for her to be able to stick an arm through.

Which, of course, she wouldn't be doing. Wounded or not, a Mightyena was still a Pokémon not to be messed with. They were just as unpredictable as its bigger Dark relative, the Houndoom.

"Sorry, pal, but you'll have to wait for someone to come rescue you," Jenn said, though feeling a bit reluctant when she started to walk away. Not only would her Pokémon probably not be happy if she rescued another Pokémon, she had the feeling Drake wouldn't want another Pokémon tearing through his villa.

The Dark Pokémon made a high pitched whine and Jenn froze in her tracks. Her shoulders tensed as she turned around. She felt a little guilty when she saw that the shaggy Pokémon had stuck its muzzle through the hole in the fence.

"Oh, by someone coming to rescue you, I _didn't_ mean me!"

The Pokémon whined again and Jenn looked to the sky, then back down to the Pokémon.

"You can't do this," She told herself as she walked back, "You really shouldn't be doing this."

The Mightyena pulled back when it saw her walking back and Jenn saw that the Pokémon had no shelter from the blazing sun. She knew that Dark Pokémon hated intensely bright sunlight. She'd hated it when she was an Absol, so she could emphasise very well with this Pokémon, who was storm injured to boot.

Jenn shook her head, "Trish is gonna kill me for this." But the blonde set about to find something to break into the fence.

ooo

The group were quietly chatting among themselves in the waiting room when the surgeon who had been operating on Mia came in. Instantly everyone was on their feet and regarding the doctor with anxious trepidation.

"Mia's going to be all right," he gave a tired smile. "And she's a _very_ lucky girl. The bullet just missed her heart by millimetres. As it is, she'll be a very sick girl for a while and we've moved her to intensive care. But she's going to make it."

"Thank goodness," Trish sighed in relief before hugging Shannon. "I don't know what I would told Puck otherwise!"

"Me neither," Ash was also relieved. Recalling the Fae's fury soon after the shooting, he was glad that no one would have to find out what a crazed Puck was capable of.

"By the way, where is Puck?" Chris asked. "I thought he would have been almost glued to Mia's side."

"Callie sedated him," Ash explained. "He was getting…a little out of control and irrational."

Then his thoughts flashed back to what _had_ happened. How Puck had gone insane with anger over Mia's death, destroyed the Stadium and half of Pummelo before Ash and Callie could bring Puck back from the brink of insanity, and then petition Celebi to reverse time and all the damage wrought by the anger brought on by what Lu had done. When Celebi had told Puck that Mia had to be shot in order to appease the Fates, Puck managed to plead for a severe injury instead of death.

He remembered what had happened, as did the two Faes, and he could clearly see the sight of a huge crater where the Stadium had been. He survived, protected by his powers, as had Trish and Shannon as they had Mewtwo teleport Mia's body to the emergency room in a futile attempt to save her. Drake had also survived, having left to go take care of matters at the villa. The others hadn't stood a chance.

He remembered the sight of Chris and Jaime's broken bodies. He hadn't even been able to find anything of Jenn. The Chosen One smiled grimly, "Just a little."

ooo

Half an hour later, Jenn had managed to bring the injured Mightyena to the nearest Pokémon Centre. She'd carried it slung carefully over her shoulder in a modified fireman's carry. While it wasn't as heavy as she'd have thought a full grown Mightyena would be, it was bulky enough to be awkward.

The Nurse Joy on duty looked about to collapse in an exhausted heap due to the amount of injured Pokémon she had to take care of. She was lucky enough to have a small group of Chanseys that were only too willing to assist.

While the Dark Pokémon was being treated, Jenn asked if she could have change to use the phone, promising to pay it back as soon as possible. Coins soon in hand, she walked to the nearest video phone and dialled the villa. The Orange Crew Leader picked up on the first ring.

"Jenn, what's going on?"

Jenn was counting herself lucky (and somewhat ruefully – that Pokémon really slowed her down!) that the phones were even working. "Nice to see you too, Drake. Why yes, I'm doing just fine."

"I'm sure you are," Drake said, looking a little annoyed, "But have you heard from the others?"

Jenn started to shake her head, then looked at Drake in the eyes, "I don't know what's going on because I started to walk back to the villa a couple hours ago."

"A couple of hours…" Drake looked surprised, "I didn't know you walked that slow."

"I didn't," Jenn blew at a hair that fell across her eyes. "I mean, I don't walk slow. I just got side tracked by an injured Pokémon."

"Okay, Ash, what happened?"

Jenn glared at him, "Shut up, Mary Poppins."

Drake's eyes widened, "Mary Poppins! Where did you pull that from? It makes no sense!"

"Yeah, well I'm on borrowed dime here. When this money runs out, I don't have any more."

"Okay, fine," Drake sobered up, "What happened with Mia?"

"I don't know," Jenn said uncomfortably. "I left before any doctors came out about her progress."

"I'll head over then. See how they're doing over there."

"You're not going to do twenty questions about why I'm not there?"

"Don't get defensive, Jenn," Drake said calmly. "I'm not going to grill you. I know how uncomfortable hospitals make you."

A voice sounded on the loudspeaker, "Will the trainer of an injured Mightyena, ticket number g23, please report to the main desk. Your Pokémon is ready to be picked up."

"Uh, I gotta go, Drake."

"A Mightyena?" Drake arched an eyebrow, "I thought you went for the cute and cuddly sort."

"This one found me."

"They usually do," Drake shook his head then said, "I'll see you around. Do you have your cell phone?"

A little muscle twitched around Jenn's eye and Drake laughed.

"You have it with you, don't you?"

Again, the twitch.

"Bet it's on silent, too."

"Actually it's on vibrate," Jenn ground out as she reached into the back pocket of her jeans. She pulled it out, saw that there were four missed calls, a strong signal bar, and cursed.

"I'll call you later." Drake signed off.

Jenn stood up and put her phone into her front pocket. She'd put it on a loud ring once she got outside. She handed the nurse her ticket and couldn't help but to feel better when she saw the Mightyena looking healthy and whole.

"No broken bones," the nurse said, "Which he had. His hind leg was broken and he had a slight concussion. He's fine now though and ready for you to take him home."

"Okay," Jenn said, looking at the Pokémon as the Mightyena bounded over to her. He sat at her feet and leaned against her. He looked up with bright brown eyes.

"Don't you have a Poké Ball for him?"

"Uh, no, I don't."

The nurse tsked, "You really should. It would have been far easier for you to transport him here when he was injured."

"It sure would have," Jenn muttered, "Oh well, come on."

They walked out of the Pokémon centre and into brilliantly bright sunlight. Jenn looked down and saw the Mightyena flinch a little. She scratched his head behind his ears reassuringly, "Don't worry. It can't hurt you. Not really."

The Pokémon looked up at her and panted.

Jenn took in the lolling tongue and rolled her eyes, "Oh that's _real_ attractive."

The blonde had to admit that the wolf-like Pokémon made for a great travelling companion. Though there weren't many people on the road, those that weren't dazed and confused, she felt a lot safer.

The walk back to the villa seemed short in comparison to the walk from the hospital. Getting to the Pokémon centre had made the trip considerably short. While climbing over or around downed palm trees, the blonde was surprised to see that they were soon at the beginning of the private road that led to the villa.

Jenn stopped and looked at the Mightyena. "Um, I really enjoyed helping you and I'd like to thank you for the safe walk back, but this is where we part ways."

The Mightyena looked confused, "_Ena?_"

"Yeah, see, it wouldn't be fair to take you in just because I saved you. I'm sure you've got a trainer or family somewhere." The blonde shrugged, "It was fun though. You know, after you weren't at the edge of death. Maybe I'll see you around."

The Mightyena sat there and watched as the blonde walked away. It watched until long after she disappeared from sight. The Pokémon huffed out a sigh and got up. After giving itself a quick shake, as if right out of a pool of water, it trotted up the road after her.

ooo

A nurse informed the waiting group that Mia was conscious and asking to see them. As she led them down the corridors to the intensive care wing, she gave them strict instructions.

"You can only stay for thirty minutes, no more. You must not get her excited or over-emotional as it could set her back in her recovery. You cannot hug her yet as the wounds are still fresh and have not yet begun to heal."

"Is there anything that we _can _do?" Chris whispered to Shannon who just grinned.

The nurse finally came to a stop outside a room. "She's in here, and remember you've got thirty minutes."

They filed in quietly to see Mia awake and lying quietly in the bed, as pale as the white sheets she lay on; hooked up to countless machines and IVs.

Trish was thankful that Jenn wasn't here to see this – she knew how much hospital and hospital equipment freaked her friend out.

Mia opened her mouth to say something but no words came. The brunette tried again and her voice was weak and hoarse. "Puck….how's…Puck?"

Trish took her hand and squeezed it gently. "He's okay, Mi. Lu didn't hurt him at all. Callie just is staying with him while he gets some rest."

Mia managed a smile. "Good…that's all…that matters to me." She winced a little. "It…hurts so much."

"The doctors say that it will hurt like this for a few days but you can have some painkillers to help you sleep," Ash said.

"We'll leave you now, Mia, so you can get some rest. I promise we'll be back tomorrow with Puck."

Mia nodded before closing her eyes to get some much needed sleep.

Outside the hospital the group were met by Drake, the Mews, and Mewtwo.

"How is she?" the Orange Crew Leader asked.

"She's one very sick girl but she's alive," Trish informed her fiancé as he hugged her.

"That's a relief," Drake smiled. "What say you guys to some lunch back at the villa?"

"Sounds good to me," Chris grinned and the three Psychics teleported them back into the main foyer of the villa.

Footsteps were heard before Jenn came down the stairs, having heard their voices.

"Hey guys," she greeted before she was enveloped in a tight hug from Ash.

Taken by surprise, Jenn hugged back. Ash was not what she would call a hugger, unless it was Pikachu or his mom. But she made no comment as she sensed there was some underlying need, a sort of desperation in the embrace. As if he didn't want to let her go, as if he was afraid he'd lose her if he did let her go.

"Oh…okay, well that's nice," Jenn laughed as she hugged him back. When he didn't let go, she laughed a little again. "Um, Ash, I kinda need to breathe."

"Sorry." He let her go with a little reluctance and stood back. While the group discussed Mia's condition, which was stable, Ash's mahogany dark gaze was constantly on Jenn and it made her more than a little uncomfortable. Jenn excused herself and walked into the kitchen, unaware that Ash had followed her.

She checked her fly, which was up, then with the back of a metal spatula she checked her teeth and nose, which were free of any embarrassing things, then sighed with a little annoyance, "So what the heck was _that_ all about?"

"Nothing very good," Ash said from behind her.

The spatula fell onto the counter with a clang as Jenn whirled around. She felt her face flush, "Would you people _stop _doing that!"

"What?"

"The sneaking and the scaring!" Jenn raked a hand through her hair, "Geeze, it's enough to make me go grey!"

Ash smiled a little wryly. "I don't think there's any real harm in explaining that hug."

"Oh, no," she tossed her head and leaned back against the counter, "I'm really hoping you're not going to say you're secretly crushing on me. Cause, like, you know. You're all with the ball and chain thing."

"Nothing quite that simple," he said, "Do you believe in time travel?"

"Yeah, but if you're gonna tell me you're from the future, I'm gonna hurt you if you don't give me winning lottery numbers."

Ash laughed, "Good old normal you."

"As opposed to what? Evil mutant me destroying the world?"

Ash sobered up. "As opposed to dead you."

The embarrassed flush vanished as Jenn paled, "What?"

"Lu killed Mia. He didn't wound her." Ash took a deep breath, then crossed mental fingers that Jenn wouldn't fear Puck. "Trish and Shannon teleported Mia to the hospital, but before they did, Puck knew that Mia was already dead. There was too much blood."

"You call this no real harm in explaining that hug? Are you mental!"

"Jenn, it didn't end bad for you guys in the end."

"Mia…But…you said time travel and I know that she's not dead," Jenn protested, "You fixed it?"

"Yeah, with help from the others, but it wasn't just Mia that died."

"That hug…You mean that _I _died, too, don't you?" Her voice was low and almost calm, but her blue-grey eyes were wide.

"And Chris and Jaime," he shrugged. "We found them, but you were in the Stadium and Puck kind of blew that, and you, to smithereens."

"Well that was really blunt." The blonde fell silent for a while and Ash was worried that she may have gone into shock. "Jenn, you okay?"

She turned a calm gaze to him, "Me? Oh sure. I'm just glad I heard all of that. I think." She paused then shrugged. "Actually, I'm really glad I watched all those episodes of _Charmed._ I never would've thought a TV show like that could prepare me for real life."

"You're not going to be all weird around Puck, are you?"

"No more than usual," she joked, then settled when she saw his serious look. "Come on, Ash, I'm not going to patronize him or anything. I'll behave if he does."

"That's what worries me," Ash said, "I'll leave you now."

"Okay." She watched him turn to leave and she called him back. "Ash?"

He looked over his shoulder, "Yeah?"

"Thanks for turning back time and unkilling me."

"It wasn't just me."

"I know. I'll send cards or…something. I mean, what can you say about something like that."

Ash gave a little smile and left the room.

Jenn sank onto the bar stool at the centre island and stared out the huge windows over the sink that provided a great view of the ocean. Then she got up and went out through the French doors that were in the breakfast nook. Suddenly, she just wanted to walk along the beach and feel the soothing warm ocean waters. Quietly, she slid the door shut and walked down the palm frond littered walkway.

ooo

Ash rejoined the group, but didn't feel as if any big weight had been lifted by the timeline he'd revealed to Jenn. Instead of finding the group still talking about Mia, he found them all staring at him as if he was something dangerous. The quietness of the group was a direct opposite of what he'd walked out of and he instantly knew that they knew.

"How much did you hear?"

"Only enough to make me realize that I can probably work a lot of favours out of Puck without any kind of hassle," Chris said it with a shaky voice.

Ash sighed. "You don't have to be afraid of him."

"Easy for you to say!" Jaime squeaked out, "You weren't killed by him!"

"He didn't mean to," Ash defended the Fae. "And time was reset."

"Yeah, until the _next _time someone hurts Mia," Chris said. "We don't have the sort of magical defences that you do!"

"I don't think he'll do it again," the Grand Master reassured him. "He was so horrified by what happened that he had Callie place a countermeasure spell on him to keep anything like that from happening again."

"Hope it works," Jaime muttered nervously.

"Me too," Drake agreed. "I didn't think that Puck was capable of such…violence."

"I don't think anyone knew," Trish shivered before Drake put an arm around her. "Funny what love can make people do…"

"It's scary," Jaime hugged a pillow to her chest.

ooo

Callie sighed as she watched over her sleeping brother. The battle with Lu and her brother's subsequent psychotic episode had really taken it out of him. The drain of magical powers had left him totally exhausted.

It had been two hours since Puck had fallen asleep and Callie had managed to catch an hours shuteye herself. Feeling a lot better than she had been, she sat next to her brother's bed and mused on what had just passed.

Like the others, she had been completely surprised by Puck's reaction to Mia's death. Callie had been the most surprised – after all this _was_ Puck, her lovable, bumbling baby brother. Puck, who always meant well even if he did play pranks. Puck, who could never hurt a fly.

He _hadn't_ hurt a fly. He'd simply killed three of his human friends and had the potential for killing scores more of other mortals. He had the potential to make what Lu attempted to be child's play. It was a side of him that she never dreamt possible. A vengeful, almost demonic Puck whose misery induced sole intent was to destroy everything.

The destruction of everything, all because of loss of the human girl he loved. Callie had never realised until now, just how deep and how strong her brother's feelings were for the young mortal girl who had captured his heart, nor how deeply Mia loved her brother. Mia loved Puck so much that she was willing to die for him.

The female Fae shifted slightly in the chair. She was thankful that the Chosen One had been there. Despite her skilful powers, she was certain she would not have been able to bring Puck back on her own.

Callie was amazed even more at how forgiving Ash was towards Puck after they had brought him back from the brink. Even after he found the bodies of two of his friends and despite the anguish she'd seen in his eyes after finding no trace of Jenn.

Even more than amazement was relief that Ash hadn't gone off the edge at what her brother had done. Callie knew how much the humans that had died had meant to the Chosen One. Fear had coursed through her at the thought of all of _his _powers. What Puck had done was a drop in the proverbial bucket compared to what Ash could do with a mere thought.

Ash had shown considerable restraint, though it was obvious that the knowledge of his friends' deaths had deeply pained him.

"How's sleeping beauty doing?"

Callie smiled. As the mortals said, speak of the devil. The lithe Fae turned to see Ash leaning against the open door frame. "Puck is sleeping deeply. I made sure that he will not wake until he has healed."

"He took damage?"

Callie gave a graceful shrug, "Only emotionally."

Ash nodded his acquiesce. "That can be as destructive as physical damage."

"How are the others?" Callie wondered. "I know they know what Puck did. How did they take it?"

Ash shrugged, "As well as they can, I guess. It's not easy to accept that someone you trust could hurt you. Or kill you."

"And how are you doing?"

"I'm fine." He snorted. "Considering what happened."

"You are not tired?"

"A little." He paused, seemed to consider something, then asked, "Is it normal for there to be side effects to what happened?"

Callie frowned prettily, "The time travel?"

"No," Ash shook his head, "The battle. Me accessing my powers. I…" He paused when he seemed unable to find the right words.

"You left a door open," Callie smiled knowingly. "Yes, it is normal. Younglings back home are constantly bemoaning when a power overwhelms them. What is it that troubles you?"

"It's telepathic, I think. When I think about someone, I know where they are and what they're doing. If I concentrate hard enough, I know what they're thinking."

"Aah, telepathic location." She smiled again. "Do not worry about it. You are not omnipresent, just psychic."

"But can I turn it off?" Ash sounded a little frustrated with his new talent. "Or close that door?"

"You could, but given the trouble your friends get into, would you want to?"

Ash laughed, "They're not _that_ bad, Callie."

"I know." Callie smiled. "I just wanted to get you to smile."

Ash smiled at the Fae's thoughtfulness. No harm was meant by her words; only an attempt at humour. She really needed to work on it.

"Humour me, Chosen One. Let us see how good this talent of yours is."

Ash looked at Puck, who looked just shy of being in a coma. "We won't disturb him?"

"Nothing outside of Mia walking up to him will," Callie said ruefully. "Tell me what the group is doing."

Ash closed his eyes, thought on them, and could see them in his mind. "Trish and Drake are discussing dinner plans with Shannon. Jaime is playing with Pikachu. Pikachu is trying not to shock her. Chris is going into the kitchen for a drink."

He opened his eyes and saw Callie staring at him.

"One more?" She prompted. "You forgot about Jenn."

"Oh yeah," Ash flushed a little and went to close his eyes.

"Open." Callie said. "Keep your eyes open. If you need to close your eyes all the time to do this, you'll train yourself to be dependant on that."

Ash nodded, "And if we're ever in battle again, it'll work against me."

"There is that."

Ash sighed and focused on Jenn. "She's walking along the beach." He frowned. "There's a Pokémon running at her and it doesn't look friendly at all."

He looked worried, then vanished.

Callie sighed and looked down at her brother. "I suppose I should have warned him that a power like that could have the side effect of teleportation."

ooo

For Ash, his surroundings blurred, then reformed into the beach area he'd just seen mentally. Jenn was right in front of him, mid-stride in the act of walking towards him, looking at him with a surprised look on her face.

_Well that means that Pokémon will be right behind me_, he thought quickly before turning around to see that he was right. The canine Pokémon was in mid-leap, with its target being Jenn, and Ash reacted instantly. He pulled her down and to the side, landing on top of her to protect her from the aggressive looking canine.

There was a moment of silence, broken only by the gentle lapping of the ocean against the beach, then Jenn said, "Again, Ash, I really like breathing."

Ash looked down at her and flushed, "Sorry." He got up and looked around for the Pokémon, who was sitting behind them on the beach, looking very amused. "You weren't going to hurt her, were you?"

The Mightyena shook its head and its tongue lolled out in mid-pant.

"You may be the chosen one, but you're a dork." Jenn chuckled, then said, "Help me up, dodo."

Automatically Ash held out his hand and helped her to her feet. The blonde swiped sand off and shook her head. "I'm going to have sand in my hair for days."

Ash had the thought of all of the sand falling from her, hair and all, and it did. The blonde squeaked a little sound of surprise.

The corners of Ash's mouth quirked in amusement. "No you won't."

She shook her head in amazement, "You are really enjoying this power trip, aren't you?"

Ash just smiled again, though he had the thought of, _Not_ _really, though it sure beats the time trip._

"You know, I'd say thanks once again for saving me," Jenn said, "but I gotta take points off for the landing. I have a feeling I'm going to have a couple bruises. You weigh a ton."

"And here I thought I hid it so well," Ash smiled, "You want me to try to heal that? I probably could."

"Nah," Jenn waved him off, "I don't mind a bruise or two. Besides it's nothing compared to what you already healed me from." She looked around him at the Mightyena. "But _you_…I _know_ I told you to scat."

"_Ena_," it said simply.

Jenn looked at Ash, "Translation, oh mighty one?"

Ash grinned at that. "He said that he wanted to stay with you."

"Oh did he?"

"Yeah. As a matter of fact, he was worried about you."

"Oh he did, did he?" Jenn raised an eyebrow, "And what else did he say?"

Ash moved a little closer, a small enough move that Jenn didn't notice until he was right next to her. "That he's glad to see that you're safe and that there isn't anymore danger."

She frowned a bit, "Ash, there's always danger." She stared down at his hands, which had somehow managed to rest on her waist. "And sometimes it's right in front of you. You should tell him to watch out."

"I'm sure he can watch out for himself."

"That's cute," Jenn shook her head slightly, "but he's going to be getting out of a comfortable zone if he isn't careful. " She looked down at the Mightyena, who looked mighty annoyed at being mistranslated. "His trainer might get really pissed."

Ash stepped back and watched the blonde walk back towards the villa. The Mightyena gave Ash one last annoyed look before loping after Jenn.

He sighed with mixed frustration. "Smooth move, Chosen One."

ooo

Dinner was a group effort that night. Drake and Ash set up the outside barbeque to grill chicken, lamb chops, and steak. Shannon tossed the salads while Trish and Jenn were in charge of desserts. Jenn had decided that chocolate silk pie with Oreo crust was just the thing to celebrate the defeat of Lu, while Trish's choice was a mango swirl cheesecake.

"Mango killah," the blonde teased her best friend as the Australian peeled and diced the mangoes in preparation.

Trish just rolled her eyes. How many times over the years had she heard that very phrase? When she cut into the soft flesh of the fruit, Jenn emitted a high pitched squeal to give voice to the dying mango.

"_Ewmigawd!_ _She's chopping me up!"_

The Australian put down the knife and grinned at Jenn. "Nut."

"No, Trish. That's a mango." The blonde sighed patiently, "If you still can't tell, then you shouldn't be eating them."

Trish just rolled her eyes and kept on slicing the fruit.

Meanwhile Chris and Jaime were busy setting the table.

"Puck's not going to be here is he?" Jaime asked nervously.

"I don't think so," the Scot answered.

"Good," she sighed with relief. "I just don't know if I'd be comfortable around him at the moment. If ever."

"I agree," Chris said as he set the wine glasses in front of each table setting. "I mean I know he didn't mean to do it, and time was reset…but what if it happens again?"

"Let's hope not," the Canadian shivered as she put a napkin for each plate down.

ooo

Finally everything was ready, and the friends all sat down to dinner. Jenn seated herself between Trish and Shannon, though she failed to notice that she didn't quite escape Ash's gaze as he sat down directly opposite her seat.

Drake raised his wineglass. "I think a toast is in order…To the end of all the troubles with Lu, to Mia's survival, and to look forward again to the future." The last he said with a smile towards Trish and she grinned back.

They all followed suit and drank in salute. Jenn, however, sputtered at her beverage, which was supposed to be 7-UP, instead of the Cristal that everyone else was drinking.

"Chris! Soda, not alcohol!" Jenn glared at the drink pourer, who looked satisfied with himself.

"It's not my fault that you can't smell the difference." Chris shrugged, "Besides, it's a hell of a lot better than that soda you wanted."

"One of these days, Chris," the blonde said warningly.

"Oh, I'm so scared," he said teasingly, "What's the worst you can do, anyway?"

"I'll give you soda instead of beer!"

Trish had enough, "Dinner, no bickering!"

"Hear, hear!" Drake chimed in.

ooo

The next day, as people began to return to the island, the cleanup process began. Drake held an open air meeting in which he told the public that they all had to work together. "That is how we're going to get through this. As a community."

Teams of humans and Pokémon worked side by side to restore the island. Machop, Machokes and Machamps helped with the removal of concrete slabs and trees, as did the Gym's Dragonites.

A group of Scythers helped chop the dead trees up into planks for the builders, while Fire Pokémon acted as welders with the metal workers. Electric Pokémon provided portable electricity for all the equipment.

The group were all pitching in too, helping to clean up the mess and debris. Jenn was in her element. She always loved working outdoors, in the fresh air and with the warm sun on her back. Who wanted to be cooped up inside an office?

Another reason why she enjoyed the outdoors, was the fact that she had a _wicked_ amount of guy candy to look at. The blonde got an eyeful when both Ash and Drake stripped down to their shorts in the heat and worked bare-chested.

Jenn almost drooled as she beheld this man candy feast and stopped what she was doing to appreciate it a bit more.

"I'd be careful to keep a good grip on that rock," Trish advised with a grin as she worked beside her friend. "Otherwise your foot may come to regret it."

"What rock?"

"The one you're about to drop," Trish said dryly.

"Oooh, right, that rock." Jenn shrugged, "I thought you meant the Rock. The hot actor dude."

"The one that was a wrestler first?"

"That's in the past," Jenn said, "Everyone has a shady past."

"Even you?"

"Oh yes, dating Wanker Oak counts as shady," the blonde quipped as she adjusted her hold on the rock before putting it in the nearest dumpster bin.

"What about me?"

"Easy. You're a serial mango killah. Just how many poor defenceless mangos have you sliced and diced over the years?"

"Oy."

ooo

Callie was just about to doze off in her chair when a voice called her name. "Cal?"

She opened her eyes to see Puck looking at her from his bed. She sat up straight. "Puck! How are you feeling, Little Bro?"

"Much better than before," he said as he struggled to a sitting position.

"Great," Callie nodded. "Now how about we go see the others?"

"NO!" Puck was white as a sheet. "I _can't_! They all hate me and want to kill me for what I did! I can't go out there and face them!"

"Puck, what are you talking about!"

"Don't try to tease me, Callie," Puck said sadly. "I know that they know about how Ash had time reset."

Callie stiffened. "I hadn't realized that you heard."

Puck winced, "I was unconscious, but I did hear everyone talking. Worse yet, I could sense what they felt."

"Such as?"

"Fear. Jaime's in particular. Her fear of me is immense." Puck sighed. "That girl wouldn't hesitate to dress up a growling Houndoom in play clothes, but she fears _me _like nothing I can even put into words."

"Surely you must know that they forgive you."

Puck shook his head. "Only as a collective whole. Individually, there is fear, and in some there is anger." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I cannot face them."

"What about Mia?"

The human girl's name made Puck wince. "I know that she did it selflessly, even though I could have healed any damage. Even though I know, it doesn't set things right for what I inevitably did."

"You know that you could not have lived without her." Callie shrugged with a graceful roll of her shoulders. "If you had reacted differently, if you had cared less about her, would you still have nearly caused a cataclysmic event?"

"Probably not."

"Do you realize that these events and what brought you to this moment could very well pave the way for a very long future between the two of you?"

Puck shrugged, though the movement was not nearly as graceful as his sibling. "What of it? Even should Mia heal – and I will see to it that does – to her mortal friends there will always be the underlying fear of 'What will Puck accidentally do to us the next time he loses it?' that will float around in their little mortal minds."

Callie cocked her head to the side, "We could offer a means to them to forget about it. We could modify their memories, much as how time modified the knowledge of their deaths."

Puck looked doubtful, and when he spoke sounded even more doubtful. "I suppose we could."

"But not without Ash's input," Callie said quickly, "And that of the others."

Puck nodded. "Yes. I wouldn't want them to have an ingrained thought that it wasn't their choice."

His sister held out her hand. "How about we go and talk to them about it? You know that you can't hide from them forever."

Puck hesitated. "I don't know…"

Callie grasped his hand in hers and squeezed gently. "I promise that I won't leave your side the entire time."

"Okay."

ooo

The friends were taking a well-earned break from the clean-up back at Drake's villa. The butlers had set up a lavish lunch on the tables out on the back patio with bread rolls, roast chicken pieces, sausages, salads, and drinks.

Jenn sniffed her glass of soda suspiciously before seating herself next to Trish. The blonde sighed happily. "All that work has made me so hungry that I could eat like a Snorlax!"

"Oh, the things to say about that," Chris sighed.

"If you can't say anything nice…" Trish trailed off mock-warningly.

"Yes, momma bear," Chris said, "I promise to be good."

"Good."

"Though the things left unspoken about her actually working or how she eats more than a Snorlax _or _Ash put together…"

Jenn's eyes flashed. "You know, I _am_ here."

Chris smirked. "Trust me, your ego does not go unnoticed."

Trish glared at both of them. "Children, behave yourselves or do I have to send you to your rooms without any lunch?"

"I'll behave if he does," Jenn said. "Cuz he started it."

Jaime giggled. "Gee, Trish. Just think, when you start a family, you'll be a great mom thanks to all the practice you've had with those two!"

Chris and Jenn just glared at the Canadian.

It was halfway through lunch when Callie and Puck appeared in a shimmer of light. Puck squirmed at the sudden silence that greeted their arrival. The tension was so thick that he felt as if he could cut it with a knife.

The reaction to Puck and Callie's sudden appearance was as if someone had just tossed a box full of grenades onto the table with all the pins pulled. With the exception of Shannon, Trish, Drake, and Ash, the others pushed away from the table so fast that the chairs they were sitting in flew back.

With a motion of her hand, Callie froze the fleeing mortals. They froze in mid-stride and were gently lifted into the air and brought back to the table. Jaime's reaction was one of horror. She gasped out, "Callie's gone evil, too!"

"I am not evil, Jaime," Callie said patiently, "And neither is my brother."

Indeed, Puck looked more horrified that his mortal friends had run from him, than Jaime did in the fact that Callie was telekinetically holding them in the air.

"I am so truly sorry that what I did had happened," Puck blurted out.

"Puck, you should wait for them to sit down first." Callie said, then lowered the humans to their feet. "Can you promise you will not run?"

"Oh sure," Chris said earnestly, "While we're at the whole not running thing, I'll just have Jenn paint a bullseye on my back. I can do the same for her and Jaime."

"Chris," Ash said warningly, "Puck's sincere about this. Trust me, I know firsthand."

Surprisingly, Jaime was the first to speak up. "I trust him." The Canadian looked Puck squarely in the eyes and nodded. "I do trust him."

"Well I don't trust him," Jenn said firmly. "But I will trust that Ash and Callie can keep him from doing anything stupid."

"I agree with Jenn," Chris said, which surprised the blonde. "Oh, don't go writing it in your journal. It's a once in a lifetime thing."

She rolled her eyes. "My heart aches."

Chris just smirked.

Callie looked on the verge of rolling her eyes, but she released the humans from her magical grip. She was pleased when, instead of running, they sat in their chairs, which Puck had put back in place.

"How's Mia?" Shannon asked nervously.

"It's okay, Shannon," Puck said reassuringly, "You won't be hurt for asking about her. Mia's doing fine. She'll be released later tonight."

"But how?" The brunette was surprised.

"I healed her," he shrugged, "And I sort of bonded to her, magically, so I know when she's hurt."

"You can do that?" It was Ash's turn to be surprised. "I didn't think you could do that. Mia's human."

"We're not married, Ash," Puck said, "If anything, the bond is more of a guarantee that she won't be hurt enough to die. Ever."

"She's immortal?" Trish asked, wide eyed.

"No, death will come naturally and eventually to her," Puck shook his head, "But if she ever is hurt or ill, my magic will heal her. Unless, of course, it's a potentially mortal wound or illness. If that happened, my magic would heal her as best as it could, and after that it would keep her alive until I could reach her."

"Magical life support?" Drake asked.

"That's a great analogy," Callie smiled, "Perfect, actually."

"We still haven't gotten to the part where you _killed_ us." Jenn said icily. "Mind it much if I remind you that you _vaporized_ me?"

"Well me and Jaime were all busted up," Chris said, "I'd imagine that's a worse way to die."

"Enough with the death!" Trish said firmly. "We need to work on making sure that Lu is tried and sentenced."

Jenn grinned evilly, "So we're still talking about death?"

"I second that," Jaime said, and Chris nodded his agreement.

"Well we're not," Trish blinked, "At least us humans aren't. Callie and Puck are."

"I am, too," Ash raised his hand.

Chris nodded. "Freaky Chosen One thing."

"Uh, yeah," Ash shook his head. "I _really_ need to work on a new tag line for that."

"No you don't," Chris grinned, "This is far more fun."

Ash just shook his head again, unable to keep a serious tone to anything in this conversation.

"If it's all good for you guys, I think Jaime and I are going to go out and see what stores are open," Shannon said, standing up from the table. "I promised I'd go help her pick out some cute little outfits for Pokémon."

Jenn shivered, "You know that's cruel, don't you?"

"No," Jaime giggled, "But I guess _you'd_ know first hand!"

"Only in my nightmares." The blonde said it with a smile, to take the bite out of her words.

Drake signalled for the waiters to clear the tables, then stood up and offered his hand to Trish. "Come on, I have some stuff to show you, too."

"Oh really?" She asked it teasingly as she took his hand. Trish stood up and looked to Drake. "What is it?"

The Orange Crew Leader looked smug. "That's a surprise."

"That's tmi, okay?" Jenn looked annoyed. "If it's all cool with y'all, I'm going out."

"Gee, need a bodyguard?" Chris asked.

The blonde shot him a look. "I'm fine on my own. But you could go along with Shannon and Jaime. They might need someone to hold packages, and that's so totally a guy's job."

"Yeah, that would have been just what I was trying to get out of."

Shannon and Jaime shared a laugh as they dragged the unfortunate Scot out the door with them. Drake ran after them to offer them a ride in the Hummer. Trish followed after looking at her best friend.

"I'll be fine," Jenn waved off her friend's concern. "I'm just going to stick near the beach. You know my favourite haunts."

"Nice choice in words," Trish said wryly, then walked out after the others.

Jenn remarked softly, "Yeah, I know."

ooo

The blonde walked out of the villa and into the late afternoon sunlight. The sun would set in a few hours, but as it was, it cast long shadows on fallen palm trees, new sand dunes, and various debris that had been overlooked in the cleanup process.

"We sure could use some more help," Jenn muttered. "Drake did say that people would be coming back tomorrow. Hope they're all ready to work."

She'd just made it down to the beach when she heard a familiar panting. Jenn looked over to see the Mightyena sitting on a small rise over the beach. She shook her head at the sight of it. "I really wish I knew what the heck you want."

The canine huffed a sigh and flopped down on the beach grass. With a shrug, Jenn wandered over to the small rise, which stood about six feet high to slope down gently to the beach. There she sat on the sand and rested against the slope.

The wind whistled by her, fresh and cool off of the ocean, and it sent a shiver along her arms. Just hours ago there had been a raging hurricane. Lu was at the peak of his insanity.

Puck had…killed them.

Jenn drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She rested her chin on her knees and let out a sigh. While she was noisy and had a wild comedic streak when she was around her closest friends, she was innately a quiet person when she was alone.

It was now that she really felt alone.

Tiredness overwhelmed her the longer she watched the gentle incoming waves and she curled up on her side. There were no Pokémon along the shore, other than the Mightyena above her, and with that strange Pokémon she felt a sense of safety.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

ooo

"Think we should worry about her?" Ash watched Jenn as she walked off and out of sight.

"I hardly think so," Puck snorted, "She'll be fine."

"Yes, I think she will be." This from Callie. "The Mightyena is a guardian. He will protect her."

"A what?" Ash was confused.

"He is like a legendary, but not," Callie explained. "There is a reason why she found him. It will be explained in due time."

Ash looked at Callie. "But not now?"

She shook her head, a movement that sent her hair tumbling over her shoulders. Ash decided Chris would've been a puddle of goo at the sight.

"Oookay," The Chosen One felt a little confused, but decided that thinking on it would only result in a migraine. "What next?"

"We have to bring Lucius back to our kingdom," Callie said. "Given a little time, that will be easy. The hard part will be keeping him contained until we can."

"You can't just send him back now?"

"It's not that easy, Ash," Puck sounded tired and looked it. "We have to raise some power to open a Gate back. It would even take more magic than we have now to even contact someone in the Courts."

"Couldn't I help you guys out?"

"I would not suggest it, Ash," Callie said gently, "If you try to keep using your powers, you could burn yourself out."

"But what about those powers I can't turn off?" Ash felt frustrated. "Aren't those tapping into that?"

"Not really. They're pretty much latent natural abilities you have. They're not necessarily powers, per se." Puck said. "What you did with the battle, that was your powers at full untapped scale. You're not using that now."

"No golden eyes." Ash said. "No Freaky Chosen One thing going on."

"Uh…no." Puck looked at his sister for help.

"What my brother is trying to say is that you would only be able to help us out, to share your powers, if you tapped back into your Chosen One powers."

"Why can't I do that then?"

"It's more like why you shouldn't do that." Puck said. "Too much quick accessing of that power could burn you out. It could kill you. You need to rest and recuperate."

"But I feel fine." Ash protested. "I doubt it would kill me to try."

"Well don't," Callie said, uncharacteristically short. "We need you alive, not dead. Besides, it would be no fun explaining to your wife that you died like that."

"…Wife…" Ash's eyes widened. "Misty…"

"What's wrong?" Puck asked, feeling a string of panic. Please say he hadn't hurt the Chosen One's _pregnant_ wife!

"She's…" Ash tilted his head down and closed his eyes. "She's with someone." He tilted his head to the side as if listening to something only he could hear. Ash's head snapped up and his eyes blazed with fury. "She's _with_ Gary!"

Callie sighed. _Not another angry hormonal male._

ooo

Back on the beach, the guardian Mightyena looked down at the human he was watching. She was pale and looked stricken. He didn't have to use his powers that much to know she was having the nightmare to end all nightmares. He didn't dare wake her though. That would kill her.

ooo

In the town centre, where the majority of the shopping plazas were, there was a group of people searching in vain for an open shop. Shannon and Jaime were in the lead, with Chris trailing behind. After him was Drake and Trish, who hadn't split from the group. He had assured her that the surprise could wait until the shopping trip was done.

Trish suspected that there was no surprise. It made her a little grumpy.

"Guys, I think it's obvious that nothing is open," The Australian said curtly.

"Just a couple more stores!" Jaime said happily. "Then we can go."

"But nothing is open!" Chris said glumly. "This place has a busted out window!"

"You know, you're lucky there isn't any looting," Trish murmured to Drake. "There is a lot of expensive merchandise here."

"No one would dare," Drake said confidently.

"Uber confident." Trish teased him.

"What can I say?" He flexed a muscle, "People love me too much to do something so stupid."

Trish snorted her mirth.

ooo

Jenn looked around nervously. She knew she was in the Stadium, in the room where she'd been on the couch during the battle. The room was pitch dark, as the power had suddenly gone off a few minutes ago. The room was under the Stadium's walls, in the middle of one of the outer rings of the underground warren.

She also knew that the last body slam she'd heard was a few moments ago, right when the power had gone off. A strange feeling filled her. Sort of déjà vu and horror all at once. She knew that she had to get out of the Stadium as soon as possible, but she couldn't find the door.

A sudden high pitched whine tore through her and she dropped to the concrete floor and pressed her hands to her ears. An intense pain filled her head and she wanted to pass out from the pain.

Fear filled her, but not for herself. Tamu. Where was the little dragon?

Then she felt a rumbling noise and saw a glow from her left.

The door was right there all that time!

She went to walk towards it when two things happened at once.

The door was blasted off of its hinges and into the room, flying right over her head.

The roar of fire that swallowed up the hallway beyond didn't, but she didn't get a second to amaze at the vast pain that accompanied the fire because the brilliant white light that followed the flames eliminated any thoughts of anything.

There was no fear for Tamu.

No pain at the fire.

Just…nothing…

With a hoarse cry of pain, Jenn woke and looked around frantically. There was no fire, no underground Stadium room, and no pain, but the blonde could not resist the urge to run into the cool waters of the ocean.

She ignored the thought that her outfit would be ruined or that the tide was coming in, because the water was so cool and refreshing that it washed away the dream she'd just had. She didn't even realize she'd wandered out to the point where she had to tread the water until she realized the sandy bottom had dropped from under her a while ago and she was treading water.

Jenn went under the surface for a moment before kicking up to the surface. She treaded the water, glad that she wore denim shorts and a tank top and her purple Teva sandals instead of her boots. The fear and horror quickly gave way to feeling idiotic at being scared by a nightmare.

"Even though it felt so real," she breathed against the water. For a second she closed her eyes, but snapped them open when she saw the fire surrounding her again. It was not the gentle fire she'd commanded as an Absol, but an angry fire of despair and rage.

Realization dawned on her. Could that have been her death that she'd endured when Puck went mental and lost his temper? That it wasn't a dream, but a memory.

Something nudged her side and the blonde shrieked. A gentle whine reassured her and Jenn looked at the Mightyena swimming beside her.

"What? I save you and now you save me?" She asked, feeling relieved when the canine did his best to nod. "Good, because I'm not sure I could swim back."

She felt more than a little embarrassed when she looked at the shore line. They were pretty far out. "I can't believe I didn't notice the damn tide."

The Mightyena gave a little huff that sounded amused.

"Glad you're so amused," Jenn said, but smiled. "Can we go back? There's a steak for you, if you want."

"_Ena!_" The canine said enthusiastically, then swam in front of her and looked back over its shoulder.

With a small shrug, the blonde wrapped her arms around the large Pokémon's neck. Effortlessly, the Pokémon swam for shore, powering through the water as if borne to it. They were at the beach in seconds and after stepping from the waves, Jenn shook her hair then wrung at her shirt as best as she could.

"Getting rid of water from an ocean swim was a lot easier when I was an Absol," Jenn muttered. She gave up on squeezing any extra water from her outfit. "C'mon, Benji, let's get you a steak."

The Pokémon followed after giving a powerful shake that poofed out his fur in a manner that said he was nearly fully dry.

Jenn gave a little half-envious shrug before leading the way up to the villa. As she approached, she felt a shiver of something dance over her arms, raising the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck. From her side, the Mightyena gave a low growl and glared at the villa.

"You feel it too, huh?" Jenn shivered. "I hope Puck hasn't gone mental again."

ooo

The others in their group felt it too. Trish shivered suddenly and felt the goose bumps rise along her arms.

Chris shot her a look. "Are you cold?"

"It's not the cold," the Australian said in a low tone. "Don't you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Jaime asked.

"I felt something," Drake frowned.

"I did too." Shannon also shivered. "Maybe it was something like a cold front?"

"Or maybe," Drake said, "Maybe it was something like a surge of magical power."

"That's exactly what I mean," Trish said.

Jaime looked worried, as did Shannon. "You don't suppose Puck went crazy again?"

"No…" Trish shook her head. "Someone more powerful than Puck."

ooo

Callie and Puck were staring with frightened eyes at an angry Chosen One.

Ash had never been so furious in all his life. Thanks to his new telepathic powers, as soon as Callie had mentioned his wife, his thoughts had located her. The scene he could see in his mind was Misty kissing and cuddling with Gary in bed and the former Viridian Gym Leader was stroking her back.

The Grand Master had never felt so betrayed. Here was his wife, **_his_** **_wife_**, who had vowed at their wedding to 'forsake all others' and she was in bed with another man. And not just any other man, but his former friend!

Pikachu was worried. If Ash lost his temper with his new found powers, who knew what would happen. The small electric mouse ran up to her friend and tugged on his pants leg.

'_Pikapi, don't! No one wants a repeat of what just happened with Puck!'_

"Well Puck wasn't cheating with Misty!"

It was at that moment, Jenn walked in with the Mightyena at her heels. Pikachu bounded up to the girl for help.

"Geeze, Pikachu!" The blonde rubbed at her bare arms, trying in vain to quell the tingling feeling running over her skin. "Drop the electricity!"

"Jenn, it's not Pikachu doing that," Callie said cautiously, "It's Ash."

Jenn looked over at Ash, who still had angrily glowing eyes. "So what flipped your psycho switch?"

Ash spat the words out as if they were poison. "Misty is currently having sex with Gary."

The blonde's eyes widened and the Grand Master could sense a flash of hurt run through her.

"Wow…that was something I didn't see coming." Was all she finally said. She frowned and said, "But isn't she, like, a billion months pregnant? That's really nasty."

"SHE'S MY WIFE!" Ash roared, and every lightbulb in the room exploded in their sockets.

"Oh get over it, Ash," Jenn rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed, and leaned against the wall, "Gary was my boyfriend, but you don't see me blowing up lightbulbs."

Unaware that he wasn't physically touching her, Ash's power reached out and shoved Jenn against the wall she'd leaned against. The blonde gasped out in surprise, and Callie and Puck stood behind Ash. Their own magic swirled around them visibly.

"Did you happen to notice that I'm currently dripping wet, Ash?" Jenn asked coldly.

"So?"

"So it's because of you and Puck that I am," Jenn ground out, "And right now all I really want to do is go upstairs and take a shower and get into something warm and not smelling of the ocean."

"I thought you loved the ocean."

"Yeah, I do, oh bitter one, but not when I had to go jump in it because I felt like I was on fire." Jenn thought back on the nightmare and did her best to send it to Ash. All of the terror and pain that she remembered feeling. The hopelessness and panic. "So you know, we all have our own drama to deal with. I don't care about yours right now, so why not drop the poor me thing?"

Ash staggered back and put a hand to his forehead. "God…I'm sorry…" The palpable tension vanished as if it had never been there.

Free from the telekinetic hold, Jenn stepped away from the wall and walked by Ash. She looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Next time you want to have a tantrum, remember it's not all about you. With the power you have, you either remember about us little normal mortals and think about what you can do to us, or…or…go jump in the ocean, mighty dork!"

With that she stomped off, forgetting about the Mightyena at her heels.

Puck snickered, "Schooled by the blonde."

Callie glared at him.

"What!" Puck asked with surprise. "He did get schooled. She completely showed him up."

ooo

Dinner that night was rather unpleasant, due to the visible tension between particular members of the group. Jenn was pointedly ignoring both Ash and Puck, Chris was keeping his distance from Puck, which only irritated Callie. Jaime was keeping her distance from them as well.

This made things rather uncomfortable for Drake, Trish, and Shannon; especially since they had no idea what Ash had nearly done or why Jenn was giving him the ice queen treatment. Puck and Callie had told them that Ash had been responsible for the unpleasant sensations they'd felt while shopping, but would not tell them the reason behind his anger.

"_That is up to him_." And that is all that Callie or Puck would say on that subject.

It was when the two waiters, the only ones from Drake's personal staff that had requested to stay behind, came to clear the table for dessert that the final straw came for Trish.

"Okay, that's quite enough!" The angry Australian stood up and glared at those gathered at the table.

Her friends froze in their motions: Chris was about to drink, Ash was talking with Puck and Callie, Jenn was glaring at Ash and Puck, Jaime was talking low with Shannon and Drake.

"Uh…what?" Puck asked, clearly confused.

"I'm talking about the animosity around this table!"

"Puck started it," Jenn said snootily.

"I don't care!" Trish blurted out. "What he did was erased. Time was reset. Can't you let that go!"

"Hello! He _killed_ us!" Jenn snapped back. "You and Shannon weren't killed by him, but all Ash had to do was let Puck slide just a little longer. Just a little longer and he might have killed you, too. And for what? Because his lady love died for him?"

Puck bristled and glared at the blonde, but said nothing.

"That's not fair," Trish defended the Fae. "You'd have done the same thing for the ones you love."

"And again with the HELLO! I don't have any powers, magical or otherwise, that could enable me to kill people because I've got the ability to blow things up without a care!" Jenn said. "Like exploding poor defenceless lightbulbs!"

Ash sighed his annoyance.

"Okay, I agree with her," Chris said, "Everything except the lightbulb thing, because I don't know where she pulled _that_ from."

Trish blinked, at a loss, "But…"

"No, Trish," Jaime said, "It's scary to know that someone you call a friend could kill you without any effort at all. If I had my choice about it, I'd wish that he could wipe my memory clean of ever having heard Ash saying that at all."

There was a lull in the conversation, broken only by Callie saying, "There is that option."

"What?" Jenn looked surprised.

"It's something we were going to bring up _after_ dinner," Puck said wryly.

"You can make them forget it?" Ash asked.

"Those that want to forget," Callie said. "If it's affecting your daily life, then you can have one of us help you erase those memories."

Jenn narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, right, and chance having us ending up like I did after I was forced to take those nasty pills. I don't think so."

"I'll take it," Jaime said quickly.

Beside her, Shannon nodded. "I want to forget, too. I hate thinking I'd have to be afraid of you, Puck."

"Do you swear that I won't end up quoting poetry or cooking for the masses?" Chris asked warily. "Because if I do, I'm not going to be real happy about it."

"No," Callie reassured him – and the others. "Nothing will be done to you that you don't agree to."

"How will you do it?" Trish asked.

"We'll take you to the entertainment room and have you sit in comfortable chairs," Puck said. "Then we'll use our magic to manipulate your memories. All that will be done while you're in a trance state. You'll wake up the next morning not remembering anything of what I'd done." He choked that last part out. It still affected him. "We'll put in the memory of the group of you celebrating the victory over Lu. Then everyone just fell asleep here, be it from too much drinking or simple exhaustion."

"I like that," Jaime said with a reassured smile. "Thank you."

"Well I don't like that!" Jenn exclaimed.

"Jenn, it's for the best," Ash said gently.

"No, Ash, it isn't." Jenn was firm on the matter. "I remembered what I did for a reason. If I forget, then what? Anytime something bad happens, I get one of the Faes to sugar coat it? Life's full of tough things. You either learn from them, and grow from them, or you keep on expecting life to be easy."

"I'll pay you to do it anyway," Chris said, smirking.

"And if you do," Jenn cast a glare towards Chris before looking at Ash, "I will never forgive you for it."

Chris scoffed at her. "How will you possibly know if you don't know anything went wrong?"

"He's got a point, Jenn," Trish said gently. "Just let Puck do this and things will be okay."

Jenn arched an eyebrow. "Need I remind you of those Fae Prozac?"

Trish squirmed a little, but didn't let go of her point. One that was shared by, so she felt, the more saner of the group – which would be all but Jenn. Her 'twin' was a little nutty most times, but it was how the blonde was. Though they loved her for it, there were times when her stubborn impracticality got out of hand.

This was clearly one of them.

"I have to agree with Chris," Trish said simply. "You can't remember what you never knew happened."

"I'll know." Jenn stared at Ash. "I'll know it by the look in your eyes anytime you look at me. You'll always wonder if I'd remember someday."

Trish sighed softly and wondered if all Americans were so headstrong or if it was just the blonde.

"Jenn, he completely disintegrated you," Jaime said, then flushed at the way the words came out. Nothing worse than reminding someone of how they 'died.' "I can't even imagine what that must've felt like."

"I can," Jenn said archly.

"You sound like you're proud of it!" Chris said, then looked confused. "Wait, you _remember_ it? But I thought there was a rewinding of time and all that crap."

"It's not always text book perfect," Callie murmured, "Sometimes there are…issues."

Jenn directed her next question to Puck. "If you do make me forget, I'll forget everything that happened since the battle, right?"

"Yes," Puck felt uncomfortable at the direct question and look. "I don't see what that has anything to do with…"

"I'll forget about the dream, but I'll also forget how this Mightyena came to be all hitched to my side." Jenn scratched said Pokémon between his ears. "I won't know where he came from."

Chris snorted, "_No one_ knows where he came from."

"Wow, I so know that," Jenn shook her head. "But what I mean is that he'll still be here, unaffected by your little mind melding, and when I wake up I won't know jack about him at all."

"I can always translate for him," Ash said it absently, "So can Meowth."

"Uh huh," Jenn arched an eyebrow at him and sounded a bit smug, "Just like you did on the beach?"

Ash coughed and quickly took a long swallow of his mixed drink.

"Okay, the beach thing is questionable, but what about the exploding lightbulbs?" Chris asked with some exasperation. "Are you two going to let us into your little secret or are you just going to let us draw our own conclusions?"

"Well whatever you'd think would be wrong," Jenn snorted.

"Then why don't you share?"

"I just short-circuited some lightbulbs that's all," Ash said quickly before the blonde could say anything. He didn't want the rest to know about Misty's possible infidelity until he had proof.

"Oh okay," Drake shrugged. "I thought it was due to some power surge."

"It was," Jenn arched an eyebrow allusively. "Just call it a power surge to someone's head."

Ash flushed at the harsh words and the rest were taken aback.

"Jenn! That's not very nice!" Shannon looked shocked. "And it's not very fair either! So Ash lost a little control over his powers. He's the Grand Master but he only got his powers a couple of days ago. You can't expect him to have mastered control in such a short space of time."

"It should be natural for him to 'master' them." Jenn did air quotes. "It's in the title, isn't it?"

Trish raised an eyebrow. "I seem to remember a certain human-turned-Absol who took a few weeks to master her new powers. And I also remember same said Absol tried to _kill_ me and you don't see me being all bitter."

"That was different."

"Do tell how so." Chris said dryly.

"For one thing, I've never had powers so I wasn't used to having them. As for the attack, I was under a spell." Jenn defended herself. "C'mon, Ash, you talk with Pokémon all the time so shouldn't you be used to powers already?"

The man in question shook his head. "Before the battle with Lu, I had no powers, psychic or otherwise. Being able to communicate with Pokémon is natural."

"It's different with Puck," Shannon continued. "Puck was born with his powers so he's had them all his life to master. So he really had no excuse." She gave an apologetic smile toward the Fae. "Sorry, Puck."

Puck waved his hand, red with shame. "No need to apologise, Shannon. It had to be said and it was the truth."

"I know that the final decision about getting your memory wiped is up to you, Jenn," Trish said, getting everyone back on track. "However I think that you should get it done, if only for your own good."

"What good will it do for me to forget?" Jenn asked. "If no one remembers, then what's gonna stop either of them going mental next time? Huh?"

"Well it wouldn't be you, that's for sure. And anyway, Ash, Callie, and I will remember," Puck said in a firm voice. "That will be enough to ensure there _won't_ be a next time."

"I still don't get why it would be good for me to forget."

"Then tell me why it would be good for you to _remember_, if this is how it makes you feel and act," Trish rebutted gently. "There's no good reason why you remembered. You're one to hold a grudge and hold it all in and stew on it. That's not healthy, it's only going to make you bitter and twisted. You're going to end up like Lu."

"Trish!" Jenn gasped. "That's a horrible thing to say! I don't stew on anything!"

The Australian shrugged. "But that's what happened to Lu. He obviously stewed and stewed over what Puck did to him that he got all bitter and twisted and hell-bent on revenge."

"Yeah, that happened to Lu, but I'm not Lu! We're two different people."

"You still know how to hold a grudge. What's to say you won't hold a grudge against this?"

The blonde was silent.

"This is going to eat away at you inside," her best friend warned. "You know how sick you get when you get too stressed and your insides are in a knot." She paused and turned to address the group in general. "I think we're losing sight of who really is to blame here. Yes, Puck should not have done what he did but there is another person who has done more damage to everyone and everything than Puck and Ash put together and I don't see you tearing into him."

"Think people, who has constantly tried to kill people without a thought, who couldn't care less that he destroyed the world all for the sake of revenge? Lu. He was the one who started it all, save your animosity and hate for **_him._**"

"Then I'll save all the stew for Lu," Jenn said, "But I will not give my permission to have my memory wiped. Some things can't be solved with magic and I'm tired of people messing with my mind."

"I agree with you." Chris said sincerely, shocking Jenn.

"What!"

There was a similar wave through the group.

Chris shrugged and tapped at his head, "You gotta protect what's left. You know?"

Trish sighed and knew this was a losing battle. "If you genuinely decide to keep those memories, then you cannot ever discuss them with anyone who does get their memories wiped. Got it?"

"Clear as Cristal." Jenn held up her hands, "And before you say anything, I am being serious. It's just that keeping me one hundred percent serious is impossible."

"Yeah, we kind of figured that out," Trish said wryly.

The blonde grinned. "Aw, but you love me for it."

"Don't be so sure about that," Chris teased.

Jenn just flipped him the bird.

"Hands up all those apart from Ash, Puck and myself, who want to have their memories wiped?" Callie asked.

Everyone raised their hands except for two people, Jenn and…Trish.

The blonde blinked at her best friend. "I know why I'm not, but not why you're not."

"To make sure things are kept in perspective," Trish said. "Everybody else is too closely involved to be objective. Someone needs to be able knock any nonsense on the head if it arises."

"But won't it be too stressful for you? Didn't you just say that it would be better to forget?"

"For you to forget, not me," the Australian grinned. "I'll be okay. Don't forget that you're talking to a military history and war buff here. I'm used to death and destruction on a large scale. Uh…only when it has to do with battles of course."

"And you call _me_ crazy," Jenn rolled her eyes.

"She's right though," Ash said thoughtfully. "We're all too closely involved. In time, our memories could become distorted."

"Never thought of it like that," Drake said. "In that case, I'll opt out as well."

"What for?" Trish blinked. "I said I'll be fine."

The Orange Crew Leader slung his arm around her shoulders. "I know, but you'd like some company, admit it. Besides, should worst come to worst there'll be two against three."

"You're so sweet," his fiancée gave him a kiss on the cheek.

ooo

The next day was glorious and warm. The servants were just clearing away the breakfast dishes when a loud knock came at the front door.

"I'll get it!" Trish was the first to rise from the table and walked out to the main foyer, followed by the ever-curious Shannon.

Unlatching the door, the dark-haired Australian swung it open to reveal a large crowd of people gathered on the porch and front lawn.

"Hey, there," Ben said with a grin. He gestured to the crowd behind him. "We're back and we're all here to help put Pummelo back on its feet."

The two girls gaped and saw all the old faces in the crowd. Ben, Mr and Mrs Thayer, Becca, Liana, Joanne, Erina and Flory, Karlie and Tracey, Dana, Richie, Danny, Cissie, and Luanna.

Shannon squealed and hugged her boyfriend tightly as Trish just smiled. "Oh wow! Drake will be so pleased. How about you all go around to the back and we'll put you to work?"

ooo

Later that night, Ash excused himself, saying he needed to take care of some business. Locking the door to his bedroom, the dark-haired Grand Master sat down on his bed, cell phone in hand.

He needed to find out if what he had seen through telepathy was true or not. Was Misty really cheating on him with Gary? Or had the battle with Lu poisoned his mind with evil thoughts?

Puck had suggested Ash teleport to Pallet to see for himself. He ruled that out pretty quickly, since he didn't trust that he wouldn't lose control of himself if he found it to be true.

What Jenn had said, hit home. Now that he had his full powers, he could obliterate anything and everything with a single thought. What happened to the lightbulbs was proof enough and that scared him.

If Puck losing control was bad, he would be ten times worse. Callie and Puck had informed him that he was far more powerful than they and Lu combined.

The Grand Master thought back to another time he had been present when someone tried to end the world. Mewtwo. Until Mewtwo had been brought to his senses by Ash, the cloned Pokémon was ready to end the world with little thought of anyone else.

Ash didn't want to end up like Mewtwo, Lu or Puck.

Ash needed someone he could trust to verify what was going on in Pallet. He had received a text message from Brock that he was in town to visit Delia, the Professor and Tracey. Brock had a spare key to Ash's house and he could always depend on Brock. Except when there was a pretty girl around.

The Grand Master focused his thoughts on Misty and his vision soon showed that she was kissing and cuddling with Gary. His stomach twisted in a knot and he had to force himself to be calm.

Dialling Brock's cell phone, he soon had the Pokémon breeder on line.

"Hey Ash, how are you?" Brock was pleased to hear from him.

"I'm fine, thanks. How are you?"

"Good, good."

"Brock, I was wondering if you could do me a favour?"

"Sure, ask away."

"You've got a key to my house right?"

"Right."

"I want you to go over, let yourself in, and see if Misty's okay. It's been a few days since I've heard from her and I'm a little worried."

Ash could hear the concern in his friend's voice. "Yeah, sure, of course! Do you want me to go right now?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

"Ash, I'd never mind." There was a pause, then, "Uh…never mind that. I'll go over right away."

The two hung up and Ash sat on the bed with nothing to do but to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

While he waited, Ash tried his best to focus on anything other than his wife. He listened to the birds chirping outside of his window, but that made him think of the gardens his mom tended to so well, which got him to think of how Misty loved the roses there, and that made him think of how the red in the roses brought out the fire red in his wife's hair.

He tried to focus on the excited and cheerful voices outside. There were reunions right alongside of planning with cleaning up. Only that made him think of the parties that had been given in the backyard of his mom's house. Parties that had Misty partying alongside him, a drink in one hand and a smile on her face.

The Grand Master gritted his teeth and felt like anything other than a Grand Master.

Regardless of what he tried to think of, his thoughts went right back to Misty. His stomach tightened in knots as he waited. He knew he could cheat and think of his wife. Think about how Brock had just looked at Gary's Porsche with some confusion just as the Pokémon breeder unlocked the door.

_No! Focus, Ash, focus!_

A sudden banging on his door startled Ash and the lightbulb in the bedside lamp exploded with a popping noise.

"I thought you weren't going to kill anymore lightbulbs, Ash!"

Ash winced at the voice and shook his head. "You're notorious, Jenn. Everytime you're around, a lightbulb shatters."

"Gee, and here I thought it that was everytime a bell rings an angel gets her wings."

"Actually, it's _his_ wings," Ash said wryly.

"The stone age was left behind millions of years ago. Let's call it equal opportunity angels." There was a pause. "I'd try the door again, but I know it's still locked. You coming out of there anytime soon? We've got a lot of people all up in a tizzy to see you. Something about being the Grand Master and defender of the world as we know it."

Trust the blonde to make light out of any situation.

"Sorry, Jenn, I'm expecting a phone call." Ash thought quickly then unlocked and opened the door with his thoughts. "Come here for a second."

The surprised blonde walked into the room and jumped a little when the door gently closed behind her. "I think it's still acceptable to open doors with _hands_."

"It is," Ash said with a grin, "But that was much more fun."

"Uh, yeah." She shrugged, "Whatcha want?"

"Your silence."

"Huh?"

Ash held up the phone. "Brock is checking on Misty. He's going to call any second. I trust him a little more than my powers at the moment."

Jenn looked ashamed. "Ash, I'm sorry about all that went on the other day. I was just scared."

"You and me both." He held up his hand to her when she was going to say something. "Hold that thought."

A heartbeat later the cell phone rang to the tune of _Mambo Number 5_. Ash quickly answered it. "How is she?"

Brock sounded a little choked up. "She…she's…um…busy…"

"She's with Gary, isn't she?"

There was a long pause.

"She was, wasn't she?" Ash shook his head, "Brock, you can tell me."

"How did you know?"

The corner of Ash's mouth quirked, "Chosen One thing."

"Recent? Anything to do with that hurricane?"

"Now who's the genius?"

Brock sighed long. "Ash, I'm so sorry, man. I…I couldn't get out of there fast enough."

"You weren't hurt, were you?"

"Only my eyes and my pride." Brock said. "I am _really_ sorry."

"Hang on a sec, okay?" Ash covered the phone with his hand and looked at the blonde. "I've got to go take care of something real quick. Don't breathe a word about this thing with Misty to anyone or you will be a _mute_ Absol for a _very _long time."

With that, the Grand Master vanished and took his cell phone with him.

Jenn blinked in shock and surprise a couple of times, then shook her head. "I think I'm going to go back to bed."

Hoping Ash could hear her, she sent what she hoped was a telepathic message, '_You'd better not do anything stupid like end up killing me and ten billion others. I'll haunt you relentlessly.'_

All she heard in reply was a laugh from Ash.

Oooh, there were times when he _really_ tweaked her goose. Instead of going back to bed, the blonde left the room to go find Trish to let her friend know that Ash had flown the coop. Only…since she couldn't tell Trish the truth, Jenn had to think of a cover story.

ooo

"He went where?" Trish looked confused. "Jenn, I don't get it."

"Well, the _Pichu Bell_ here is totally demolished, so he offered to go get some food for us from the mainland," Jenn resisted the urge to scuffle a foot in the dirt. Her friend's glare was that suspicious. "I'm not sure when he'll be back though."

"And you said he teleported?"

"It's the best explanation I have to describe vanishing in front of my eyes."

Trish shrugged. "Okay. I'll go let Drake know and he can relay a message to the people in the media room."

The group of people the Australian was referring to were the mass of people who had arrived this morning. They were currently waiting for Ash inside the media room at the Stadium. It was the only room big enough to use that had the telecommunication equipment needed.

Normally used to hold teleconferences and the like, it was currently being used as a mock staff meeting area. It was the impromptu-turned-command centre for sending out people and Pokémon to help with the clean up and eventual rebuilding. Puck and Callie had offered their services for the rebuilding after they had taken Lu back.

Until then, the two Faes had to keep constant vigilance over Lu. They were regathering their magic, recharging the battery as it were, to a level useable to inform their people in their kingdom as of the capture well as to transport Lu back.

Jenn breathed a silent sigh of relief as she followed Trish out of the room. Thank Lugia that her best friend had bought the story without further question. The blonde was never a very good liar; a fact that Trish knew very well. _Ooooh Ash, you are so gonna owe me for this!_

ooo

Brock had not long hung up from the phone call before there was a shimmer of light and Ash appeared in the room.

The Pokémon breeder was so startled he jumped a little. "Geeze Ash. You could have given me a little warning."

Ash looked apologetic. "Sorry, Brock. I'm just not used to all these new powers yet. I think of a place then I'm just…there."

"So how long have you had this new talent?" Brock was curious. "Since the hurricane or have you always had it?"

"Just since the hurricane."

"So should I start calling you Superman?" his friend joked.

"Nah," Ash shook his head. "Chris has enough fun with me being the Chosen One. Let's not give him any more ammunition, okay?"

Brock chuckled then quickly sobered. "So…what are you going to do about Misty and Gary?"

The Grand Master smiled grimly. "Confront them, right now."

_To be continued…_

ooo

_Author's Note: Keep an open mind when reading stories. Things do not always work out the way you want them to in the real world. Same with stories – flaming just because it doesn't have the pairing you want is not mature at all. _


	31. Chapter Thirty: No Tears to Damn You

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish_

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Puck. They belong to Nintendo and William Shakespeare respectively. Ashura the Mew has been borrowed with permission from Dragoness. I do own any characters and the storyline. The lyrics for the chapter title come from _'Sacrifice'_ by Elton John.

ooo

_Chapter Thirty: No Tears to Damn You_

Brock looked at his friend and marvelled at how well Ash seemed to be handling this blow to his marriage. If that had been him, he'd have been curled in a foetal position on the floor. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Ash opened his mouth to say no, but then thought the better of it. Perhaps it would be better to have Brock by his side for a number of reasons. One, if Misty tried to deny the whole thing; two, to knock him out should he look like losing control of his powers once again. "Sure, I'd really like that."

The Pokémon Breeder patted him gently on the shoulder. "Hey, that's what friends are for, right? To be there when you need them most."

"Thanks, Brock," Ash smiled warmly at one of his oldest friends. "You're a true friend."

"No problem."

"Brock? If I start to get really agitated and my eyes start to glow, just knock me out okay?"

Brock was puzzled but nodded. "Uh…sure thing. Dare I ask why?"

Ash shook his head. "You don't want to know, Brock. You _really_ don't want to know."

"Okay."

The two men set off for Ash's house which was only a short distance away.

"Did they see you at all?" the Grand Master asked his friend.

Brock shook his head. "Uh…no. They were too much…_involved _with each other. They were making so much noise that I don't think they even heard me open the bedroom door."

Ash winced and Brock patted his arm. "I'm sorry, man."

Ash gave a resigned sigh. "That's okay. It had to be said. I'm just sorry that you had to be involved."

His friend shrugged it off. "I would have found out eventually."

They reached the entrance gate of Ash's palatial estate and the two men were waved through by the security guards who were pleased to see their employer.

The sight of Gary's car still in the driveway brought a grim smile of satisfaction to the Grand Master's face. "At least I know he's not going to escape."

"We can make doubly sure he doesn't," Brock said, detaching two Poké Balls from his belt. "I can have Onix wrap around his car and Ludicolo can sit on it. Gary can't complain about anything you do to stop him. This is your private property, not his."

"Good idea," Ash nodded. "I'll have Charizard guard the front door." He took out his cell phone and dialled the extension to the guardhouse at the front. "Hey, Frank? It's Ash. I've got some instructions for you guys. If Gary Oak tries to leave, block him. Detain him with a Pokémon or handcuff him, I don't care. Understood? Good." He hung up without saying goodbye.

Ash frowned and a second later a Poké Ball appeared in mid-air. He grabbed it and looked over at Brock, who looked really surprised.

"Well that's handy."

Ash quirked a grin, "And sometimes dangerous. I have to make sure I don't accidentally summon someone or something I don't want."

Brock nodded understandingly, "With great power comes great responsibility."

"Let's set the guard on this car," Ash said grimly. The three creatures appeared on the grass and awaited instructions. After giving them, Ash watched with satisfaction as Onix wrapped itself around the Porsche. There was more satisfaction at the sound of rock grating against metal.

Ludicolo climbed onto the top of the Porsche and the metal roof groaned a little under the weight of the now dancing creature. Ash grinned. Either it was just being true to it's nature as a Carefree Pokémon or else it had always _wanted _to dance on top of an expensive car.

Charizard stalked onto the porch and settled onto the slate topped porch right in a patch of sunlight.

Ash tucked the phone into his jeans pocket as the two reached the wide slate paved front porch. A gentle breeze played around the two as Ash stood there, staring at the door. An ever present fire smell drifted around them from Charizard.

Ash hesitated at the front door. He didn't have staff waiting at the door like some of the other higher members of the League. It was the one luxury he had always denied in favour of providing his family with the sense of normality that he had growing up.

Brock noticed his friend's uncertainty and put a steadying hand on Ash's shoulders.

"You don't have to do this now if you don't want to," he said gently. "We can come back in the morning and confront them then."

Ash shook his head. "No, I have to do it now. Waiting until tomorrow isn't going to make it any easier, and I don't want them to think they can take me for a fool."

Brock nodded. "Just remember I'll be right there with you."

Ash unlocked and opened the door and the two men stepped in and closed it behind them quietly. As they made their way up the stairs and along the first floor where the master bedroom was located, they could hear loud noises coming from one of the rooms. It got louder as they reached the master bedroom.

Brock noticed Ash's jaw clench tightly as he placed his hand on the doorknob and with a sudden push, flung it open.

"Honey, I'm home!" he shouted as he stood in the doorway.

From the bed, Misty looked over at Ash. Her eyes widened in horror as she took in the sight of him. Her flame red hair was as dishevelled as Gary's was, though he kept his features neutral.

"A…Ash…What are _you_ doing home!"

"Misty, what are _you_ doing with Gary?"

Her face paled and she shoved Gary away from her. She sat up awkwardly, pulling the bed sheet to cover herself as best she could. She saw Brock behind Ash and her face flushed with embarrassment.

"How long did you think you could keep this from me?" Ash seethed, "Hell, how long _have _you been keeping this from me?"

"Apparently it was long enough," Gary drawled out, laying on the bed on his side. He was not under the covers, as Misty had taken them all, and he was completely nude. They were _not_ just messing around.

Two things flashed in Ash's mind and he stood firm to keep from staggering from the weight of what he saw. He made a note to ask Callie about an ability of foresight.

He knew that Gary was taunting him, daring him. He knew it without any of his new powers. Ash knew Gary as well as Gary knew Ash and Gary was challenging him to do anything at all.

Of course, Gary didn't know that Ash had a limitless supply of power supplied by his being the Chosen One.

That is, he didn't know it _yet_.

The two things Ash saw in his mind were things that could be. If Ash went and did the enraged husband thing, it would inevitably end up with Gary's death, Ash being charged with it and eventually being sentenced to death. That would lead to him losing control of his powers and pretty much pulling a Puck.

The other thing he saw was much lighter in nature and had a more eco-friendly ending.

Staring at Gary, seeing him taunting him, Ash calmed the power that trembled with his anger. Instead, he teleported Gary outside onto the front lawn. Then he sent mental orders to the three creatures waiting in the front yard.

"What happened to him?" Misty gawked at Gary's sudden disappearance.

"Worried about him?" Ash asked her.

"Not like that!"

"Like _what_ then?" Ash ran a hand through his hair. "Is the baby even mine?"

"Yes!" Misty snapped out. She rubbed her belly. "Of course it is!"

"Call me insensitive, but I have my doubts. One of them is standing naked on the front lawn."

Misty got up, jerking a robe from a chair and pulling it around herself. She waddled over to the windows that overlooked the front lawn and gasped. "How did he get out there?"

"Freaky Chosen One thing." Ash deadpanned.

"Be serious, Ash," his wife griped as she turned back from the window.

"I am," the Grand Master said calmly. "It just so happens that being the Chosen One comes with bonus powers, like teleportation."

Misty gaped in shock. "You…have powers?"

"I do," Ash nodded. "Just recently acquired, but I'm finding them very, _very_ useful."

"You're not going to… _hurt _Gary or me are you?" Misty asked, a little fear evident in her eyes.

"No." Ash shook his head. "You know I don't operate like that, Misty. That would only drag me down to Gary's level, and it would be a waste of both my time and powers."

Misty felt like telling Ash not to have such a big ego but bit it back. _She_ was the one who was in deep trouble, not Ash. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to leave and wait downstairs so you can get dressed," he informed her. "Then we're going to have a nice long talk."

The two men went downstairs and sat down in the living room to wait. Brock jerked a thumb towards the front. "What are you going to do about Gary?"

"Oh, I think we'll just let him stew for a while out there with no clothes on," Ash said. "Onix has coiled himself around him, making a nice, unbreachable cage."

Brock had the look of a proud parent. "You can always depend on Onix."

ooo

Twenty minutes later Misty came slowly down the stairs and into the living room. She sat down on the opposite sofa, avoiding eye contact with either man. She had dressed herself conservatively, in a long black skirt and a baggy blue shirt.

Ash decided that now was as good a time to start as any and cleared his throat. She looked up at him reluctantly.

"First thing I want to know is this – how long has the affair been going on?"

"Not that long," Misty said quickly. "About two weeks or so."

Her husband raised an eyebrow. "Or so? So has it really been going longer than that?"

Misty remained silent.

"How long have you two been sleeping together? Or was this the first time?'

She swallowed nervously. "No…this was the third."

Ash stared at Misty long and hard for a few minutes before he finally spoke. His voice was harsh. "I…can't believe this. From you of all people! For the past few months you've been constantly accused _me_ of cheating on _you_ with Jenn! What a lying hypocrite!"

"Ash, it's not like that."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Not like that? Not like _what_ then?"

She took a breath before speaking. "For a few weeks before the hurricane, at least. It was right before the hurricane, when there was that earthquake. I'd been shopping in the Plaza when it happened. I bumped into Gary there and we eventually started talking."

"Talking?" Ash said sullenly. "Is that what they're calling it now?"

"Ash, let her finish," Brock murmured.

Ash acquiesced.

"It wasn't until the hurricane, when I left Pummelo, that we started…" She paused, "Having relations."

Eyes widened on both the men.

"Only since the _hurricane_?" Ash gasped, leaning forward. "_Three_ times since the _hurricane_!"

"I…I was scared and Gary was there for me." She hung her head and her shoulders drooped like three-day-old wet spaghetti sitting in a pot of water. "He was there when you weren't."

"Wait, wait," Ash broke in, "So you're telling me I had to make a _choice_? Having 'relations' with my wife or saving the world since I was pretty much the only hope." He did air quotes around the word relations and gave his wife a look of astonishment.

"I was watching the news on TV. You had two Fae and a load of Legendaries and other Pokémon." Misty glared at him. "It wouldn't have taken long."

Not wanting to know what TV station – local, national, or international – had the lack of brains to send a news crew, Ash arched an eyebrow. "Would that be the part where I save the world or the part where I have 'relations' with you, my loving, loyal, till death do we part wife?"

Misty flinched at the last words. "The part where you save the world."

Ash raised his eyebrow again. "Well you couldn't have been paying much attention to the news, because it took a _long_ time to even wear down Lu. That single, evil Fae was more than a match for two Faes, a load of Legendaries, other Pokémon, _and_ myself." He gave her a hard stare. "Or were you watching the news while in the middle of 'relations' with Gary?"

"Ash! That's not fair! I was scared and worried about you!" Misty glared back, her face red.

The Grand Master and Brock blinked. "I'm sorry but could you explain that again?" Ash tilted his head. "You were worried and scared for _me_, so you slept three times with Gary? How does that provide any comfort? That just doesn't make sense."

He sighed and looked her straight in the eyes. "Misty, I stayed behind to save the world because no one else could. I stayed behind to save the world for _you_ and our unborn child, to give us a future. The only reason there _is_ a future is because some of us, Pokémon and human, had our priorities right. Did you ever think of that? If I hadn't saved the world then you couldn't have had 'relations' a single time, much less _three_ times, with Gary Oak."

"If you had really been worried about me, Misty, you wouldn't have slept with Gary. You would have been over at my mom's, or the Professor's, or spoken to Brock or Tracey." He threw up his hands in disgust. "Three times since the hurricane? I just can't get over that. What were you thinking Misty? You're nine months pregnant! _Three_ times! If it had only happened once, I might have been able forgive that…but _three_ times?"

Ash looked Misty in the eyes. "I have never _ever_ cheated on you. Not when we were dating, not when we were engaged and certainly not since we've been married. I know you think that I've cheated on you with Jenn, but I can swear by all the Legendaries that you were wrong to think that."

"Oh really?" Misty looked at him steadily. "She certainly follows you around like a little lost puppy."

For a second, Ash focused on the irony of the statement. Only for a second.

"To be honest, I really can't explain Jenn," Ash said frankly. "She's just a really exuberant person."

"Just as I said before, she's like a puppy." Misty just rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised she isn't here now." The cerulean blue eyes narrowed. "Or did you have her spying on me?"

"I can't believe that you just said that! It's as if you're trying to make _me_ look like the cheater!" Ash shook his head. "You're really unbelievable." He stood up. "I'm going to my mom's place. If you want to continue with this marriage, then I'll see you in the morning. If not, then get your things and get the hell out. The ball's in _your_ court, Misty."

He turned to leave, knowing full well that if he didn't that his temper would flare his powers. The last thing he wanted was to harm his unborn child. That one thought focused his mind on his child and he knew that the baby was unharmed by Misty's 'relations' with Gary. He also knew that the baby was …

"…going to be a mess, Ash! Do you really want to face that?"

Ash blinked away his lack of focus. "What?"

"All three of us are high profile people. The press is going to have a field day with this!"

He shrugged. "Maybe you should've thought of that first. Don't you think?"

Misty gritted her teeth.

Ash looked to Brock. "C'mon, let's go. I think Mom's gonna be making deep dish chilli pot pies."

Brock looked back once at Misty, then followed Ash.

The door closed with a resounding thud and Misty, still sitting, rested her head in her hands.

"Dammit," she hissed out.

ooo

As Ash and Brock walked down the footpath, they heard angry yelling and cussing from somewhere inside Onix's coils.

"Someone doesn't sound too happy," Brock observed casually. "Are you going to deal with him now or later?"

"Later," Ash said grimly and frowned. "If I confront him now, the world will probably regret it."

There was a rumble of surprise from Onix. The Rock Pokémon's human prisoner had just vanished!

"Onix says that Gary just vanished," Brock said then looked keenly at Ash. "Did you have something to do with that?"

A ghost of a smile flitted across the Grand Master's features. "Yeah, but it's nothing much. One very embarrassed Gary Oak is now in the centre of Viridian City's busiest shopping district without any clothes on. Screams of horrified shoppers will soon bring the local Officer Jenny along and he'll be charged with indecent exposure in public."

"You evil man, you," Brock grinned. "I heartily approve."

ooo

Delia Taylor (formerly Ketchum) was just finishing the preparations for her famous deep dish chilli pot pies when there was a loud knock at the door. "Honey, could you see who's at the door please?" she called out to her husband who was reading in the living room.

The small weatherboard house had undergone a huge transformation in the years since Ash had attained the title of Pokémon Grand Master. One of the first things he did with his massive earnings was to knock down and rebuild a bigger, better house of brick for his mom and shout her to a nice tropical island holiday. It was the very least he could do to repay her for everything she had done for him over the years. He knew that his mom had sacrificed many creature comforts as a single mother and widow in order for him to be able to realise his Pokémon dreams. Delia had remarried a few years ago, and now lived there with her husband Steven.

As Delia moved around her spacious kitchen, she could hear voices at the front entrance followed by a shout from her husband. "Hey Del! Look who's come home!"

Leaving the pot pie on the bench, she wiped her hands on a tea towel and walked quickly to the front. Her face lit up with joy as her eyes fell on her only son standing in the foyer, with Brock behind him. "Sweetie, you're back! I _knew_ there was a reason why I made your favourite meal!"

She enveloped him in a big hug which he returned firmly. With mother's intuition, Delia soon sensed that something was very wrong. She released her hold a little bit and looked up into her son's face. Despite his nonchalant expression, Ash's eyes resembled that of a wounded puppy and her heart ached for him.

Gently tugging on his arm, she led him to the living room and sat down on the sofa with her arm still around his shoulders. "Ash…did something happen with Misty?" she asked quietly.

Her son gasped, as did Brock. "How…how did you know?"

Delia smiled. "I'm a mother and I can tell what's affecting my child without you having to say a word."

Ash looked at Steven then back at his mom. "I…" _I'm not sure how much to tell her._

His mom gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "You can tell us anything, honey. I trust Steven to not let anything go beyond this house, if that's what's worrying you."

_How much can I tell them? _

His heart answered for him.

_Everything._

And he did. From Lu starting trouble, to the hurricane, to his powers, and ending with Misty. The tale took about twenty minutes. In that time, his mom's Mr. Mime took care of supper while the three humans sat listening to the story. Not a question was asked until after Ash finished.

Delia sat back. "That certainly explains a lot."

"You…believe everything I've said?" Ash asked.

"Of course I do, sweetie," his mother reassured him. "You've always been in the middle of strange and unusual happenings since the day you were born, so yes I believe you."

"We've been wondering why Gary's been around Pallet a lot recently," his step-father said. "It's very unusual because you hardly ever saw him around before, he was always in Viridian. The Professor said that he hasn't seen his grandson at all."

"I just can't believe that Misty would do such a thing," Ash shook his head. "She's always been the one to go on about the sanctity of marriage, and yet she's the one to break it."

"I would never thought it of her either," Delia admitted. "She seemed like such a sweet, devoted girl."

"Obviously not," Brock snorted.

"So you left the final decision up to Misty," Steven mused. He looked at Ash. "You do realise that if she leaves you, that the situation is going to be very messy because of the baby."

"I know," Ash nodded. "I'm prepared to pay maintenance and help raise the baby, no matter what. It's not the baby's fault. The baby didn't ask to be brought into this world, we created him..." He paused, then quickly added, "Or her. It could be either."

He saw Brock give him a sidelong glance, but his mom's next question saved him.

"What about your house and your money? Misty's not going to easily give up on her share of either."

"I never thought I would say this, but thank Lugia for the prenuptial agreement," the Grand Master grinned. "I wasn't going to get one drawn up but Lance advised me to get one. It was a good thing I listened to him!"

"What about the house?" Brock asked.

"That's mine," Ash informed them. "I had that built even before we were engaged. Misty's name isn't on the title deed."

Delia sighed. "Then I guess there's nothing to do but to wait until the morning when we know what she decides."

Mimey came into the living room and waved his hands. "_Mime!_"

"Dinner is ready," Delia smiled. "Anyone for chilli pot pie?"

Ash and his mother were the last to leave the room. Ash drew Delia to the side and asked a question that had been haunting him since the confrontation with Misty. "Mom…did I do the right thing by staying behind during the hurricane?"

His question, which to her was asked in a way that made her feel as if he were a child once again, took her by surprise. Her own eyes widened. "Ash, honey, of course you did! You told me what would've happened if you hadn't."

"It's just that I feel like this wouldn't have happened if I'd have left with her."

"Sweetie, she even told you that she'd been meeting up with him before the hurricane," she looked her son in his eyes. "There are some things that are unavoidable. One door closes, but another opens."

"But I knew she was the one I wanted to spend my life with."

"Honey, look at Nick and Jessica. They were as much a couple in love in America, as you and Misty were here in Kanto." She smiled at him with what she hoped was comforting. "Some things just don't work out, but usually the Fates have a good reason in mind."

"I thought the Fates are nothing but evil, psychotic bit…"

"Ashton James Ketchum! You watch your mouth, young man!" Delia reprimanded him verbally, "Do not tempt the Fates! I don't care if you believe in them or not. Worse things have happened from people saying things like 'what's the worst that can happen.' Do _not_ insult them."

"Okay, okay," Ash said meekly and raised his hands in surrender. "I give to the wisdom of my mom."

"As well you should," Delia said gently. "Now let's go eat!"

ooo

Misty had prepared a small meal for herself and sat down to eat it while she pondered over the ruins of her hitherto perfect life. What a mess! She thought back to what Ash had retorted, _'Maybe you should've thought of that first. Don't you think?'_

As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. From the moment she had accepted Gary's offer for lunch, she hadn't thought about the possible consequences. Had she thought about what would happen if Ash found out? No.

She sighed and rubbed her swollen belly. She had to make a decision before the end of the day, a decision that would decide the rest of her life.

Should she swallow her pride, admit she was wrong, and beg Ash for forgiveness and save her marriage? Ash was not a bad husband. In fact he had been a very loving and attentive husband, spending time with her whenever he could. Nor was he a controlling type of spouse, as he was happy for her to do her own thing.

But would he even forgive her? That look of incredulity and disgust on his face after she tried to turn the tables back on him, told her that it would take a very long time indeed.

Not that Misty could blame her husband. If the situation had been reversed, she would have kicked him out the door and filed for divorce after hearing that he'd even cheated once!

Or should she give up everything and go with Gary? Gary, who had been such company over the past few weeks.

The redhead buried her face in her hands. When had things become so complicated? A year ago she would have scoffed at any suggestion that she would have eyes for anyone but Ash. But now a year later, she had broken those sacred vows; something she would not have thought possible before.

_I was so certain that Ash was the one I wanted to be with forever…but now I'm not so sure. When did things change between us? Is he the one that's changed…or am I? Have we both changed? Do I really know what I want anymore?_

ooo

On Pummelo, a large backyard barbeque was in full swing at Drake's villa. Delicious smells of char grilled chicken, lamb and beef wafted through the air, along with the chatter of many voices.

Trish had just poured herself a glass of wine when she noticed a familiar blonde figure sitting a little way apart from the crowd. She frowned slightly and grabbed a glass of Pepsi for her friend before heading over and sitting down next to her friend.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"That's it?"

Trish frowned, "What's it?"

The blonde looked exasperated. "A penny. I'm so sure my thoughts are worth way more than that."

Trish was about to retort when she saw the teasing glint in her friend's eyes. "You're evil." She handed the Pepsi to her friend, who took it with a nod of thanks.

"Yes, I know," Jenn nodded sagely and sipped the beverage. "So what's up?"

"Kind of wondering why you're over here by yourself."

Jenn made a little face, then shrugged. "Just tired I guess. I'm enjoying the little piece of quiet in this storm."

"Nice choice of words."

"Hey, I'm evil. I don't do nice."

Trish just laughed and took a sip of her wine. "At any rate, you should go on over for some food before the starving masses get to it."

"I'm not all that hungry."

Trish's eyes widened. "What? You? Not hungry? That's like Ash saying he's not hungry."

Jenn rolled her eyes. "You're so funny."

Trish smirked a little, "Speaking of which, he's taking an awfully long time getting those tacos."

"The what?"

Trish knew then for a fact, though she guessed earlier, that Ash didn't go on a taco run. "You know, the tacos he went for about six hours ago."

"Oh, those tacos." She seemed to be searching for something to say, then shrugged, giving up. "Sometimes you gotta go far to get what you want."

"Especially when there's a huge barbecue here."

"Exactly."

"You're not going to tell me what's going on, are you?"

"Not a word of it."

Trish sighed and sipped her wine. "Can't or won't?"

"Both." Jenn took another sip of Pepsi. "I rather like having opposable thumbs, thank you very much."

"Huh?"

Jenn squared her friend with a blue-grey eyed stare. "If I tell you what's going on, then you'll be happy, but I'll be a _mute_ Absol."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not saying anything more," Jenn looked around. "He's got ears everywhere."

"He? Who he?"

Jenn glared at Trish, who innocently drank at her wine. "If he hears about this and turns me into a mute Absol, I _will_ shed all over your bed and your clothes. Especially those black Versace pants you love so much."

"Is it Lu?"

"Bleah! No!"

"Who then?"

"Ash!"

"Ash?" Trish blinked. "He wouldn't do such a thing to you."

"That's what he threatened and I'm not about to test him out." Jenn snorted. "He was pissed as a biyotch."

Her friend shrugged and decided to let the matter slide. She knew that Jenn wasn't going to budge and she figured that she would find out the truth sooner or later. Right now Trish was just going to enjoy the fact that this was the first time this whole vacation she could relax with friends and not have to worry about any psychotic Faes.

"Isn't it great that it's all over?"

The blonde smiled slightly and swirled her Pepsi. "Yeah, it is good. As long as things really _are _over."

"I think they are," Trish smiled back. "I have a good feeling that all our troubles are at an end."

"Gee, I hope you're right."

Trish feigned insult. "Dare you doubt your best friend?"

Her answer was a cheeky grin. "Of course!"

"Well fine then," Trish sipped her wine, enjoying the smooth flavour of it. "I guess you don't want an update on Mia."

"No fair!" Jenn stopped swirling her soda. "Of course I do!"

"Then spill the beans on what's going on with Ash."

Temptation and an off-key sense of humour prompted the blonde. She figured she could tell a little as long as she didn't say the BIG what went down with Ash and Misty.

"Fine," Jenn groused, "But if he pulls his threat through, you're pampering me."

"Uh huh," Trish swirled her wine with an experienced manner.

"He went to go check on Misty," Jenn said, "He said he had a feeling about her and wanted to check on her."

The Australian stopped swirling her wine and blinked. "Is that all? So why all the secrecy? It's perfectly natural that he would want to check on his wife this late stage of the pregnancy."

Jenn thought quickly. "Because he didn't want anyone to make a fuss or worry."

"Okay," and Trish left it at that. Jenn wasn't sure if she'd bought the explanation or not. In any case she was glad that there were no more questions.

"So what's the 411 on Mia?"

"She's going to be released from hospital tomorrow morning," her friend informed her. "Puck and Callie are going to be staying with her at our villa while she recuperates. Shan is going to stay over here for a while to give Mia some added peace and quiet."

"Aiight," the blonde grinned. "That's great news." And it was. But then her thoughts drifted to Ash and what he had told her in private. It seemed to her that his troubles were only just beginning.

ooo

_Pallet_

It took all of Ash's self-control not to go over to his house first thing in the morning. Instead he forced himself to wait until noon before heading over to the mansion with Brock in tow.

After he let them inside with the key, the Grand Master cautioned Brock to wait in the foyer or living room while he went in search of Misty.

Ash tried to ignore the inner turmoil in his stomach as he walked up the stairs to the first floor where the master bedroom was located. What would he find when he got there? Would his wife still be waiting, or would he find her gone?

With each step, his heart seemed to pound loudly in his ears. By the time he reached the door it was like a great anvil was being hammered in his head. Ash took a deep breath as he turned the door handle and opened the door…

And found the room empty.

"Misty?"

The bed was neatly made and the pillows in their place. Ash frowned then quickly crossed the room to Misty's custom made walk-in closet.

It was completely empty.

A custom made closet the size of some people's bedrooms, filled with designer clothes and shoes, and it was completely empty. The thought that she must have had help with emptying it crossed his mind and he barked out a sharp laugh. It echoed in the empty closet.

Ash stepped backwards until he bumped into the bed. Slowly he sat down on the edge and buried his face in his hands. He felt _empty_…he felt like _nothing_. Instead of an intense rage or despair that he thought he might have felt, he just felt deflated and empty.

Perhaps it was because, deep down inside, he had already known this would happen. Misty never apologised for what happened. And from the look in her eyes last night, he knew that she didn't regret it either.

_In Santa Monica…In Santa Monica…In Santa Monica…_

Startled by the song wrapping through his mind, Ash jumped up and looked around. The sound was so clear that he thought Misty had left a radio on.

"Misty?"

The song, sung in a man's smooth voice, kept on repeating that one line. Wincing, Ash did his best to throw up some mental shielding, just as Callie had taught him. It helped and reduced the irritable noise to below a whisper, but he could sense it still there.

_In Santa Monica…In Santa Monica…In Santa Monica…_

Ash frowned. Where was the blasted song coming from?

There was movement behind him and Ash spun around, "Misty!"

"Sorry, Ash," Brock shrugged apologetically. "It's just me."

Ash grimaced. "She's gone."

Brock sensibly said nothing.

Ash frowned, then smiled.

"What?" Brock was confused. "Why are you smiling? Misty left you."

"Yeah, but I don't hear that damn song repeating in my mind." Ash shrugged. "Let's go. I'm going to stop by my mom's place before heading back to Pummelo."

"What about all of this?"

A spike of emotion flashed across Ash's face. "It'll be here tomorrow. I've got a lot to help with on Pummelo. That hurricane left a big path of destruction."

"Need any help?" Brock asked. It was obvious Ash didn't want to talk about Misty. "I have a big family."

One that had gotten bigger as his siblings grew up, married, and had children of their own.

Ash nodded, looking thoughtful. "I'll definitely keep your family in mind."

The breeder grinned. "I've got nothing going on at the moment so I'll go back with you to Pummelo, if that's okay. It sounds like they need all the help they can get, and maybe I can get in a little sun and surf as well."

"Sure," Ash grinned back. It would be good to have Brock along, not to mention his collection of strong Ground and Rock Pokémon. They would come in handy with the rebuilding.

"Then it's settled," Brock said and clapped a hand on his friend's shoulders. "How about we head back to your mom's now? I overheard her this morning saying she was gonna make lasagne for lunch."

ooo

Delia must have been watching out for their arrival from the front windows because she opened the door just as they opened the gate and started up the front path.

She quickly ushered the two men into the large foyer area and closed the door behind her. Delia had an anxious look upon her face. "How did it go, sweetie?"

Ash fought down the rising lump in his throat. "Mom…Misty left."

"Oh…" Delia's face fell and she quickly wrapped her son in a hug. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"…Me too," Ash managed to choke out as he clung onto Delia like a child to a teddy bear. His composure crumbled at his mother's gentle touch and he began to cry. He had witnessed so much hurt and heartbreak over the past few weeks and he had managed to remain strong, calm, and composed for everyone else. But now, in his mother's arms, he felt safe, secure and with that, that he could let his emotional guards down.

Brock felt extremely uncomfortable at witnessing such a private family moment, and he quietly slipped into the kitchen where he found Ash's stepfather sitting at the table having a cup of coffee.

"Hello Brock," Steven greeted and motioned towards the foyer with his mug. "I take it that things didn't go well."

The younger man shook his head and sat down next to him. "No, Misty had left and taken all her things with her."

Steven gave a low whistle and put his mug down. "Poor Ash. I never thought Misty would do such a thing."

"I don't think anyone did," Brock sighed. "Not even Misty."

There was a moment of silence and Steven asked, "Do you know what might happen next?"

Brock shrugged helplessly. "Not a clue."

The older man took a sip from his mug. "Well whatever happens, Ash needs to know that we're there for him and will support him no matter what."

"I agree," the Pokémon breeder nodded. "And I don't intend to leave his side until he's got through it. I'm now the longest remaining friend, human that is, that Ash has."

ooo

Delia had guided Ash to the living room once his tears had ceased and she sat down with her arms around him.

"I just feel…so _empty,_" Ash said finally. "What am I gonna do, Mom? I mean, ever since I started my journey, Misty has for the most part always been there. Her name's constantly linked to mine, it was always Ash and Misty together. It seemed as if it was destined, that it was the way things should be. Now all these years later, I find out that it isn't? It's been such a major part, a defining part of my life, and now that it's gone….there's like a big gaping hole. You understand, Mom?"

His mother squeezed his shoulders gently. "Of course I do. Misty was a major part of your life, so naturally you would feel at a loss. But you now have to decide what you are going to do with the future. You can let her decision rule you and not go on; or you can put it behind you and go forward, becoming stronger. Misty was a major part of your life, but she is not your _whole_ life. Don't let it ruin you, sweetie. There is so much more to you, than just being a part of Ash and Misty."

He nodded. "I guess you're right."

Delia smiled. "While it wasn't the same situation, I sort of had to make the same decisions when your father was killed. There I was a young widow, with a small child, and had just miscarried due to the grief and shock."

Ash listened quietly. It wasn't often that his mom spoke about the time after his dad died.

"I could have wallowed in grief and pity and let it ruin me," she continued. "But I decided not to, I had to be strong and go on for you."

Ash smiled and hugged his mother. "Thanks, Mom. You've always been a strong person."

"So what are you going to do?"

"After lunch, Brock and I are going to go back to Pummelo for a while."

Delia frowned slightly. "Are you sure that's wise? You are very welcome to stay here for as long as you need."

Her son shook his head. "No, no, but thanks for the offer, Mom. That hurricane really cut a destructive path through Pummelo and Drake needs all the help he can get. If I can lose myself in the restoration work, then I won't have to think about this."

"Ash," his mom said warningly, "Don't lose yourself too thoroughly. We want you to come back home safe and sound."

Ash smiled wryly, "I plan on returning safe and sound. I promise."

"You'd better," the warning frown faded and Delia sighed. "Oh, Sweetie. I just want to see you happy."

"I know."

Delia gave him a gentle hug. "Well, just remember you are welcome to stay here whenever you want, for as long as you want or need. This will always be your home too."

Ash smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

ooo

Callie sighed and stretched slightly as she kept her eyes on the luminous sphere of magic that kept Lu prisoner. Every few seconds, magic tendrils would snake over the surface like veins.

This was going on the second day they had to keep Lu under guard and it was beginning to take a toll. The female Fae felt rather drained and tired, and glancing across at her brother, she could see that Puck was too.

"When do you think someone from the Courts will come?" Puck asked, the fatigue evident in his voice.

His sister shrugged. "Soon, I hope."

"Not only is this wearing me down," Puck continued to complain. "But it's doing nothing for my love life either. Mia is home from hospital and I've only been able to see her for a few minutes."

"It won't be too much longer," Callie reassured him, praying that her words would be true.

ooo

Trish was crossing the foyer to collect a fresh towel for Drake when Ash and Brock teleported into the room.

Startled, the Australian jumped slightly and grabbed onto the banister of the grand staircase for support. She relaxed when she recognised the Grand Master and Pokémon Breeder. "I wish you would give prior warning when you're going to do that!"

"Sorry, Trish," Ash looked a bit sheepish. "I'm just not used to all these mind controls with these powers yet."

Trish straightened up and a sly grin crept over her face. "Welcome back, Ash. So how about those tacos you were getting for us?" She walked to stand next to the two.

Ash blinked. "What tacos?"

"Jenn told me that you went to get some tacos to bring back for us," Trish smirked. "So where are they?"

"Er…I…uh…changed my mind and brought Brock back instead. He makes the best tacos, better than any that _Pichu Bell_ can make!" Ash said quickly.

"Uh huh," she patted the Grand Master on his shoulder. "Save it, Chosen One. It's been a day and a half. With all the teleporting, it should've taken hours, not days, to come to that conclusion."

"I plead the fifth." Ash shrugged.

Trish eyed him. The dark-haired man looked bone weary and Trish chastised herself. "Of course, don't worry about it. I promise not to run you through the wringer."

"Thanks. Uh, where's Jenn?"

"You can't just use your powers and sense her?"

"I could, but I'm too tired to do that. Besides, I want to do things the normal way for once."

She smiled, "It's only noon. She's still sleeping."

Ash blinked. "Still sleeping? She's slept half the day away. Shouldn't you go and wake her?"

"Hel_lo_, I am not suicidal," Trish grinned. "No one who wishes to continue living, dares wake Jenn from her slumber." She patted the Grand Master on the shoulder. "However, since you're the Chosen One and can come back from the dead a number of times, you are most welcome to try."

Ash gave a wry smile. "I'll think I'll pass. So who's around at the moment?"

"Just Drake and myself," Trish said. "Ben, Shannon and Jaime are over at the Pokémon sheds, Chris has gone with the others to lunch, Mia's at the other villa confined to bed, and Puck and Callie are still guarding Lu."

"Okay, I might go and have a bit of a nap then," he yawned. "I didn't get much sleep last night so I'm a bit shattered."

"No worries," the Australian nodded. "Hopefully by the time you wake, Jenn will be up then."

The dark-haired man nodded and made his way up to the first floor, leaving Trish and Brock in the foyer. The two looked at each other.

"So, have you guys had lunch?" Brock asked. "I could cook something for us three."

"Sure, that would be nice," the Australian grinned.

A goofy look came over the Pokémon breeder's face and he grabbed her hand. "So will you go out with me?"

Trish laughed and pulled her hand away, then held up her left hand in front of his face. "Sorry, Brock, but I'm already taken." She went to walk upstairs with the towel, shaking her head.

Brock slumped dejectedly, then yelped out in surprise as someone hugged him from behind, stopping both Ash and Trish in their tracks.

"Aww, Brock, don't go out with her! Go out with me!"

"Jenn?" Brock spun around at the voice, almost succeeding in dislodging the blonde. "I thought you were asleep!"

"Tamu let me know you guys were here," Jenn grinned up at the Dratini wrapped around her shoulders. "He's such a sweetie! Now I can go out with a major hottie!"

"But…ah…we hardly know each other!" Brock stuttered, trying to disentangle himself from her. "It wouldn't be right…You shouldn't just jump someone like that…"

"It may seem a little disturbing." Trish grinned and looked at Ash.

"Oh, yeah, and maybe a little bit of a bother."

Brock shook his head, "Okay, so maybe I overreacted."

"Oooh, let's skip the formalities," Jenn looked up at him with hooded eyes. "Let's just get married."

At that, Brock let out a shriek and successfully escaped Jenn's wrap attack. The Pokémon Breeder ran for the kitchen, his one place of safety in any situation.

Left behind, Jenn sighed and snapped her fingers. "Darn. Lost another one."

Ash shook his head good-naturedly. "Brock can dish it out but he can't take it. And he wonders why he's still single." He stifled another yawn. "Well, I'm going to have a nap, but when I get up, I'd like to have a talk with you, Jenn."

The blonde blinked a little warily. "Uh, sure, Ash."

The Grand Master smiled and continued down the corridor to his room. Trish watched his disappearing back and turned to her friend. "I'm just going to take this towel to Drake and then I'll be back down."

"What up with Drake?"

"He's having a shower, and he forgot to get a clean towel," Trish explained and grinned when Jenn looked instantly interested.

"Y'know,_ I_ could take the towel up to him," the blonde offered, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"I know you could," Trish retorted. "But I don't think Drake would appreciate your kind offer."

Jenn was innocence personified. "Why, I don't know why he would think I would do anything bad to him. I would just make sure he was thoroughly clean before I let him have the towel."

"Enough time to take in all the eye candy?"

"Awwyeah."

The Australian grinned. "How about you go and get Brock to cook us up your favourite dishes for lunch?"

The blonde laughed evilly, "Oh I will."

"Jenn, be nice."

Jenn waved as she walked off. "Can't. It's not part of my contract."

ooo

Ash woke up three hours later, and after having a shower, felt refreshed and strong enough to face the others.

He went downstairs and found the gang gathered in the great room. Jenn was battling against Chris on the Playstation, being cheered on by Drake and Ben, Trish and Shannon were satisfying their craving for world domination by playing the _Sims 2_, and Jaime was drawing.

The Canadian glanced up and smiled. "Hey Ash, good to see you back!"

"Good to be back," the Grand Master smiled, and meant it. He caught Jenn's eye and beckoned her over.

The blonde handed over her control to Ben and sauntered over, hands in her shorts pockets.

Ash did not say anything until he had led the girl to a room on the opposite side of the foyer and closed the door behind them.

Jenn looked a little uneasy. "Uh…so what's up?"

"I saw Misty," he said simply.

"And?"

"Brock and I walked in and found her and Gary in bed together," Ash ran a hand through his thick hair. "I didn't lose my temper, but I came close. I teleported Gary outside and let Brock's Onix watch over him. Then we confronted Misty and she admitted to having slept with him three times since the hurricane."

"_Three_ times since the hurricane? Geeze, I didn't even get a _first_ time." Jenn's eyes widened at Ash's incredulous stare at her. "I mean, wow, those hormones must really be making her randy!"

Ash looked at her wryly, "Way to make me feel better."

She shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a romantic."

"Uh-huh, well Miss Romantic, your ex is…" Ash frowned, "Where _did _I leave him?"

"I heard there's a lovely deserted island to the southwest of Navel…"

Ash rolled his eyes.

"Oh, it's lovely. I hear it has a lagoon, an inner fresh water lake surrounded by palm trees and a waterfall…"

"Jenn, don't tempt me."

"Fruit trees and white sandy beaches…"

"Okay, you've made me feel better!" He laughed, then sobered up. "But there are still matters at hand. I didn't hurt Gary, though I did let Onix and Ludicolo rough up his Porsche."

"Ash!" Jenn slapped his shoulder, "That is a lovely Porsche! You don't mess with people's cars!"

"Nice to see you're more concerned with his car than his welfare."

"Duh! Ash, it's a Cayenne! You don't mess with Porsche perfection."

"I promise not to mess with any more Porsches in future."

"Good boy," the blonde looked satisfied. "Besides, the car is totally innocent in all of this."

"True, anyway, to cut a long story short," Ash picked up from where he left off. "Misty tried to pin the blame on _me _for this whole mess by saying that I should have gone with her instead of saving the world. That if I had stayed with her, that things would have been fine between us."

Jenn's eyes widened. "No way…she did not say that."

"She did," the Grand Master sat down on the leather sofa. "I had enough so I gave her an ultimatum before Brock and I left for my mom's. If she wanted to save the marriage, then I'd see her in the morning. If not, then she was to get the hell out with all her stuff."

"Then what?"

"Her things were gone when I went back the next day," Ash sighed out. "So there goes my dreams of happily ever after, not to mention one of the biggest parts of my life."

Jenn's heart went out to the man. Ash looked drained and a little shell-shocked, and the disbelief was still evident in his voice. "You must be totally devastated."

"Yes and no," he answered slowly. "I don't know what I really feel at the moment except for this all-consuming emptiness. I feel numb…hollow…just…dead inside. I guess it hasn't fully hit home yet."

The blonde rose from her seat and sat down beside him, enveloping him in a gentle hug. Jenn was not usually a hugger, but the grief in Ash's eyes tore at her heart. The man needed a hug. The Grand Master hugged her back and lay his head on her shoulder.

"So what happens now?" she asked in a quiet voice. Jenn could not help but feel a little discomfort about the whole situation. Though she had no part in the current mess, she knew that Misty had always thought that Jenn was after Ash and that the two were having an illicit affair.

It was all a load of garbage, of course. Ash was completely devoted to Misty and Jenn would never ever go after another woman's boyfriend or husband. Especially when there was a child on the way.

Nevertheless, a part of Jenn's mind whispered to her that she might be in some way responsible for Ash's marriage falling apart. Could Misty have sought revenge by sleeping with Jenn's ex?

"I contacted my lawyers yesterday and they're already drawing up the divorce papers," he said in a weary voice. "As soon as they are finalised, I'll have them served to Misty."

"You gonna tell the others about this?"

Ash nodded. "I'd rather they hear the facts from me, rather than read the wrong thing in tabloids or newspapers."

"And when is this gazumping of the press gonna happen?" Jenn withdrew her arms from around him.

The Grand Master sighed. "No time like the present I guess." He rose to his feet and raked a hand through his dark locks before taking a deep breath and exhaling.

"No need to be nervous, Ashy," the blonde reached forward and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You're surrounded by friends."

Ash smiled, a genuine one. "I know. And I can't tell you how grateful I am for that." He walked to the door and opened the door, before pausing and turning back to face her. "Oh and Jenn?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't blame yourself for this mess with Misty, okay? She's a grown woman capable of making her own decisions and mistakes. You didn't force her to have an affair with Gary. She made the decision on her own and she'll have to live with that. Misty's got nobody to blame but herself." At the blonde's nod, he left the room.

Jenn sat and watched his retreating back with amazement. How on earth did he know what she was thinking?

ooo

Ash returned to the living room to find his friends in exactly the same positions he had left them. He really didn't want to do this…but decided that it was for the best._ Get it over and done with while you're still numb and it won't hurt so much. Delaying it will only make it so much more difficult and then you can get on with your life, Ashy boy. Or at least, what's left of it._

He cleared his throat which caused everyone to look at him. "Uh…guys? I need to talk to you about something for a few minutes."

From the sombre tone of his voice and the expression on his face, the group knew better than to joke and goof around. They quietly stopped what they were doing, and turned around in their seats or came to sit down on one of the lounges.

The Grand Master ran a hand through his hair and looked down at his shoes as he tried to muster up the words he had to say. _God, this was difficult_. He had no problems speaking to massive crowds about Pokémon training, but here he was amongst close friends and he was tongue-tied. He glanced at Brock and the Pokémon Breeder gave him an encouraging smile.

"I guess you guys have been wondering what's been going on for the past few days," he began, to many nods. "Well, the truth is that I had to deal with a few personal problems at home…which have now been taken care of." He took a deep breath. "As of two days ago, Misty decided to walk out on our marriage and our home, taking all her belongings with her."

There were audible gasps all around the room.

"Ohmigod, _why_?" Jaime squeaked in disbelief.

"Brock and I walked in on her in bed with Gary Oak," Ash said. "She then admitted that she'd been having an affair with him for a few weeks. I gave her a choice and she made it."

"That's terrible," Trish shook her head. "Ash, I am just _so_ sorry to hear that. What happens now? What about your unborn baby?"

The dark-haired Master shrugged. "I don't know. Divorce papers are being drawn up as we speak. As for the baby…I'm not so sure now if it _is_ mine."

"That's ridiculous!" Trish blurted out, then winced. "I mean, you can always have a paternity test drawn up, just to make sure."

Ash smiled wryly. "My lawyer is putting that into the divorce papers as well. If the baby isn't mine…then I'm not going to be held legally responsible for it."

"Good for you," Drake said. "It's a shame that such a fine relationship came down to this."

"Drake, I really don't think he needs to be reminded about that." Jenn said from behind the Orange Crew Leader. "I know you don't need to instantly forget about it, but you shouldn't be reminded every ten seconds."

"It wasn't ten seconds," Drake grumbled.

"I know, sweetie," Jenn patted his arm, "Don't take it too personally."

Drake raised an eyebrow at the blonde before glancing at his fiancée. "Should I take it as a compliment that she called me 'sweetie' or should I start worrying?"

Trish grinned. "Take it as a compliment. When Jenn starts shortening your name or giving you nicknames, you're in her good books."

The Orange Crew Leader sighed in relief before turning to Ash. "I'm really really sorry to hear about this. Is there anything that we can do to help?"

The Grand Master shrugged. "I don't know if there is anything you guys can do. I need to call a press conference about this, but I don't want to do it just yet. I'm not ready for it."

He gave the group a small smile. "All I need is time. Time to try and understand why this happened and to come to terms with it. Hopefully I can do that by losing myself in as much of the repair work as possible."

"Just don't overdo it, Ash," Drake said. "Otherwise I'll call your mom to come over and take you back home."

"I won't," Ash promised. "Mom already warned me about that."

Drake smiled, satisfied. "Mom always knows best. I'll arrange with Officer Jenny to keep the press and the paparazzi well away from you while you're here. And if you feel the need to get away from everyone then you can use my villa in West Pummelo. There's not another property around for a few miles."

"Thanks Drake. I really appreciate it."

Just then his cell phone came to life, ringing to the tune of _Dancing Queen_. Ash took it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Yes, James?"

"Ash!" The bright and bubbly voice of his personal assistant came over the phone. "How did you know it was me?"

"Because I gave each person their own personalised ring tone," Ash shook his head over the former Team Rocket's forgetfulness. Every once in a while he would have this very same conversation with James and it was always the same answer.

"Oooooh!" The familiar squeal came over the line. "Is it just me or does Jessie have one too?"

"Jess has one too."

"Ooooh! Does this mean that you'll be changing Misty's tune to _Bitch_?"

"James!" Ash reprimanded. "That's not very nice!" Secretly, he was very amused and touched by the show of loyalty to him. He had told the former Team Rocket trio of Jessie, James and Meowth soon after Misty had left – James was his personal assistant after all and Jessie was his PR agent/manager. It would not have been possible to keep this news from them.

The trio had been shocked and outraged at Misty's decision. "You two were da poifect couple!" Meowth had screeched. "Team Twerp! Peaches an' cream! How could she do dis?"

"But it's true!" He could almost hear the man pout.

"What's the problem?"

"Oh nothing really. Mr. Pemberton told me that the papers should be ready by the end of this week."

"Good. Anything else?"

"One more thing. Pikachu and Meowth said that Drake should be prepared for an influx of visitors."

"When?" Ash frowned as he heard roaring and screeching from the backyard. What was going on?

"Ooooh about now?" James chuckled. "You have a few loyal friends of yours wanting to see you."

"Oh, okay, talk to you later then."

"Take care, Ash," and his assistant hung up.

Ash clicked the phone shut and slid it back into his pocket. "Excuse me for a minute," he told the waiting group and left the room.

The friends all shared a glance and followed him quietly.

A few minutes later, the Grand Master stepped outside into the spacious landscaped gardens and was greeted by a most welcome sight.

A crowd of Pokémon awaited him, and not just any Pokémon but some of his oldest and dearest friends. Pikachu and Meowth were there, as was Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard, Pidgeot, Muk, Meganium, Typhlosion, Feraligator, Noctowl, and Espeon among others.

'_Pikapi_!' The small electric mouse scampered up to her friend and launched herself into his arms.

Ash caught the wriggling bundle of fur and hugged her gently. "Pikachu! I am so glad to see you…but what are you guys doing here?"

'_We heard the news about Pikachupi,_' Pikachu said seriously. '_And we're all here to be with you.'_

"And noine of us is gonna leave until you do," Meowth spoke up. "You're never alone, Ash."

Ash just shook his head, speechless. "Guys…I…don't know what to say."

"Don't say anythin'" the Scratch Cat Pokémon waved a paw. "We're your friends and dat's what friends do."

A wave of emotion swept over the Grand Master at those words and he felt the beginnings of tears prickling at the back of his eyes. Overwhelmed at the show of love and support he had received since the news broke, he knelt down on the ground.

The Pokémon took this as an invitation to rush him and they did. Ash disappeared beneath a wriggling pile of fur and feathers as his Pokémon all sought to comfort him in any way they could.

The emotion of the moment was not lost on the observing group of friends. Shannon wiped away a little tear as she watched the private moment.

"That is so sweet," Trish sighed as she peered out the window. "Such devotion, it's beautiful."

"Yeah, it sure is," Jenn had flopped onto a couch. "But I can't watch. Seeing Ashy vanish under all those Pokémon is giving my claustrophobia the chillies."

"The chillies?" Drake shook his head. "I really think I need a Jenn to English dictionary."

"It's an acquired language," Trish laughed. "But you'll get the hang of it someday."

"Oh they're all so cute!" Shannon sighed over the Pokémon. "I _love_ his Bulbasaur!"

"I hear he has a Venusaur, as well," Trish said slyly. "Maybe you should ask him if you can see it. I bet he'd let you!"

"You think?" Shannon looked as if she'd bust. "That would be so cool!"

"Ash loves nothing better than to talk about his Pokémon and to show them off," Drake smiled. "Of course he won't mind."

"I just looove Venusaur!" the brunette sighed. You could almost see the stars in her eyes.

Ash had finally managed to extract himself from the furry and feathery pile and adjusted his clothes. "Drake, I hope you don't mind the Pokémon staying here. I had no idea they were coming."

The Orange Crew Leader shook his head good-naturedly. "I don't mind them staying here. In fact I was wondering what took them so long! Besides, they won't go home, even if you ordered them to. They love you too much."

Ash smiled at his Pokémon. "I know. I just hope you have enough Pokémon chow to feed them all."

"We've got more than enough," Drake reassured him.

"Even if he didn't, I can always whip up some of my special Pokémon recipes," Brock spoke up. An approving chorus of roars, whistles, and squeals came from the assembled Pokémon. They loved anything that Brock made for them.

"And as long as all you Pokémon are here," the Grand Master addressed his creatures. "I'm sure you won't mind helping out with the clean up."

The Pokémon nodded eagerly.

"Good."

ooo

_Elysium_

The council bowed as Lord Oberon and Queen Titania entered the chambers, refreshed after a few days holiday.

After settling down in their thrones, the King turned to the Lord Chamberlain. "What news have you?"

Lord Tierney cleared his throat as he glanced down at a piece of parchment. "Your Majesty, one of the Fae messengers received a signal from Calliope and Puck to say that the renegade Lucius has been captured and is currently being held prisoner in the mortal realm."

There were gasps from all the advisors.

Oberon leant forward in his throne. "Lucius is in the mortal realm did you say? Dear Heavens…what damage did he do there?"

"I know not, Your Majesty," Tierney shook his head. "There was no further detail in the signal."

The King sat up decisively. "Tierney, please tell Captain Kearney to make haste to the mortal realm with two soldiers to collect the prisoner. And inform the Captain to report back to me on what destruction Lucius has caused."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

ooo

Callie was almost dozing off in her chair when she felt a sharp tingling along her skin. The female Fae's senses told her that someone or something from the magical realms was about to make an appearance.

Springing lightly to her feet, she brushed down the soft material of her dress before gently shaking her brother awake. "Puck…Puck…wake up!"

The chestnut-haired Fae muttered incoherently before his eyes opened. He struggled to an upright position and stared at his sister with bleary eyes. "What's up?"

"Someone from the Fae Court is coming," Callie ran a comb through her hair.

"What?" Puck stood up and straightened his clothes.

Not a moment too soon, for a pinprick of light appeared in the room and slowly grew in size and brilliance until it was blinding. The two Faes shielded their face with their hands.

When the light died down, three figures were revealed and Puck gasped. "Captain Kearney!"

"Long time no see, Puck," the captain smiled. He indicated the sphere which held Lu prisoner. "We're here to take this thing away."

"And it's about time too," Puck grumbled, shrinking a little when his sister glared at him. "This guy has been causing nothing but havoc and destruction here for the past few months."

"Oh?" Kearney motioned the soldiers forward. "The King would like a full report from the two of you on that. Are there any mortal witnesses and victims who might like to testify at his trial?"

Callie nodded. "There are many. However, I think it would be best for the trial to be postponed for a while. Lu magicked up a devastating hurricane to wipe out these islands and the mortals are very much preoccupied with rebuilding."

"I will see what we can do."

ooo

After Kearney and the two soldiers had departed with their prisoner, the two Faes made their way down to the living room where they knew their human friends to be.

Chris was the first to notice their entrance and he grinned goofily. "Hey Callie, hey Puck! Nice to be able to see you again. Taking a break from playing prison guards?"

"Lu's been taken back to the Fae realm," Puck informed the group. "Someone from the Fae Courts came to fetch him a few minutes ago."

"So…he's _really_ gone?" Shannon asked timidly. She didn't want to get her hopes up too much.

"He's really gone," Callie gave a tired smile. "He won't ever bother you again."

A huge cheer erupted from the humans, and the two Faes couldn't blame them. How they had suffered under Lu.

Trish and Drake hugged, before Drake reached an arm out and dragged Jenn into it. The three clung to each other with mad grins.

Shannon was squealing and hugging the life out of Ben, while Jaime was squeezing Meowth. Too tightly for the Scratch Cat's comfort.

"T minus nine lives and counting…." he wheezed with bulging eyes.

Callie looked around and found there was one person missing. "Say, where is the Chosen One?"

The group all looked at each other. Should they tell the two Faes what had happened?

"Uh…he went for a little walk to get some fresh air," Jenn explained. She felt a little protective of the Grand Master and felt that he wouldn't want to have to go through the pain of explaining Misty's cheating so soon all over again.

"But why?" Puck looked confused.

Jenn glared at him. "Come on, do you really need a full explanation? Let the dude relax for once." She waved the Fae off. "Besides, he's practically psychic. He probably knows already. He's probably celebrating on the beach."

Puck arched an eyebrow. "You are _so_ weird."

The blonde beamed. "Why thank you!"

Puck glanced at his sister. "Why does she say that like I just complimented her?"

Trish shook her head. "You've known her long enough. You should know by now that saying she's weird or crazy _is_ a compliment."

Jenn smirked and shrugged. "Hey, why not."

"Enough with her!" Shannon burst out. "Let's have a party!"

"I second that!" Jaime chimed in.

"Me too," Chris nodded with a grin. "I'm psychic, you know. I foresee beer, loads of food, and women!"

Jaime gave him a droll look. "I'd can't see how women fit into the plans."

Chris looked smug. "Yeah, you wouldn't."

"This conversation is getting a little tacky," Callie said with some amusement. "Though I do think celebrations are in order."

"Oh…uh…I didn't mean women like _women_." Chris stammered weakly.

"Give it up, Scotty," Jaime elbowed him playfully. "You're _so_ busted."

"I only meant women as in there would be all you women there, honest," Chris said hastily, lest Callie think that he was nothing but a boozing womaniser.

"Suuuure," the Canadian rolled her eyes.

Trish grinned. "Awww, leave him alone. We've got a party to plan!"

"What sort of party? Like just us or the whole island?" Shannon asked.

The Orange Crew Leader smiled. "Oh I think the whole island could do with a little celebration after the hurricane, don't you? They also suffered because of Lu, even if they didn't know all of this pain was caused by a demented Fae."

"That's true," Trish nodded. "Hang on a minute…that's not going to be a 'little' celebration if you do that…that's a _massive_ celebration!"

"Oh but it _is_ little," Drake grinned. "Not just to me, but everyone else who lives in the archipelago."

"Orange Islands little," the Australian shook her head. "I still don't understand that."

The Orange Crew Leader slung an arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the forehead. "You'll understand it soon enough. You _will_ be living here permanently soon."

Jenn bounced up and down lightly on her feet. "Oh can Trishy and I plan the party for you? I love planning parties!"

Drake shrugged. "Sure, if you want. It will take some of the pressure off Ash and myself. We can concentrate on the rebuilding process."

"Cool," the blonde beamed. "All we need now is your credit card. The titanium one preferably."

Drake's eyes widened and he shook his head. "The titanium! No _way _are you getting your sticky fingers on my credit card!"

"Then how are we supposed to pay for all the stuff?"

"This is coming out of the Orange League's account," Drake said smugly. "And you're gonna have to answer to Ash if you max out _that _credit card."

"I'd answer to him anytime…" the blonde said dreamily, more to herself than anyone. She paled a little when she saw the knowing look on Trish's face. "Uh…but since he's busy being all Grand Masterish, that's not likely to happen. And damned good too, because that's a whole can of worms I don't need to open."

"Drake, are you sure it's wise to let those two girls plan such an important party?" Chris questioned, a wicked look on his face. "I mean, do you really want the League to pay for Jenn's tacky taste in decorations and music? This _is_ Jenn we're talking about here."

"First of all, I don't do tacky. My taste is better than your booze, food, and women theme," Jenn shot back. "Or would you prefer a bagpipes, wild haggis, highland dancing, and men in skirts party? We could give out free samples of _Nair_ to all the men in tights. I mean, skirts."

The Scot gritted his teeth. "For the _ump_teenth time, they're _kilts_ not skirts!"

"Skirts," the blonde smirked, though she knew full well that some guys looked great in kilts.

Trish decided that she'd better put an end to things while it was still tame. She grabbed Jenn by one hand and Shannon by the other and dragged them to the doorway. "Okay girls, it's time to start planning!"

"But I don't like going to parties!" Shannon wailed. "I wouldn't know the first thing about them, let alone how to plan one!"

"Then why did you suggest one in the first place?" Trish smirked.

"Don't fret, Shan," Jenn reassured the younger girl. "I'm so the expert on all things partying and decorating. All you need to do is nod and agree when I, I mean, **_we_** tell you to." She disentangled herself from Trish and Shannon, glared back at Chris, and led the way out of the room.

"This whole thing will probably be princess themed," Chris groaned. "I should just drag out my kilt now and get it done and over with."

"One day I think we should just let you two fight it all out," Ash said as he walked back into the room.

"Yeah, Chris," Drake snickered. "It's not good to hold in your feelings."

Chris just glared in general. "She knows damn well they're not skirts."

"We know, Chris." Ash shook his head.

"They're an important part of my heritage!"

"So, Ash, are you planning fisticuffs or a Pokémon battle?" Drake asked. "Because the Stadium isn't totally destroyed. We could hold another match."

Chris gaped at Drake. "Dude, I can't believe you just said that."

"What? Battle?"

"No! Fisticuffs! That's just _not_ a word you hear on a daily basis."

"So?" the Orange Crew Leader shrugged. "I'm tired. Give me a break."

Chris was about to say something further but decided that Drake really _did _look tired. Even though that was the present state of everyone in the Archipelago, the Orange Crew Leader had more reason than most. He had been working like a demon right around the clock, organising and making sure the rehabilitation of Pummelo went as smoothly and efficiently as possible. A good enough reason in Chris's books to lay off the teasing. For now.

ooo

Jenn, Trish, and Shannon returned many hours later, two satisfied and one exhausted.

"So, how did the planning go?" Jaime asked, bright-eyed.

"Fantastic!" Jenn grinned and placed her boutique bags on a nearby coffee table. "We've got the planning well and truly underway!"

Drake eyed the bags warily. "I don't think you girls were just planning for the party. It looks like you indulged in a bit of retail therapy as well."

"Hey, I didn't!" Shannon protested as she flopped down on the sofa next to Chris. "I was just dragged along for the ride. Honestly, those two are the _worst _shopping fiends I have had the misfortune to come across. They are _beyond_ any help."

Ash looked at the bags and noticed '_Armani_' emblazoned across one of them. "Please tell me that these purchases didn't go on the League's account."

A cheeky grin came across Jenn's face and she opened her mouth to answer but Trish beat her to it.

"Don't worry, Ash. Anything that wasn't for the party went onto our own credit cards," the Australian reassured the Grand Master as she shot a look at her best friend.

Both Ash and Drake breathed a sigh of relief.

"So is there a theme for the party?" Ben enquired.

"Sure is!" Jenn chirped. "It's gonna be _Titanic _themed, and everyone is going to have to dress up in period clothes and a huge iceberg will be the centrepiece in the room."

Jaime's eyes widened like saucers. "Really? Really? And just how are you gonna do that?"

"It's not gonna be _Titanic_ themed," Trish shook her head good-naturedly. "Even though Jenn wishes it otherwise."

The blonde sighed. "Hey, it's always been a dream of mine to have a _Titanic _themed party. Hasn't everyone wanted one?"

Shannon wrinkled her nose, "Can't say I have."

Jenn mock-glared at the brunette. "You were supposed to agree with me, Shannon. Remember what your training taught you; that the Goddess Jenn is always right."

Shannon rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ma'am."

"The colour scheme of the decorations is gold, cream and silver," Trish grinned. "And each table will have floral centrepieces full of white roses with sprigs of peach and orange blossoms among them. We thought that gold and silver was appropriate as Pummelo is known as the sparkling jewel of the Archipelago and it will be so again after the reconstruction is over."

Nods of approval all round.

"Very nice," Drake smiled. "I like it. Very classy."

Chris frowned slightly. "Hang on, does that mean the party is going to be a formal do? That means tuxedos right?"

Trish smirked. "You got it."

The Scot ran a hand through his hair. "Awwww man….I hate getting dressed up in penguin suits!"

Shannon snorted. "I don't know what you're complaining about. Formal wear is easy for men. Me, I'm going to have to get all dolled up in a long dress and heels. And I hate wearing dresses!"

"Oh, come on!" Jenn sighed. "There's nothing better than getting dressed up! You get to find the dress, the shoes, the makeup, and then you get your hair and nails done…There's nothing better!"

"More like there's nothing worse," Chris shook his head. "I'd rather fight Lu all over again."

"I almost second that," Shannon said, to which Jaime nodded her agreement.

"You people are so totally hopeless," Jenn said sadly. "You're missing out on so much!"

"Missing out on what? Torture? I can live with that," Chris snorted.

"Well get used to being tortured," Trish said with a wicked glint in her eyes. "You're all coming to this shindig whether you like it or not. No excuses accepted."

Jaime blinked. "You're going to force us to attend?" she asked, a little nervous. She did not like the evil glint in the Australian's eyes.

"Sure am," Trish crossed her arms. "Jenn and I are working really hard on making this the best party that Pummelo has seen; and our efforts demand appreciation. You try organising a party for hundreds of people and then having your efforts go to waste." She walked across the room to where the TV was situated.

"Yeah," Jenn echoed. "All that hard work and what thanks do we get from you? Complaints, and more complaints. Ingrates."

Chris snorted and waved his hand dismissively. "Empty threats…that's what they are. I _know_ you two girls and you would never go through with such a threat."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Chrissy," the blonde said in a sing-song voice and pointed to Trish who held up a small something in her hand.

The Scot peered closer and paled immediately. "You wouldn't!" he gasped, completely horrified.

"Oh wouldn't I?" the Australian raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You don't come to this party and I'll delete every single saved _Playstatio_n game on this memory card of yours."

"That's inhumane!"

Trish turned to the two girls. "Shannon, I'll go and erase all of your _Gameboy Advanced _games as well as confiscate your beloved dragon collection if you don't come." The brunette shrank back.

"As for Jaime…." Trish trailed off, tapping her chin as she thought.

"Y..y..yes?" the Canadian squeaked.

"I'll burn all your art supplies!"

"No! You wouldn't be so cruel!" Jaime cried out.

"Then stop complaining about the party, come all dressed up and I won't," Trish gave a benign smile.

Drake raised an eyebrow and leaned across to Ash. "I didn't think Trish could be so evil. I think she's been hanging around Jenn way too long."

"Too late to fix that," Ash grinned wryly. "Or else Trish's work has had more effect on her than she realises."

"You guys really should just accept your fate." Jenn said with a shrug. "Otherwise it'll get messy."

Ash grinned a moment more, "I gotta go, guys. I'll be back in a few hours."

Trish gaped. "But…"

"Not now, Trish," Jenn cut in. "Let the guy catch a break. Maybe he's gotta go visit the can."

Ash snorted. "I _don't_ have to do that. Yet."

Before either girl could say another word, the Grand Master had vanished into thin air.

"Wow," Trish sounded surprised. "Now there's a handy talent."

"Yeah, I know," Jenn said wistfully. "I wonder if I could bribe him to take me to a _Louis Vuitton_ store way after hours."

"Jenn!"

"What?" The blonde made a face. "At least I'm being honest."

"Jenn and I were discussing the party and realised that it's more for adults than families," Trish got back to business. "So Jenn suggested that we hold a carnival as well that would allow all families and children to have a good time as well."

"That's a fantastic idea!" Drake grinned. "I don't know why we didn't think of that in the first place. Why should adults have all the fun? The kids suffered with the hurricane too."

Jenn smirked as she leaned back in her seat. "You didn't think of it because you're not a genius like me."

ooo

Ash reappeared on the white sandy beach of a deserted island that lay to the north of Pummelo Island and looked around with a degree of satisfaction. What he needed was peace and solitude, and this was just the place to get it.

The Grand Master looked around at the beach and the lush grass and foliage that bordered it, and decided that some of his Pokémon might as well get a little fun in the sun while he brooded.

Four popping noises were heard and Pikachu, Charizard, Bulbasaur, and Meowth materialised out of thin air. All with the exception of Charizard fell to the ground with various thumping sounds.

"_PIKA!_" the electric mouse yelped and let loose a thundershock which zapped her unfortunate master.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" Ash screeched as the electricity coursed through his veins. The powerful jolt made his hair stand on end. He fell to the ground, slightly smoking from the attack.

Pikachu folded her paws across her chest. "_Pi_," she harrumphed.

"I'm sorry, Pik," the Grand Master apologised as he sat up, trying to smooth his staticked hair. "I know I really need to work on better placement with teleportation."

"_Kachu,_" the mouse snorted.

"I agree with da rodent," Meowth said as he slowly picked himself up off the sand. "What you tryin' ta do? Kill me? First Jaime…and now you. T minus eight lives and countin'."

"I said I was sorry," Ash grinned in spite of himself. "I just thought it would be nice to have you guys along for company. Plus, I need someone to talk to."

'_Sure Ash,'_ Bulbasaur grunted. _'So why did you decide to come **here**? Isn't the Plateau just as good?'_

Ash sighed and stared out to sea for a while. Pikachu decided to hop into his lap and make herself comfortable.

"I just needed some time to myself," he finally said. "Somewhere that I knew no one could bother me. I haven't had time to fully digest all that's gone on with Misty, and I haven't had much time to myself. With this party coming up, I'm going to have to come to terms with that quickly. No one wants a gloomy face at the celebrations."

'_That'll be tough with you around, no matter what the cause.' _Charizard rumbled good naturedly, but his words were meant as is.

"You're a real friend, you know?" Ash shook his head. "Remind me to _not_ talk with you about deeply emotional issues."

The large orange dragon padded over lazily and raised his wings as a sort of umbrella for Ash. The thick wings provided immediate sun relief for the Grand Master, even as it gave Charizard time to bask in the rays. '_I just calls 'em as I sees 'em, Ash. You know me better than that.'_

"Youise can't say dat his pep talks ain't encouraging," Meowth said. "Remember da pep talk he gave Jenn? Now dat was some award winnin' talk."

"This is serious, though," Ash said quietly. He looked down at the sand, so white and soft, then looked back up. "Misty left me for Gary and I'm the one left behind to deal with the media."

Bulbasaur spoke up. '_And the fans and the paparazzi.'_

"And da endless crush of available women dat'll be comin' over after da divorce is finalized." Meowth said nonchalantly. "Jessie'd try t'be first in dat line."

"Oh, Lugia," Ash groaned. "I never even gave _that_ a second thought."

'_And no using a female friend to provide a barrier to any gold diggers, Pikapi,'_ Pikachu said it calmly. '_Or else everyone will think you've been having an affair as well.'_

"Too bad about dat," Meowth said. "I bet Jenn'd be more dan happy t'help you out wit dat."

"Yeah," Ash snorted. "I bet she would."

'_Speaking of Jenn,_' Bulbasaur said. '_Has anyone spoken to that new Pokémon of hers? It's not a normal Mightyena that's for sure_.'

'_Makes sense,_' Charizard chuckled. '_Since when is anything that Jenn has, normal?_!'

"I haven't talked to it," Ash shook his head. "Not that I have had the time, recently."

Pikachu made a mental note to herself to try to speak to Pikapichu's Dark Pokémon next time she saw it.

The Grand Master stared out at the tranquil ocean for a while before speaking again. "Guys…where did I go wrong with Misty? When did it start to go all bad that she needed to seek comfort in the arms of Gary?"

Bulbasaur shrugged as he settled comfortably into the soft sand and his bulb soaked up the tropical sun. _'I really couldn't say, Ash. You were a kind, loving and thoughtful husband who spent plenty of time with his wife.'_

"But Misty said that Gary was there for her when I wasn't," Ash recalled his wife's words. "She said that I should have come home with her when she asked."

Charizard's eyes widened in disbelief. '_Is that woman **mental**? You didn't stay behind to have fun in the sun. You stayed behind to save the world.'_

'_Even though I do agree with you, Charizard, try to be nice,'_ Pikachu grinned. '_Pregnancy does addle your brain. I should know!'_

"Maybe I didn't spend enough time with Misty, period," Ash mused. "Maybe if I had given up the position of Grand Master and spent more time with her…." He was interrupted by a roar of anger from Charizard.

'_Hold it right there, Ash!'_ the orange dragon shot a flame into the air. '_Don't you even think of giving up your deserved position as Pokémon Grand Master. You worked, hell, we **all **worked really long and hard to achieve it. It's always been your dream and it became our dream when we became your Pokémon. Do you think we'd let you give that up? **Do** you want to give that all up? Do you really think that would have made any difference if you'd have stayed by her side like some obedient Growlithe pup?'_

"Charizard's right, ya know," Meowth said solemnly. "It woiuldn't have made any difference. You were da Grand Master way before youse two got hitched. Misty knew what she was getting herself in for when she agreed t'marry ya."

'_If Gary had been Grand Master it would have been no different,_' Pikachu said.

'_Yeah it would've,' _Charizard snorted flame. '_The League would've both sucked and gone bankrupt in one easy step.'_

Ash gave a bark of laugher. "Thanks, pal, that _did_ make me feel better."

Charizard grinned. '_No problem, Ash. Everyone around the Plateau knows that the Viridian Gym is the worst in terms of administration and financial matters. I've even heard some of the Headquarters staff use Viridian as slang for something that sucks.'_

The Grand Master chuckled. "Really? I haven't heard that."

'_And you're not likely to, either,' _Bulbasaur grinned. '_Employees never say bad things when the big boss is around.'_

'_When are you going to call a press conference about this?'_ Charizard stretched his wings lazily.

Ash blanched. "Uh….I don't know. I've tried to not think about that."

'_You'd better hold one soon, Pikapi,' _Pikachu warned. '_Otherwise there'll be talk when you turn up to this party alone. Do it now and then you won't be bothered so much by the paparazzi at the event.'_

"You're right," her master groaned. Oh crap. He really really was not looking forward to facing the press. But it had to be done.

"Look at it dis way," Meowth said as he played with a round, shiny stone. "Dis conference can be da final door on dis whole mess. Get dat over wid, and ya can get on wid da rest of ya life. Da upcoming party would be poifect for a new start."

"Yeah…"

"Listen ta me, Ashy Boy," the Scratch Cat regarded him with serious eyes. "Me and Jessie and Jimmy have been watchin' ya since ya started on ya journey. There was always somethin' special abouit ya. I tink it musta been dis whole Chosen One ting going on. I could sense it more dan they since I'm a Pokémon an' all. An' we all know dat Misty use ta always put ya down an' make fun of ya dreams."

The other Pokémon nodded.

"Well ya know somethin'? Right now, ya may tink dat youise is nuthin' widout her – but dat's where you're wrong. You're y'own man, Ash. Everyting you've done, has been because of ya determination, ya will ta succeed, ya purity of heart. You have done it on y'own. Sure, Misty was there ta support ya, but she didn't do da actual work. And who has done such a great job of runnin' da whole Pokémon League since dey became Grand Master at sixteen? Youise! If it ain't broke, den don't mess wit it, I always say."

'_I haven't heard a speech that longwinded since James lectured Jessie about bottlecaps.' _Charizard growled out. Humour laced his words.

'_Well at least he's being nice,_' Pikachu said. '_You could learn a lesson from that.'_

'_Don't forget who you're talking to,'_ Bulbasaur chuckled.

'_I don't do nice,_' Charizard cracked his claws. '_It's not part of my contract.'_

Ash grinned. "That sounded too eerily like Jenn."

'_Hey, **I** used that phrase before she did,_' the orange dragon grumbled.

'_Say that to Jenn when we get back and she'll dispute that,'_ Pikachu snickered.

'_So what's it gonna be, Ash?'_ Bulbasaur nudged his friend's side. '_Are you gonna stand tall or are you gonna fall? Do you want Misty to know that she's got you beat? Or are you going to be strong and not let it defeat you?'_

Ash took a deep breath before smiling at his Pokémon. "After all that spirited talk and defence, how can I let you guys down by saying it's got me beat. You're all right. It's not the end of the world, and with my family and friends beside me, I can get through this."

"Atta boy, Ashy!" Meowth cheered.

The Grand Master grinned. "Shall we go back then?"

ooo

_To be continued…._

_Author's Note: Things don't always work out the way you want in real life. So too with fanfiction. And there are no winners in divorces._


	32. Chapter ThirtyOne: Falling Through

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish_

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Puck. I do own any other non anime character that roams within and the storyline. The lyrics for the chapter title come from the song, "Over My Head (Cable Car)" by The Fray.

_Chapter Thirty-One: Falling Through_

When Ash returned to the villa, the first thing he did was to arrange with Drake for a press conference to be held in the afternoon the next day.

Before he knew it, the time had come, and the Grand Master was standing in the wings, mentally preparing himself for what he knew would be one of the most difficult media encounters he had ever had to face.

The media room in the Orange Islands headquarters was packed to the brim, print and news journalists in the front, while television cameramen vied for the best filming position in the back. It was as if they sensed that something big and sensational was about to break.

He felt like a wounded zebra being eyed by a pack of ravenous hyenas.

Drake peered out at the crowds, "You sure you want to do this, Ash? I can call it off if you don't feel you're ready. They're looking really feral out there."

"More so than usual?" Trish joked as she peered through the curtains with Jenn. "Come on, these are the reptiles of the press, the fourth estate, the lowest of the low. Of course they're feral, they've got nothing but ink and money coursing through their veins. They're not human."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with not being human," Jenn said defensively. "There are a lot of good partially human and not even human creatures in the world."

"But not the press."

"No," the blonde said darkly as she eyed the assembled reporters. "Not the press."

Ash took a deep breath. "I guess it's now or never. Let's get this over and done with." Putting on his best game face, he strode out onto the stage to face the waiting media.

The buzz in the room quietened down instantly at his appearance, save for the clicking of a few cameras. The whole room leaned forward eagerly as one. Again, the Grand Master was struck with the whole hunter/prey analogy. Some of the reporters had sharp, eager eyes, almost like birds of prey. And he was their victim.

_But you know that it all goes with the territory of being a celebrity_, he reminded himself. That thought didn't stop him from silently cursing Misty and Gary for leaving him to deal with the media. Gripping the sides of the podium with both hands, he took a deep breath to calm himself before he began.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you for coming here today on such short notice. I have one brief announcement to make today, so it won't take too much of your time." He paused slightly. "It is with great sadness that I have to announce the end of my two year marriage to Misty."

Audible gasps were heard throughout the room, before the reporters erupted in a bedlam of questions and flashes from cameras.

The Grand Master held up a palm and refused to continue until they quietened down. When all was quiet, he went on.

"A few days ago, I discovered my wife has been having an affair for some time with the former Viridian City Gym Leader, Gary Oak. After a verbal confrontation, Misty had made the decision to start a new life with Gary. Divorce papers are being finalised by my lawyers as we speak."

"There will be no questions at the end of this conference, however I have a prepared statement of questions and answers that the Orange League staff will hand out to you as you leave. Finally, I would ask that everyone respects the privacy of Misty, myself, and our family members during this very difficult time. Thank you." He walked off the stage before they could say anything else.

Drake, Trish, Jenn, and Pikachu were waiting backstage for him. Ash smiled when he saw that the little electric mouse was cradled in Jenn's arms.

Pikachu leapt into Ash's waiting arms and he cuddled his faithful friend as she purred softly.

"Well done, Ash," Drake patted the man on the arm. "That took guts to go out there."

"Yeah," Trish agreed. "I really admire you for this, Ash. To go out there and admit to something so private and painful so publicly…" she shook her head. "And the press can be so vicious too."

"It had to be done," Ash sighed. "Anyway, news would have got out one way or another. I thought it would be better for me to get in first with the truth, rather than perhaps read some embellished tale of woe from Misty later on in some tabloid."

The Australian frowned slightly. "You don't think that Misty would really do something like that? Make up a sensational tale with no foundation whatsoever?"

Jenn wrinkled her nose. "Come on, Trish," she snorted. "She's a gym leader that married the Grand Master. This is like that mess when Jenn and Brad broke up. While I wouldn't mind being in Angelina's place, I didn't make a move on Ash. Misty would do anything to make me look like the Angelina in this Brangelina analogy. It would get all the bad press off of her back and on his back," She pointed at Ash, who shrugged. "Or on me, and I'm no celebrity so I'd end up looking like some gold-digger."

"I have to agree with Jenn," Ash said. "Some of the things she said to me when Brock and I confronted her…" He trailed off and shook his head.

"Like what?" Drake prompted gently.

"She thought that I was still having an affair with Jenn, and that I had sent Jenn to spy on her," the Grand Master winced at the memory. "It was as if she really believed that was the truth, and that nothing would persuade her otherwise."

"Which is such a load of Tauros dung," Jenn growled out. "I never spied on Misty once. Or twice. Or at all."

"Please, shut your mouth!" Trish reprimanded gently. "You never know if some media lug nut will hear you."

"Did you want to go straight to my hideaway villa in West Pummelo?" the Orange Crew Leader asked the Grand Master. "Because all hell is gonna break loose tomorrow."

Ash shook his head. "I'll see how it goes first. It all depends on how quickly it dies down."

"Wishful thinking there, Ash." the Australian shook her head. "This is the biggest scandal to rock the Pokémon League and it's involving some of the biggest names there are. The press will take it and run a mile. You'll be lucky if it dies down after a month."

"Hope you're wrong," the Grand Master sighed.

Jenn snorted at Drake. "Hideaway villa. You're so silly!"

ooo

_Viridian_

Misty woke up the next day and stretched luxuriously. Smiling at the sight of Gary sleeping next to her, she heaved herself out of bed and waddled over to pull on her robe.

She made her way down to the kitchen and grabbed her cell phone which she had left on the sideboard. The tiny screen was flashing with the message _'You have 58 new messages.'_

The redhead grumbled. Couldn't Ash just leave her alone? She was so over him so why couldn't he accept and reciprocate the sentiment?

She walked over to the granite topped counter above the sub-zero drawer freezer to pick up the _Viridian Daily_ that one of the maids had brought in from the morning delivery. She would have choked on anything she'd been drinking or eating. Luckily she wasn't doing either.

Headlines practically screamed at her:

**CHEATING WIFE WALKS OUT ON GRAND MASTER AND LEAVES WITH LOVER.**

"Oh god," she whispered. She felt light-headed for a moment, right before red anger coursed through her. How dare Ash go to the media first! And how dare he not tell her that he was going to do so!

"GARY!" Misty bellowed loudly and angrily. What hired staff she had seen quickly vanished. One of the head maids, Marissa, dared to come forward.

"Ma'am, if I may…"

"You may not!" Misty snapped. "How is it that no one told me about this! Why have _I_ found out about this the same as any other idiot who reads the papers!"

Marissa bit back a retort that the woman was not her employer and had no right to make demands "It's not just in the papers, ma'am," she said smoothly. Although she knew that it was Ash who would be responsible for firing her, she still didn't dare test Misty's or Gary's temper. She rather liked being alive. "It's been all over TV since he had his press conference last night."

"Press conference…" the redhead seethed. "Where was it held, do you know?"

"The Orange League Headquarters, ma'am."

Misty angrily jabbed the numbers to Ash's cell phone on her phone keypad.

Marissa took this as a fine opportunity to take herself to another part of the house.

Misty tapped her foot impatiently as she held the phone to her ear and waited for Ash to pick up.

Finally there was a beep and she was just about ready to verbally blast her husband when she heard the following words:

"Your call could not be connected. The person's cell phone may be switched off or disconnected. Please check the number and try again."

With a shriek of anger, Misty hung up, then dialled Drake's office number.

Drake's secretary picked up on the third ring. "Good morning, Orange League Headquarters, Orange Crew Leader's office, Penny speaking."

"Penny, it's Misty Ketchum here," Misty said urgently. "Is my husband there? I need to speak to him right this instant."

Penny's voice was neutral. "Do you mind hanging on? I'll just check with the boss to see if the Grand Master is with him."

Misty tapped her foot as she was put on hold. She ground her teeth when she realized that the music that was being piped through the earpiece happened to be NSync's _Bye, Bye, Bye_.

_I loved you endlessly, _

_when you weren't there for me, _

_so now it's time to leave and make it alone…_

Misty saw red at the lyrics, but mentally counted to ten to try to calm down. There was a click as the phone was picked up and her husband's smooth voice came through. "Misty, I'm surprised to hear from you…"

"How DARE you!" Misty screamed into the phone. "How DARE you call a press conference without telling me first!"

"Now Misty, before you blow another fuse, I'd better tell you that you're on speaker phone in Drake's office," Ash said calmly. "Drake and Cissy just heard every single word. Cissy is worried that your anger could bring on the baby."

In the background she could hear the two Gym leaders call out a 'hello.'

"Then take me _off _speaker phone, dammit," she hissed even as she turned bright red from embarrassment. "What the hell are they doing there anyway!"

"This _is_ Drake's office," Ash said dryly. "He has every right to be here and so does Cissy. I can't hold up the phones too long so you'd better make this call short."

"How _dare_ you call a press conference without consulting me first," Misty reiterated angrily. "How do you think it feels like to wake up and to have headlines blaring out all over the daily newspapers that you're a cheater? You didn't even consider how it would affect _me _and _my_ feelings. You're a heartless cad, Ash Ketchum. And you wonder why I left you."

There was a short, sharp bark of laughter over the phone line.

"Hah! Heartless! That's **_extremely_** rich coming from you, Misty," Ash shot back. "I seriously doubt that you thought about me before you began to have an affair behind my back. Did you even consider how it would affect _me_ when you decided to walk _out_ on our marriage?" His tone was silky. "Misty, Misty, I _do_ believe you've got it all wrong. I'm not the thoughtless and heartless one. You are."

"You didn't have to announce it to the world, though," Misty snorted.

"Yeah, that's right, because we're not the world's most talked about couple."

"Be mature about this, Ash!"

"Do you even hear the words coming from your mouth? I'm the only one in this conversation that _is_ being mature! I didn't have the affair!" Ash sounded scathing, then calmed down. A little. "They would have found out anyway. The media aren't called newshounds for nothing you know. It's headline news if I have a hangnail, much less a pending divorce."

"Well, I don't appreciate headlines saying that I'm a cheating wife," the redhead growled. "What on earth did you tell them? All lies?"

"Hello! _You_ are the one who did the cheating. I did a very simple thing, Misty." He talked slowly, as if talking to a difficult child. "I told them the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You cheated on me and you left me for another man."

"It wasn't like that!" Misty protested weakly. "There was the hurricane…and the…the…"

Ash said in a low voice. "What I told you is all I told them, Misty, but by now you should know how the media works. They'll make up anything to sell more newspapers, and the divorce of the Grand Master and his wife will be filet mignon and lobster all wrapped in one. It's my job to have to deal with the press, but since you two started the affair, I figured that you and Gary should also share the fun of dealing with them. They should be camped out in front of his place by now."

Misty felt trepidation course through her. Gary's place was so well insulated that she couldn't hear anything, though she didn't doubt Ash's statement. It was, sadly enough, rare that he was wrong. Which was ironically amusing, considering all the times he was wrong when they were younger.

"It's only fair though, you know? After all, you two are the ones that got us into this whole mess. If you don't like it now, then maybe you should have thought of that _before _you began the affair."

Misty was silent.

"At any rate, Drake and I have a meeting to attend, so I'm hanging up. Goodbye, Misty. Have a nice day."

The sounds of the dial tone greeted her ears, and the unceasing blaring sound grated on her last nerves. With a shriek of rage, she threw the phone at a nearby wall. Pieces of the phone went in every direction as the helpless device shattered.

A sharp pang went through her stomach and Misty held a hand to her belly as she sank down against the centre island to the tiled floor.

_Damn you, Cissy, _was all she thought as she hollered for help.

ooo

Half an hour later, Ash was in a meeting when Penny quietly entered and put a phone message in front of him.

'Please call Dr Adam Kelty at Indigo Plateau ASAP'

The Grand Master felt a little apprehensive. Dr Kelty was the resident doctor and obstetrician at the Plateau and had been looking after Misty.

He rose from his chair and quickly excused himself and left the room. Drawing out his cell phone, he dialled the doctor's number.

"Hi Ash, glad that you rang back," Dr Kelty said as soon as he picked up.

"I called as soon as I was given the message. What's wrong?"

"I got a call from _Viridian City General Hospital_ a few minutes ago. Apparently Misty was admitted to the maternity ward a half an hour ago with labour pains."

Ash felt a wave of horror wash over him at the words. Had he unintentionally brought on the baby with the confrontational phone conversation? Even though he was fighting with Misty, the last thing he wanted was to hurt the unborn baby. He or she was the innocent party in this whole mess. "Is the baby coming?"

"No, not yet. Once they got Misty all hooked up and prepared and calmed down, the pains stopped and they haven't come back since. The obstetrician in charge thinks that it could have been purely stress related. Once the blood pressure went down, she was back to normal."

"Ah…well…we did have a loud argument over the phone earlier today," the Grand Master admitted sheepishly. "Doubtlessly, that had something to do with it. I'm not proud of that."

"Misty said that you two had an argument," Dr Kelty said. "She also confessed that she was already furious when she rang up and that she started the whole thing."

"It's my fault as well," Ash shook his head. "I shouldn't have snapped back at her. It's always been that way with us since we first met. It's part and parcel of our relationship. Or it was." He paused. "Is Misty all right?"

"She's resting at the moment. They want to keep her overnight for observations, but if the contractions don't start again, they'll send her home."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. "So tell me, doc. When is the baby really due?"

"Tentatively two weeks away. But with babies, especially those that are first born, you can never tell. The baby will be born when it's good and ready."

_Two weeks_, Ash thought, quickly adding up the time he and Misty had been together. _It should be right to assume the child is mine. Then again, it was Gary that Misty had been with, and I know how cunning he can be._

He asked the question he'd been dreading.

He asked for a paternity test to be done while the baby was still in the womb.

ooo

Meanwhile, the girls were having lunch together at the villa, since the media encampment outside the villa grounds made it almost impossible to go out without being caught on camera. While some of the villa's inhabitants didn't mind being filmed or photographed, it didn't sit well with the rest.

Jaime, Shannon and Jenn were chatting away happily, but Trish was sitting there quietly with a distant look in her eyes.

Jaime leaned over and tapped the older girl on the arm. "Earth to Trish. Trishy phone home."

The Australian shook herself out of her reverie. "What?"

"You've been rather absent from this conversation," Jaime grinned. "What's on your mind?"

"Oh, just thinking about how we're going to handle all this media attention," Trish replied with a grin. "Like it or not, we're involved because of Ash."

Shannon shook her head. "Always strategizing, aren't you."

"It's part of my job," Trish grinned.

"But you're not at work, you're on vacation," Jaime scolded. "You're supposed to be _relaxing_ and not even _thinking_ about anything work related."

The eldest girl just shrugged. "Anyway I was thinking that it would be best if Jenn keeps her distance from Ash for a while. At least until this dies down."

Jenn scowled. "So because of some little affair, I can't be friends with Ash."

Trish shook her head good-naturedly. "That's not what I meant. You can still be friends with Ash, you just can't be seen anywhere _in public_ with him."

"Whatever." But the blonde still looked miffed.

"But why only Jenn?" Jaime asked, confused. "Why not the rest of us?"

"Because Misty hates Jenn and thinks that she's been having an affair with Ash," Trish explained. "She might try to drag Jenn into the argument to make her look good and Ash bad."

"That's horrible!" Shannon gasped out.

"_Misty_ is horrible," Jenn muttered. "Especially when it comes to me. I know first-hand how ignorant she is."

"What did she do to you?" Jaime was still confused. "I must have missed something."

"She called me a husband stealing hussy in public," the blonde scowled. "When all that happened was that Satochu saw his mommy and Ash and wanted to say hello. I mean, hello, what a dated term. No one uses hussy in public unless they're joking around. Of course, she wasn't joking around, but still and all, totally date yourself to the Stone Age."

"Oh…"

"Misty is so ignorant and paranoid that all it takes for her to think me and Ash are hooking up is to see us together in the same room," Jenn seethed.

"She shouldn't assume," Shannon grinned. "As the saying goes, 'if you assume, then you make an ass out of u and me'."

"Misty already is an ass," Jenn muttered.

"Jenn!" Shannon rebuked gently. "Don't say that so loud! Someone from the media could be eavesdropping."

"Then I'll find them and sue them for invasion of privacy," Jenn crossed her arms. "I can't stand the thought of having to change my life, not to mention who I hang around with, just because of the media. This whole thing has _nothing _to do with me, but I'm going to be dragged into this like I'm the Angelina in the affair. I just like hanging around with Ash. He's smarter than he looks, but he's also funny. He makes me comfortable just by being around him."

"Maybe there's a way you still can," Trish said, hoping to calm down her friend before she lost her temper. "As long as there's one of us girls with you when you go out in public, you can still hang out with Ash."

Jenn looked a little happier. A very little. "I feel like a fourteen-year-old being chaperoned on her first date," she muttered. "And I'm not even dating him."

"It won't be for too long, hopefully," Trish soothed. "The media is so fickle that all it takes is some other big news to take the heat off. Drake's thinking about making announcement to try to divert some of the attention off Ash."

"It'd have to be something that was equally newsworthy as the divorce," Shannon mused. "I can't think of what that could be."

"How about that rock on Trish's ring finger?" Jenn quipped. "That's completely newsworthy. Drake's such a celebrity in the Archipelago that his choice of breakfast makes the news."

"It does not," a sullen sounding voice came from behind them. "I'll have you know it's just whatever place I eat it at that makes the news."

"So sorry," Jenn said dryly, not sounding very sorry at all. "But it is true."

"Yeah, well, don't rub it in," Drake said, coming over to give Trish a quick hug. "It's annoying as it is."

"What? Being reminded of being a celebrity?" Shannon asked.

"No, I meant Jenn."

The blonde glared daggers at him. "I'm not an it."

Drake grinned evilly. "Whatever you say, Absol girl."

Jenn sighed tiredly, "I knew I should've taken the chance to chew holes through that vest when I had the chance."

"Not my favourite vest!" Drake sounded aghast.

"Not THAT vest!" Trish said, sounding equally aghast. "It's my favourite!"

Jaime looked confused. "What's so special about a vest?"

"Vests are a very important part of my image," the Orange Crew Leader explained as he sat down between Trish and Jenn. "Like Lance and his billowing capes or Surge and his army uniform, it's part of my League persona along with Dragonite. People see that vest and associate it with me."

"Okay, I understand why it means so much to you, but not Trish," the Canadian scratched her head.

"It's a sinfully soft black leather vest and it fits him in all the right places," Trish explained with a grin. "Plus when he's not using it, either Jenn or I borrow it sometimes."

Drake gaped at his fiancée. "Not only does Jenn get to use my poor credit cards, but you're telling me she uses my clothes too?"

"Not all the clothes," Jenn grinned evilly. "Just your vests and leather jackets."

"So in fact, that was an empty threat by you to chew his vest?" Shannon smirked at the older girl. "Because we all know that you love leather so much that you would never destroy anything made from it."

"I never chewed his vest," Jenn defended herself. "But instincts are strong. I wouldn't have been able to guarantee anything when instincts were involved."

Drake breathed a sigh of relief and mentally made a note to see if he could get a retinal and palm scan put in place at his wardrobe.

"So you're thinking of announcing the engagement to the public to try to get the attention off Ash?" Jaime asked, bright-eyed. "How exciting!"

"Well, I'm not sure how effective it will be in getting the press off Ash," Drake admitted. "It may only be the local press or the ones from the Archipelago that are interested."

"Oh shut up!" Jenn smacked the gym leader on his arm. "You're a huge celebrity. That would be like saying that no one in Tokyo would be interested in knowing if Paris Hilton was buying True Religion or Seven for All Mankind."

The surrounding people blinked at her in confusion.

"Give me a break, people. They're blue jeans." Jenn sighed at the still blank looks and gave Drake an equally sour look. "And they call you a celebrity."

"Yeah, but Pokémon battling is more like a sport." Drake defended his role. "Deal with it."

Jenn rolled her eyes. "Anyway, you ready to deal with the limelight, Trish?"

The Australian didn't look too thrilled. "I already _had_ a taste of it with the break-up. I'm not relishing the attention, but I suppose it's just something I'm gonna have to get used to."

"Glad it's you and not me," Jaime shuddered.

"We'll be announcing the celebration dance at the same time," Drake continued. "So perhaps it will be enough to divert them."

"Speaking of the dance, we'd better get a move on with the planning and the scheming," Jenn declared. "We've still got a crapload to do!"

"Like what?" Shannon asked nervously. She was not looking forward to being dragged along on what would end up a shopping marathon.

"Decorations, cute little presents to put in front of each place setting…" the blonde rattled off, only to be interrupted by Drake.

"Hang on," the Orange Crew Leader said with a raised eyebrow. "Cute little presents in front of each place setting? That's only for weddings."

Jenn waved off his protests. "Wedding, party, whatever. It's good practice for later. We're only going to put a few chocolates in a little bag for each guest. Keep their blood sugar levels up."

"Literally!" Trish grinned. "But it will only be _Lindt_ or _Dove_ chocolate. None of that cheap nasty stuff."

"There's nothing wrong with _Hershey's Kisses_," Jenn said with a shrug. "That's good chocolate too."

"I'm sure it is," Trish said sweetly, "But _Lindt_ is far better."

"What about _Dove_?" Shannon asked.

"That too."

"We've still gotta decide on what food is going to be on the menus and what bands to hire for entertainment," Jenn continued cheerily. "Not to mention the most important thing of all."

"What's that?" Drake asked warily.

"The clothes we're going to be wearing!" the blonde made a dramatic flourish. "Namely couture dresses!"

Of the remaining girls, only Trish cheered at Jenn's statement while Jaime and Shannon visibly cringed.

The Australian noticed their reluctance and grinned evilly. "Do not even _think _about not going," she smirked. "Or else I _will_ destroy your whole dragon collection and art supplies."

Both girls eeped and quickly nodded their submission.

"That's _much_ better."

Shannon shot an imploring look at the Orange Crew Leader. "Can't you do something to save us, Drake?"

Drake shook his head, one eye on Trish who smiled benignly. "Sorry, Shan, but no can do. I prefer to remain in the land of the living, thank you very much."

"Drake is so totally whipped," Jaime muttered under her breath.

"Pleeeaasse?" Shannon was on the verge of despair. After having been forced to go on so many shopping expeditions with the two older girls, she just did not think she could take any more. "Ben won't be too happy with you if I die while dragged around by Trish and Jenn."

The dark-haired man shrugged. "Sorry, threats by Ben don't bother me. I cream him in fights every time and he knows it."

Shannon sighed in defeat. She was so doomed.

ooo

Meanwhile, Ash was having a quiet lunch with Brock and James in the restaurant located on the ground floor of the Orange League Headquarters building. The management and staff were used to having high-profile people dine there. They also knew that celebrities demanded privacy and so had seated the three men at the back behind a decorative wooden screen.

"So Drake offered you the use of his private holiday villa?" James asked as he took a sip of water. "That's fabulous! I think you should take him up on the offer while things are still hot."

"I don't know…" the Grand Master swirled his wine gently.

"I agree with James," Brock said. "It will give you complete privacy from the press and you can't be accused of doing anything on the sly by Misty."

"It _would_ be isolated and quiet," Ash mused. "But then I'd be without any human company and right now I could do with as much support as I can get."

"We can always visit you," the Pokémon breeder reassured him. "And we can stay for as little or as long as you want."

"Yeah!" James enthused. "It will be a great chance for us guys to do some male bonding!"

His two companions looked a tad uncomfortable.

"Uh, no disrespect James, but we're not into the type of male bonding that you're into," Ash said gently, not wanting to offend his loyal personal assistant.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," James pouted. "I meant to get to know each other."

"We already know each other," Brock said.

"But not more than on the surface," James said. "I do more than collect bottle caps."

Brock looked amused. "Like what?"

"Ah, ah," James wagged his index finger. "I won't tell except at the villa."

"I give in," Ash said, "I think it's a great idea, James."

James cheered, "Fabulous!"

"But it's still isolation," Ash said. "I don't want people to think that I'm isolating myself from the public as if the affair was on my end and not Misty's."

"Oh they're not going to think that, Ash," Brock said consolingly. "The most they'll think is that you're taking a well deserved vacation. If anyone looks bad by isolating themselves in this, it's Misty; and she hasn't come out of hiding since she left you. "

"Exactly," James agreed. "Now if you were in the wrong, you'd be living it up at the villa with many beautiful and busty women."

A dreamy look came over Brock's face. "Mmmm….I'd like to be part of that!"

"You would," Ash rolled his eyes.

ooo

_Viridian_

Misty sat back against her pillows with a satisfied sigh. After being discharged from hospital that morning, she was ordered to take one day's complete bed rest and had been brought lunch in bed.

The redhead had been taking phone calls from her sisters and friends since the news broke, offering support and advice.

Violet suggested that Misty strike back by saying that Ash had been physically abusive towards her during their marriage, resulting in hospitalization.

"That would, like, _totally_ get you the sympathy vote," she had enthused.

Misty had immediately dismissed that idea. For one thing, everyone knew that wasn't true and any doctor from Pallet or Indigo Plateau would immediately refute the hospitalization claim. Secondly, it would make Ash even more furious than he already was, and that was a dangerous thing to do with his new powers.

Daisy thought that her youngest sister should plead drunkenness for the whole affair.

"I mean, that would totally explain why you would ditch such a hot hubby. You'd have to be drunk!"

Misty didn't even consider _that_ reason. Daisy was a dear, and trying to be supportive, but not the brightest spark when it came to reasoning. There were more holes in her argument than in a piece of Swiss cheese, plus it was pro Ash, not Misty. Daisy did always have a soft spot for Ash.

Both Misty and Gary were busying trying to shore up support for their side of the case. Team Oak versus Team Ketchum. Not that it was an easy task, for many of the friends that they had made over the years were mutual to both Ash and Misty.

Brock was a lost cause, firmly in Ash's camp. The Pokémon breeder had been the one to walk in and catch her in the act, and refused to return any of her calls to his cell.

Delia, of course, fully supported her son. The chestnut-haired woman had been polite enough to listen to Misty's explanation, but Misty could tell that the older woman did not accept it as a good enough reason to end an otherwise happy marriage.

That pained Misty more than Brock's snubbing of her. She had always viewed Delia as a second mother, having always felt welcome in the cheery Ketchum home when in Pallet.

_It hurts that Delia won't support me_, Misty thought sadly. _But what am I supposed to expect? That she'd turn her back on her own son?_

Speaking of family members, Misty would have thought that Professor Oak would have been solidly behind his grandson. However the elderly researcher had stated clearly in a phone call that he would be taking neither side in this battle. He was equally as close to Ash as he was to Gary and he could not be forced to choose between them.

Gary was insulted at that, and had left the room, cursing quietly.

Misty was shocked into saying, "But Gary's your own _grandson_, Professor! A blood relation! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

The Professor was firm. "It does, Misty, but it also depends on what it means to _you_ people. Gary _is_ my grandson, but Ash has been like a grandson to me as well. Who would you have me choose – a man who is my grandson but one of whom I see very little; or a man who isn't my grandson but acts like one. I will _not _choose."

He had told both warring parties that he would be happy to speak to them about anything Pokémon related but if it was not, then he would simply not speak to them.

The redhead nursed a cool glass of water and thought deeply as she did. There were two options that she could clearly see. She could either fess up and admit to the affair, or she could turn it around on Ash and make it look as if he had shoved her away through his duties as the Chosen One.

Either choice would be difficult, but she knew she would have to make a decision.

But would she tell the truth or tell a lie? Either option was risky.

If she confessed to the affair, then her reputation would take a battering in the press. She would be forever known as the unfaithful wife who left her husband to be with her lover while said husband stayed behind to help in the hurricane. Gary's reputation (or what was left of it) would be non-existent; who would trust a man who stole his former friend's _pregnant_ wife away from him?

Yet if Misty told a lie and said she was a neglected wife because of his Chosen One duties, would that be good enough to get her off the hook? Or would it backfire on her just as the first option surely would? Apart from those who had heard of (or remembered) the Shamouti Island Incident, who knew about the legend of the Chosen One or that Ash himself _was _the Chosen One?

The Shamouti Islanders thought it was just a one-off event which had already happened and not likely to reoccur.

Misty snorted in irritation. _Who would believe me even if I did say that he was the Chosen One? I'd look like some simple-minded pregnant chick. _She shook her head. _Can that for an option_. _Too many things could and would go wrong._

She remembered what Brock used to say about making the right or wrong decisions. '_You may think you've got away with doing something wrong, but karma is going to come round and bite you hard on the arse when you least expect it.'_

With another wry shake of her head, Misty smiled sadly. Her karma didn't just get her. It ran over her dogma in the process.

"Misty!" Gary yelled from the hallway. "The damn press is camped out all over my lawn! Can't you get Ash to get rid of the bastards!"

Misty sighed and wondered who had really gotten the bad end of this affair.

ooo

_Pummelo Island_

_Drake's Villa_

Her hand was almost at the gauzy window sheer before she pulled it back. Jenn knew full well that the press was camped out around Drake's villa, and no matter which window she looked out of – save for the rear of the villa – there would be some paparazzi with a high powered telephoto lens on his camera.

_This really sucks! _She thought, but stepped back from the window. It faced the front of the villa, a fact she knew well, overlooking the massive landscaped front lawns. Front lawns which currently had loads of tents and media command centres.

Why Drake put up with them, she couldn't figure out.

Jenn had asked Trish why, and the Australian had said that media attention came with being famous, and that it was better to have the media's support than their wrath.

Maybe so, but the blonde still didn't see why Drake had to put up with this bedlam on the front lawn when the divorce had nothing to do with him. The only link was that Ash was staying at his villa while he was on Pummelo.

_If this was my home, I'd kick them off and ban them from setting foot on an inch of my property again_, she thought to herself as she walked back inside to her friends. She grinned to herself. _And if they did, I'd sue them. Actually, I'd probably sue them in the first place, but that's just me._

Sure it was _theoretically_ a good thing to keep the press on their side, but their constant, unending, and annoying presence was really beginning to cramp the activities of everyone inside the villa.

Shannon, already a timid soul, was afraid to even poke her nose out of the villa at _all_ for fear of being caught on camera.

Trish, who was a little jittery about the upcoming press conference, refused to go outside without checking her appearance in the mirror first. Jenn had at first laughed at her best friend's paranoia, before deciding that perhaps she had the right idea after all. Who wanted to see themselves on the front page or cover of a newspaper or magazine looking like they just crawled out of bed?

Drake was perhaps the most relaxed about the media presence, but even the Orange Crew Leader was careful to keep away from any front windows when he wanted some time alone with Trish. Which suited the Australian girl just fine.

"I don't want to have a nice long hug with Drake, then read in the tabloids the next day that it was a steamy sex romp!" she had protested before whacking Brock who looked _very_ interested.

_Even so, I wish they would just go away_, Jenn thought with a flash of irritation as she entered the great room where all her friends were gathered. Situated at the rear of the villa, it offered the most privacy.

Trish was seated with Drake on one of the sofas, looking over menus, many of which were spread over the coffee table, with a writing pad and pen resting on the corner.

James was seated opposite trying to convince the Australian to let Jessie pick out a stylist for her. "Just think of how you could look effortlessly stunning every time you step out of the house!"

"James, stylists are only for celebrities or royalty," Trish shook her head. "I'm neither."

The former Team Rocket wagged his finger. "Uh uh uh. You _will_ be famous once Drake makes his announcement. Drake _is _the Archipelago's version of royalty. Just think of all the functions you'll have to attend on Drake's arm."

"Famous by association only," Trish retorted as she shifted over to let Jenn sit down. "And I don't want to be seen as some mere 'accessory' like so many other sport star's wives or girlfriends."

"So don't," Jenn said lazily, "Let them work their magic and glam it to the hilt."

"I don't glam," Trish said sourly, "And thanks for the support."

"Anytime," Jenn shrugged.

"We were going for a casual elegant look," Jessie explained, "Maybe a Dolce and Gabanna shirt with a pair of Seven for All Mankind jeans and a pair of Manolo sling backs."

Jenn's eyes widened, "Oh forget her! Hook me up with that!"

"You understand a word of what she said?" Shannon asked with confusion. Trish seconded that with a shrug.

"You bet!" Jenn said, practically drooling over the name brands. "They're only my all-time favourites that I can never afford!"

Jessie shrugged, "I'll see what I can do, but they usually only give us stuff if they know it's for a prominent person."

Jenn frowned. "That's not fair. That's so discriminatory!"

The redhead shrugged again, though not unkindly. "Thems the breaks. As I said, I'll see what I can do."

James renewed his attack. "Oh come on Trish, it'd be fun. Just think of it as a way to flaunt it to all those women out there who've had their eye on Drake."

Trish looked thoughtful. "I never thought of it that way…."

Sensing victory, Jessie jumped in with the clincher argument. "Drake will absolutely _adore_ you even more than he already does with your new sexy look."

The Australian looked at her fiancé, who smiled.

"Go for it," the Orange Crew Leader said. "What girl doesn't like the offer of designer clothes?"

Shannon started to raise her hand but Jessie quickly grabbed it and forced it down. The brunette pouted.

"Count me in then," Trish grinned. "I guess that solves the outfit for the press conference."

"It does!" Jessie beamed. "Then we have to find a nice couture dress for the dance, as all cameras will be on _you_."

Trish smiled weakly as Drake gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Yay. Lucky me."

"That's not fair," Jenn grumbled. "Why can't _I_ get designer clothes?"

"You can come along with me and who knows, they might be feeling generous that day," her best friend suggested.

"Or if you started accompanying Ash to events, then designers will be falling over themselves to give you clothes," Jaime chimed in.

"So very tempting, but even you know that's a no go area at the moment," the blonde sighed regretfully. "I'd only get Ash into more trouble because Misty would so use it as proof that he was cheating on her." She sighed again and glanced at all the menus in front of her. "What's all this stuff for?"

"We're deciding the menu for the dance," Trish explained. "The best thing I think would be to give three to four choices for each course. That way we cater for most people's tastes."

"As long as there is a seafood or chicken dish in either the entrées or mains, and chocolate cake for dessert, I'm happy," Jenn declared as she scanned one of the menus.

"How about decadent Swiss Chocolate Gateau with chocolate ganache?" Trish suggested.

Jenn's brows furrowed in confusion. "Huh?"

Trish shook her head. "You understand Fashion 101 but not food?"

"Were you speaking English just then?" Jenn shoved a strand of hair behind her ear. "Because I don't think you were."

"I was," her best friend said dryly. "It's a fancy name for rich, chocolate cake with chocolate filling."

"Then why didn't you just say so? I so would have understood!"

"I did," the Australian rolled her eyes. "But menus always have fancy names for food. It makes it more attractive and interesting."

"I don't think it does." Jenn shook her head. "It makes it more confusing."

Trish furrowed her brow slightly as she tried to come up with an explanation that Jenn would understand. "It makes it more special. It's like shoes, okay? It's like calling a pair of Manolo Blahniks just plain sandals. You wouldn't buy them, but with the brand name you would."

"I get it now." She shrugged. "I don't like cake with filling though. Fillings tend to make for a soggy eating experience."

Jaime grinned. "Explaining things to Jenn is like having to learn a whole other language."

Jenn quipped. "Oh, like you're one to talk, eh?"

They were interrupted by the entrance of Ash and Brock.

"Hey, what's up?" Jaime greeted the Grand Master and Pokémon Breeder.

"I just decided to take up on Drake's offer to use his holiday villa in West Pummelo for a while," Ash informed her. "Not only will it give me some much needed privacy but it will take the attention off you guys as well. It's not fair that you have to suffer because of me."

Jenn tried to ignore the pang of disappointment that stabbed inside at his words. Instead she played the bored hand, a game face which usually worked for her, and shrugged. "Whatever you want, mister popular."

Ash shook his head, "Well it'll get the limelight off of you guys. I think it's fair enough."

"Won't that just confuse them?" Jenn asked. "The media will lose track of you, but they'll still be bugging us in every way possible."

"No they won't." Drake said. "We'll be telling them that Ash is going on a personal retreat."

"But what about the festival?" Jenn asked. "He won't be going to that then, will he?"

Ash raised his hand and waved, "Uh, he's still here."

"He can still go," Drake sounded annoyed. "James can whip up a disguise like no one else."

Jessie coughed discreetly.

"Except you, Jessie, of course," Drake amended. "You and James are the best at disguises."

"As long as it doesn't involve long blonde hair," Ash muttered sourly.

Jessie smirked evilly, but kept silent. She knew Ash enough to keep quiet on that particular disguise.

"Whatever. All this disguise talk is giving me a headache." Jenn stood up, "I have to go check on Tamu and some of the others. My little Absol has been looking a little lethargic lately."

Trish patted the blonde on the shoulder, "We're here for you."

The blonde looked confused for a second, then smiled, "I know."

The group watched the blonde leave, hushed, then began talking about all sorts of things. From the blonde's strangely quick departure, to the menus, to the press leaving holes and trash on the lawns.

Ash watched after her, then walked down the same hallway that she did. His exit was noticed by Trish, who elbowed Drake, who then noticed Ash's departure.

"So what?" Drake complained. "Maybe he has to pee."

"He doesn't!" Trish answered with a woman's intuition. "Besides, the bathroom is down the other hallway."

ooo

Jenn was stalking down the hallway, towards the foyer which held the stairs up to her room, when she heard a whisper in her ear.

"You can still see me."

Surprised and taken a little off-guard, Jenn responded with a quick shove of her bony elbow back, really hard and really fast.

A gasping expulsion of breath was her answer, and the blonde spun around ready to fight. Her blue-grey eyes widened when she saw that she'd elbowed the Grand Master right in the stomach.

The dark-haired man was bent over, trying to recover.

The blonde shut her gaping mouth and she winced, "I'm so sorry! I wasn't expecting someone to sneak up on me and whisper in my ear."

"Don't…don't worry about it," Ash wheezed, "Happens…all the…time…"

Jenn stifled a giggle, but laughed anyway.

"What is so…funny!" Ash demanded as he fought to catch his breath. "That really…hurt. I'm going to be bruised."

"So don't sneak up on an American. It's dangerous."

"Duly noted," Ash said sourly. "Ugh, I can feel the bruise now. All in the shape of someone's sharp, pointy elbow."

"Poor baby," Jenn teased. "But I don't dish out what I haven't already tasted."

"Someone elbowed _you _in the stomach?"

"Damn straight," Jenn smirked, "But I gave that present right back, with interest." The blonde watched Ash a moment longer. "Why did you say that to me?"

"Because I was surprised that someone would elbow a girl in her stomach."

"No, not that," Jenn paused and then shrugged. "The I can still see you thing."

"Oh, that," Ash took a breath and relaxed. He'd gotten his wind back. "Well I can teleport in and see you, or teleport you to see me."

"That sounds dangerously like an affair, Mr. Ketchum," Jenn said more breezily than she felt. "I can't and won't play that game. It's too dangerous."

"Too dangerous?" Ash said challengingly, "To you? Dangerous? I thought you laughed in the face of danger."

"I did," Jenn said, "Then Lu sent me onto the _Titanic_."

"So you stopped laughing in the face of danger?"

"No," Jenn grinned, "I just laughed at you, didn't I?"

The Grand Master mock-pouted. "So you think I'm a danger?"

"Uh huh."

"To whom."

"To me," the blonde smirked.

Ash raised a dark eyebrow. "Oh really? In what way?"

Jenn swallowed down her intended retort and quickly changed the subject. This was getting too weird, too fast. "Um, actually I meant that _I'm_ a physical danger to you. That's right. You come near me and you will so get hurt."

"Yes, I know that very well," Ash said wryly as he gingerly touched the tender area where her elbow had impacted.

"As much as I love hanging out with you, we both know we can't hang out anywhere that's public," the blonde sighed. "The paparazzi would have a field day."

"I know," the Grand Master looked frustrated. "I can't hang out with any female friend at the moment because it would look like I was cheating too. The only safe person is my mom." He scowled. "Even though _Misty_ is the one who cheated on _me_ and even though _she _was the one to walk out on the marriage, I'm the one being punished for it. How freaking unfair is that?"

"Very," Jenn felt uncomfortable at the subject. She was far more comfortable when she had control of the topic. At least that way she could spin a funny atmosphere to it if it got awkward.

Ash sighed. "Right now, you're the only one, apart from my mom, that I really feel comfortable with to talk to about this whole mess."

Jenn blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," he confirmed. "Because you sort of went through the same thing with Gary, you're the only one who would really understand."

"Well it's not like I married the guy," Jenn said ruefully. "At least then I could've gotten a better consolation prize."

Ash snorted. "I guess that means Misty is gonna be set for life."

The blonde's eyes widened, "Oh, Ash, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant…"

"Don't worry about it," Ash shrugged. "These things happen when you're in the limelight. Lugia forbid you should be caught by the paparazzi when you're picking your nose and you think no one's there."

Jenn made a face, "Too much info, Ash."

"It wasn't me!" Ash back-pedalled. "I just used that as an example."

"I believe you," Jenn said, "No, really, I do. I can go more than ten minutes without making a joke out of something."

"That's why I feel like I can trust you," Ash confided. "Despite what people might think about you, Jenn, you're more emotional than you make yourself out to be."

"Careful there, Ashy boy," Jenn said warningly. "I have a reputation to uphold and I won't have you making me seem like I'm a sap like any other girl around."

Ash grinned, "I promise."

"Good," the blonde looked satisfied. "Cause I'd really hate to have to hurt you."

"Don't worry, you already have," the dark-haired man winced, once more reminded of his elbow inflicted injury.

"I didn't hurt you on purpose, or _that_ badly," Jenn grinned.

"Oh yeah?" Ash quirked an eyebrow. "Ask me how sore I am tomorrow and we'll see who's right on that last bit."

The blonde tossed her head. "I'll have you know that I am _never _wrong."

"That's not what Trish says."

"She would say that." Jenn rolled her eyes. "Some best friend she is."

The Grand Master gave a little chuckle before turning serious. "Anyway, I just want you to think about coming to visit me at the villa every so often. Just so I can talk to someone and get it off my chest."

Jenn was a little hesitant. Part of her jumped for joy that he wanted her to visit him while the other part screamed at her to say _hell no_ and run for the hills. It was too dangerous.

"Please, Jenn?" His dark eyes were pleading, like a puppy's. "I know that I can talk to my Pokémon and they're great friends and listeners…but it's just not the same as _human_ contact."

The blonde could not resist his look and gave in, even as her conscience screamed 'Sucker!' at her. "Okay, I'll think about it. But I won't go unless there are rules set down."

"Like what?"

"I don't want to be caught with you by the paparazzi. I don't want to be labelled as the Angelina in this mess because it wouldn't be true. It would be so not the truth."

"That's easy enough. Espeon or Gengar can make you invisible anytime." Ash grinned. "Or I could, probably."

"Right and that 'probably' from you sounded not all that confident," Jenn shook her head, though she was grinning as well. "No thanks, Ash, I don't want to be your guinea chick."

"No faith in the Chosen One."

"Yeah, anyway, you totally have to come to the festival and the little dance thing that's gonna happen. I'm putting a lot of hard work into making it a success. I want everyone I know to be there to appreciate me. I mean, to appreciate it."

"I was planning to go to the dance anyway," Ash said. "After hearing Trish's threats towards Chris, Shannon and Jaime, I'd be crazy not to go. I don't want to give Trish any reason to have destructive fantasies about any of my belongings." He shrugged. "As for the festival, that's no biggie. I can just go along in disguise. I'd probably see more and enjoy it better that way."

"Okay, I'll think about coming to visit," Jenn promised. "I'll let you know later."

"Great. I'll talk to you later. I gotta go pack." Ash gave her a quick hug before he went in the opposite direction towards his room.

Jenn continued on her way, feeling much better than before.

ooo

Drake's press conference was held two days later, and the media room was brimming with reporters.

Shannon peeked out from the wings of the stage at the assembled media. "Oh my, I've never seen so many people," she whispered. "There seems to be even more than there was last time!"

Trish gave a small groan. "Oh, great." The Australian was standing with Drake and Jenn, waiting for the press conference to begin.

"You'll be fine," Jaime soothed the older girl. "Drake will be doing most of the talking anyway. All you have to do is stand there, smile and look pretty."

Still worried about her imminent public appearance, Trish gave a nervous smile. "Do you think this looks alright? Jessie said that this suited me perfectly but what do you think?"

The Australian had allowed Jessie and James to drag her along to the designer boutiques and get outfitted for the press conference. The result was a deep purple silk shirt from Dolce and Gabanna, teamed with tailored black pants from Versace along with black Manolo sling backs.

Jessie had also persuaded Trish to wear her hair long and loose, which was something that she rarely did. After James had exulted over it 'Ooooh it's so thick and long. It's just fabulous!' Jessie had set to work on it with a curling wand and brush, creating soft waves that fell over her shoulders.

"You look fine," Jenn reassured her friend. "Lighten up, T, and enjoy yourself. You sound like you're going to an execution instead of a little press conference."

"You have _no_ idea of what the press can do, then," her friend just muttered darkly.

"No, I'm pretty sure I have a little idea of what they can do," Jenn grinned. "I _did _date Gary, you know."

"_No_, really?"

"Trish, such sarcasm!" Jenn beamed, "I'm so proud! You've learned so much from me!"

Trish rolled her eyes while Drake faked a grimace.

"Just don't learn any more from her, okay, hon?" He wrapped an arm around her waist. "Don't want you turning into another Jenn."

The blonde gave a playful scowl towards the Orange Crew Leader. "Too late, dork. I've known her way longer and taught her all she knows."

Trish laughed and hugged Drake tightly. "Trust me, I won't turn into another Jenn. Not only are we different nationalities but personalities as well. Jenn's too unique to ever have another like her."

"You'd better believe it," Jenn beamed. "I'm also a Goddess, so don't you forget that."

"No fear of that ever happening," Jaime snorted. "Not when you keep referring to yourself as such."

Drake glanced at his watch. "I guess it's show time." He smiled warmly at Trish and took her hand. "Shall we?"

"Good luck!" Shannon whispered to them as they walked out.

"Thanks!" Trish shot back. "I'll need it!"

ooo

The press conference was a success. As hoped for, the news about the Orange Crew Leader's engagement, the festival and the dance to celebrate survival from the hurricane, was enough to get Ash's divorce off the front pages and the TV bulletins. Especially after Drake informed the media that Ash had gone on a personal retreat.

However, it was not enough to get the press off Drake's front lawn. Many paparazzi were determined to stay there so they could get a money making shot of the Orange Crew Leader and his fiancée.

"See what did I tell you?" James nodded sagely as he peered out the front windows. "Drake _is_ royalty in the Archipelago. They simply can't get enough of him!"

"Is there any chance of abdication?" Trish muttered as she flipped through a tabloid whose front page screamed. "_Heartbreak as Archipelago Hunk gets Engaged!" _"Because I have had enough of _them_!"

"No such luck," Brock shook his head. "Drake's family has always been prominent in the Archipelago. Sort of like the Kennedy's in America."

"But without the bad luck," Mia quipped.

"Thank Lugia," Trish sighed. "Because if the Thayer's had that kind of bad luck, then you can forget about marriage. I wouldn't doom my kids to an early grave."

"Me neither," Jenn agreed. "But anyway…" She broke off as her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

Trish watched her friend carefully. The blonde's face was one of disbelief.

"And where did you get _that _from?" Jenn's eyes narrowed. "Uh-huh, can't say that I know what you're talking about…Sure go ahead. I promise not to send my growlithe after your messenger."

Jenn snapped her phone shut, closed her eyes and took a breath, then opened her eyes. She stood up, dusted herself off, and walked towards the foyer.

"Don't go there!" Jaime cried out. "You could be caught by the paparazzi!"

Trish darted after her. "What's going on?"

The blonde didn't say anything. She waited by the large double doors, tapped her foot on the white tiled floor, and glared at the door. When someone knocked on the doors, Jenn looked over her reflection in the large mirror on one wall of the foyer, fluffed her hair, smoothed her shirt, and then opened the door a crack.

A manila envelope was passed through the door and Jenn kept her features neutral even as a multitude of flashes from the paparazzi went off. The door clicked shut and drowned out the media circus on the front lawn.

Still silent, the blonde opened the envelope and pulled up a white sheet of paper. At least, from Trish's viewpoint, it looked like a sheet of paper. Jenn's face paled, then anger danced over her features.

"Bastards!" She snarled and flung the two to the floor. The blonde stalked out of the foyer and up the stairs to her room.

Trish ducked down and picked up the envelope and its solitary content. She pulled the paper out and saw, to her shock and horror, that it was a picture. It wasn't just any picture. It was of Jenn and Ash in a tight hug at some restaurant, with Jaime half cut off by the camera.

Clutching the photo, the Australian ran up the stairs and down the hall to her friend's room just in time to see the door slam shut.

Trish stopped to catch her breath a bit before rapping sharply on the closed door. "Jenn, it's me. Can I come in?"

A long anguished groan was her only answer.

"I'll take that as a yes," Trish shrugged and opened the door. She stepped inside and took care to make sure it was closed behind her.

The blonde was laid face down on her bed and was repeatedly pummelling one of her many decorative pillows with a clenched fist.

Trish sat on the end of the bed where she wouldn't get hit, and patted her friend on the back. "I saw the photo," she said gently. "Now tell me what that phone call was all about."

"I am so doomed!" was the agonised wail from the prone form. "I was so afraid this was gonna happen! And now it has!"

"You are not doomed," Trish said firmly. "Now tell me what happened or do I have to shake it out of you?"

Jenn sighed and awkwardly managed to raise herself to a sitting position. "That phone call was from a reporter from the _Viridian Voyeur."_

Trish wrinkled her nose in disgust. "That's that trashy tabloid, right?"

"Right," Jenn grimaced. "Anyway this guy says that he's about to publish a story that Ash and I have been having an affair for some years now and he had the photographic evidence to prove it." She gestured to the paper in her friend's hand. "And that is the photographic evidence."

"But this can't be real," Trish said, looking at the photo again. "This looks to be fairly recent and I can't remember you ever having a photo taken with Ash these last few months."

"But it doesn't mean that it didn't happen," the blonde raked a hand through her hair. "How or why they have a copy, I don't know but what I do know is that the crap is really gonna hit the fan. There is no way I can prove that it isn't real. It's a picture of me and Ash! How can I fight that?"

She fell back against her pillows. "I am so doomed. I'm gonna be the Angelina in this whole affair and I'm not even half as good looking as she is. Misty's got her hands in this. I know it. She's the one that started this damned affair."

Trish studied the photo carefully then gave her friend a grin. "Maybe the camera never lies, but computers can."

"Huh?"

"This photo was doctored, I'm sure," the Australian insisted. "I'm sure I've seen this photo before and you definitely weren't hugging Ash. I mean the head is Ash's, but the body and clothing isn't." She stared at it some more. "In fact it looks like the shirt and jacket that I gave Drake for his birthday once."

Jenn grabbed the picture. "Hot damn! _That's_ why it looks so familiar!"

It was Trish's turn to say, "Huh?"

Jenn turned to face Trish. Excitement poured from the girl. "Remember? It was for some something or other. A convention, I think."

"What!"

"Yeah! Look, there's his pendant," Jenn squinted at the picture and pointed at the guy's chest. "See? It's right there! Ash doesn't have a Poké Ball necklace. Only Drake does!"

"And how could I think that chest was Ash's?" Trish mused evilly.

"How could you not have seen that it was Drake's?" Jenn said, just as evilly.

"But what I don't understand is how they got this particular picture," Trish said. "I know it's one that I took, because you were actually being civil towards him." She made a face, "I mean, you did end up looking really bad in this picture, but you were civil right before I took it."

"Whaddya mean I looked really bad?"

Trish laughed, "Not looking bad, bad. I mean that it's a _really_ dodgy hug there. You're practically wrapped around him."

"I thought I saw a spider," Jenn muttered. "That's all."

Trish shook her head, unable to hide her amusement, "Yeah, sure. This picture really says you're afraid."

"Regardless," Jenn shrugged, "This one not only says I'm tightly hugging Ash, it says it's a copy."

"But how did they get it?"

"Did you take these to a one hour centre or something?" Jenn asked. "Because if I worked at a one hour photo place, I'd be making copies of a celebrity's pictures if they took them to my photo place."

"I'm not a celebrity!"

"But you hang with them," Jenn said wisely, and spoke before the Australian could nay say her. "You constantly hang with Drake, and he hangs with all the Orange Crew, plus Ash, plus tons of others. You're a celebrity by proxy, or at least you used to be. Now you're marrying the Orange Dork and you get to be Mizzuz Dork."

The blonde finished up with a saucy grin, but Trish let the jest slide. She knew her friend was hurting by the picture and was trying to hide it. She also knew that if they didn't do something to take down the shaky credibility the picture held, that the blonde would be dragged through the mud.

"Let's go see Drake about this," Trish said, standing up and taking the picture with her. "He has some very good lawyers that would be able to help you out."

"For free, right?" Jenn followed her best friend. "Because I be short on money, yo."

"Yeah, of course," Trish rolled her eyes. "Drake wouldn't let them charge you, anyway."

"I guess he's not such a dork after all."

ooo

The two girls went back downstairs to where their friends were, but Trish paused at the doorway. "Game faces on," she whispered to her friend. "I don't want them freaking about this latest development."

Jenn nodded. "I'll be doing enough freaking out for everyone," she quipped.

Trish walked in first and beckoned Drake over to her.

"Jenn and I need to talk to you in your study," she said quietly. "It's a matter of great urgency."

The Orange Crew Leader nodded. "Sure, lead the way."

The two walked out of the room, with Jenn trailing close behind, and made their way to Drake's private study. After entering the room, Trish closed all the curtains, while Jenn made sure the door was closed firmly behind them.

Drake sat in his executive chair and watched them with a raised eyebrow. "What's all the secrecy for?"

Trish walked over and placed the photo on the leather inlay of the large mahogany desk. "This."

The Orange Crew Leader's eyes widened. "Oh this is not good. Where did you get this?"

"Some ratbag reporter from the _Viridian Voyeur_ called me on my cell phone a few minutes ago. He said that he was about to publish a story that proves that Ash and I had been having an affair for a few years now, and that he had the evidence to prove it." Jenn explained. "You're looking at the evidence."

"But it's false evidence," Trish said with a grin. "Notice anything about that photo?"

Drake studied the photo closely and his eyes widened. "Hey that's Dragonite's Poké Ball around the neck. They've stuck Ash's head over mine!"

"That's right, that's a doctored image of a photo that I took of you and Jenn some time ago," the Australian confirmed. "I have the original on a disc somewhere with the date stamp on it."

"I remember that night," Drake mused. "Ash wasn't there that time. He couldn't make it because it was his mother's birthday dinner or something."

"So we totally have to bring this photo down or else I'm going to be in deep shit," Jenn declared. "Trish said you would be able to help me with some good lawyers. And I wince at the thought of lawyers being involved with anything." She turned pleading blue-grey eyes on him. "Plleeaaease? I solemnly swear that I won't call you a dork again. For at least a week or two."

"Of course I'll help you," Drake reassured the blonde. "Anyway, you know perfectly well that Trish wouldn't allow me to not help you. My life would be not worth living!"

"Ain't that the truth." Jenn grinned. "So what do we do now?"

"What we need to do is get the original photo and hand it to the League's lawyers who will approach the tabloid with the suggestion that they either not print the story or retract with a full page confession or else you'll sue them for defamation," the Orange Crew Leader decided.

"Oh good," the blonde sighed. "Cuz if I can sue them for deflamation then I can get that Louis Vuitton I've been drooling after. Anything else or can I call this a day?"

"No, and for one thing I said _defamation_," Drake shook his head. "And for another, it might be a good idea for you to hold a press conference, armed with all the evidence as well. By doing that, you're showing that you have nothing to hide or be ashamed of."

"A press conference?" Jenn blanched. "I can't hold a press conference! There's never been a reason for little old me to have a freaking press conference! Are you out of your mind? I'll look like an idiot!"

"Oh, the things I could say about that," Drake said dreamily.

"But you won't," Trish elbowed Drake gently. "We'll be out there with you. We won't let you look like an idiot, promise."

"I know _you_ wouldn't," Jenn said. "But I wouldn't bet money that Drake wouldn't!"

Drake looked wounded. "Hey I said I would help you and I meant it. Would I do something that mean to you?"

"YES!"

Trish sighed and shook her head. "When are you two ever gonna learn to get along and be friends? You're stuck with each other, because I'm not going to give up either of you."

Both looked shocked.

"But we _are_ friends!" Jenn insisted. "I only tease people I'm friends with."

"Oh, gee, thanks," Drake said wryly. "And I guess the level of teasing indicates how well loved we, as your friends, are."

"Duh," Jenn rolled her eyes. "Of course."

"You always hurt the ones you love," Trish said sagely.

"Yeah, but they usually hurt me right back," Jenn shrugged. "Maybe I'd be luckier in love if I wasn't such a comedic relief type of person."

"As much as I'd love to delve into that subject," Trish broke in, "We have to decide on when to have a press conference."

"As soon as possible," Drake said. "These people won't sit on a photo op like this for very long. They'll want to get it onto the presses as quick as they can."

Jenn sighed her defeat. "Fine, let's do it tonight."

"Tonight?" Drake blinked wide eyes. "That's a shock coming from you."

"Yes, I know. The Queen of Procrastination is doing something spontaneous." Jenn rubbed at the side of her head. "Let's just get this done with so I can get on with my headache."

The couple turned to leave, with Jenn following. Trish leaned in to Drake's side, getting support from his strength. It was very romantic.

"Besides," The blonde said, "The sooner I get this done with, the sooner I can get back to my room and puke my nervous guts up."

At least, it _had _been romantic.

The Orange Crew Leader looked back with an amused look. "You really know how to destroy the moment."

"Hey, what can I say?" Jenn shrugged again and looked evil. "It wasn't my moment."

"So says the Goddess of No Luck with Love," Trish teased gently. "Let's go fill in everyone else."

"Yeah," Jenn's thoughts flashed to Ash. "Everyone."

ooo

_Drake's Villa in West Pummelo_

The Grand Master had just settled down on the couch with a good book and a mug of coffee when he heard a familiar voice telepathically chime in his head.

:_Ashton, we have one **helluva** problem_.:

Ash just managed to stop himself from dropping his mug, but the book was not so lucky, dropping onto the floor.

_:Jenn! You could have given me the slightest bit of a warning before doing that:_

The blonde's telepathic voice was indignant_. :Hey, bub, it's not my fault. I haven't had much practice in telepathic conversation at all, unlike you, Mr Psychic.:_

_:Cut out the funny stuff. What do you mean by one helluva problem? How serious is this:_

Jenn's 'voice' grew sober_. :Serious enough for you to interrupt your self-imposed exile and come back to the villa for a brainstorming session right away:_

_:Big words from you, Jenn: _But Ash frowned slightly. :_You can't tell me what the problem is here and now:_

_:Nah:_ came the answer. :_Just in case some media dork is using a Psychic Pokémon to tune in. Trish's Espeon has thrown up a temporary psychic shield so I could contact you.:  
_

_:Okay, okay. I'll be there in a minute.:_

_:Good. Make sure that no one sees you or else you and I are in deep shi….:_

"Watch that potty mouth of yours, blondie."

"…Iyit." Jenn blinked and turned around to see him standing behind her. He looked a wee bit annoyed. "Nice to see you. What took you so long?"

Ash sighed patiently. "What's the problem?"

"This," she said bluntly and thrust the picture at him.

Ash took it and studied it. He tried his best to not grin, but couldn't help it.

"What's so funny?" Jenn demanded. "This isn't funny! This could totally ruin whatever kind of reputation I have!"

"I thought your reputation was being a bad ass."

"Exactly!" Jenn looked annoyed. "If the wrong people see this, they could think I'm some sort of romantic or something."

"Because you're hanging all over Drake?"

"No, because it _looks_ like I'm hanging all over you!"

"And that would be bad because…"

"Ash, you'd better reword that."

"I know, I'm sorry. It's bad timing." He sighed. "It's just that you bring out the worst in people."

Jenn looked thoughtful, then nodded. "You're right about that."

"Yeah," Ash said. "I will never be able to figure you out."

"Good, Ashy boy," she slapped him on the arm. "That means I keep you on your toes. Now let's go see the others about this little pothole in my road of life."

"Pothole?" Ash followed her. "Don't you mean crater?"

ooo

The rest of the group were waiting in the great room at the rear of the villa, where they were certain to be safe from the prying paparazzi.

"Ash, glad you're here!" Trish greeted the Grand Master as he walked in. "Now we can start planning the counterattack!"

"Counterattack?" Ash raised an eyebrow at Jenn.

"She's been in 'counterattack' mode ever since she found out about the photo and using all this military terminology." The blonde shrugged. "She's been watching way too many war movies and stuff with her brothers."

"As long as she doesn't have any delusions of being a military genius," Ash chuckled.

"Trish? Nah. She just flat out suffers from delusions," Jenn grinned evilly.

"Hey, I _heard_ that!" The girl in question glared at her best friend, who dared and failed to look innocent.

Ash sat down on a spare seat next to Chris, while Jenn plonked down on the other side of Drake, forcing the gym leader to move over a bit.

"Okay, so the 411 is that I got a call on my celly this afternoon from some reporter schmuck from the _Viridian Voyeur._ He said that he was about to publish a story that Ash and I had been having an affair for years and that he had the photographic evidence to prove it," Jenn began. She tossed the photo on the coffee table for all to see. "And _that_ is the evidence."

Jaime leaned forward to get a better look at it. "Wow, that does make you two look bad."

"But it's doctored," Trish grinned. "Here is the original." She placed the real photo of Jenn hugging Drake next to the doctored one.

Chris grinned. "That looks just as bad!"

Jenn scowled at the Scot. "It was just a friendly hug."

"A _very _friendly hug," Chris waggled his eyebrows before being hit in the face with a pillow from the blonde. "And ow."

"I'd rather it was a friendly hug, than Jenn trying to strangle him," Trish smirked. "Those two being very friendly is such a rare occurrence that I just had to catch it on camera."

"Frame it!" Shannon giggled.

"Oh I will!"

"Personally speaking, I think that Misty is behind this. She hates my guts enough to do anything to make me look bad," Jenn continued in a low growl. "The reporter didn't say who got him the picture, but I don't doubt that Misty had her mitts in it somehow."

"Don't forget Gary," Drake reminded the girl. "He's always been jealous when you've been around Ash. He would have no hesitation in making you look bad."

"Gee, thanks Drake. I'd almost forgotten about that failed relationship." The blonde sighed. "For crying out loud, why does everyone think that Ashy and I getting it on if we're in the same room together?"

"Because there's an undeniable sexual chemistry between you two," Trish smiled and the two in question went red. "Like you and Louis Vuitton, Jenn, there's a huge attraction between you and Ash."

"The zing factor," Chris nodded. "The x factor. You two have it in spades."

"So it's probably best that you two don't appear together at this press conference tonight," Drake said.

Ash blinked. "What press conference?"

"The one that Jenn wanted to get it over with as soon as possible."

Ash looked over at the blonde. He didn't need his Chosen One powers to see how scared she was by the mere thought of a press conference. "I guess I should prepare a media statement…" the Grand Master began, only to be interrupted by James handing over a sheet of paper.

"Already done," the former Team Rocket member beamed. "The night that photo was taken you were at your mother's birthday dinner in Pallet."

Ash took the doctored photo in his hands. "Drake, we've got the League lawyers onto it?"

"Yes, they'll be paying a visit to the _Viridian Voyeur_'s offices first thing in the morning."

The Grand Master shook his head. "I can't believe that Misty would stoop to something this low. Dragging an innocent person into this fight which has nothing to do with anyone but her, Gary and myself…that's unforgivable."

"Ash…" Jenn said in a warning tone. "Don't do anything you'll regret. Those poor lightbulbs didn't do you any harm."

"Oh, enough about the lightbulbs!" Ash said with annoyance. "I said I was sorry."

"No, you hadn't until now," Jenn said and the teasing took away some of her nervousness. "But honestly, just don't do anything…stupid."

"Come on, Jenn," Chris smirked. "He's not you."

"Takes one to know one," Jenn shot back.

"Okay, children," Trish butted in. "Now the tables are turned."

"Huh?" Jenn looked both confused and a bit intimidated.

"I called Jessie once you admitted to the press conference."

Jenn's eyes widened. "You don't mean…"

"That's right," Trish smiled, "League sponsored clothes."

"Freakin' sweet!" Jenn looked dreamy. "Louis, Manolo, Seven for all Mankind. I gotta catch 'em all."

"Are those Pokémon?" Jaime asked.

"Even better than that." Jenn replied.

"Legendary Pokémon?" Shannon asked.

"Far better," Jenn nodded. "They're designer clothes _and_ shoes."

"How is that better than Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"It's a girl thing," Jenn said, "You wouldn't understand."

Shannon disagreed, "Fashion isn't every girl's thing."

Jaime nodded, "Though it is neat to get free stuff."

"So Jessie said that she'd arrange for a car to pick us up at the back in half an hour to go get outfitted," Trish informed the blonde.

"Awwright."

"So what do you want me to do?" Ash asked. "Drake's got things under control here, and since James has already prepared a press statement there's really no need for a second media conference. Unless you guys want me here for moral support and to cheer on 'Yay, team.'"

"Actually there is something that you'll want to do," James said casually. "Mr. Pemberton rang this afternoon and said that he was ready to serve Misty with the divorce papers tomorrow. I'd say you should be there."

"James is right," Brock agreed. "You can make sure that she signs the papers and then file it with the courts. The quicker the papers are signed and filed, then the quicker that you can both move on."

Ash looked very thoughtful.

ooo

Jenn looked at herself critically in the full-length mirror, posing this way and that.

Jenn, Trish and Jessie had been going from boutique to boutique in the _Grande Point_ shopping centre to find the right outfit for the press conference. Jessie had arranged for the designer boutiques to be closed so they could shop in private, though Jenn left each place wearing a cap and dark sunglasses to disguise her looks.

Jenn stepped out of her dressing room and posed for her friend, who was looking at her own reflection in the mirror outside of the dressing rooms.

"Whaddya think?" she asked Trish who was trying on a print dress.

The Australian looked her friend over and shook her head vehemently. "No, Jenn, I _really_ don't think you should wear that."

The blonde feigned surprise. "What's wrong with this?" She was wearing a leopard print lycra top with a low plunging neckline and a large diamond brooch at the base, and silk black pants with long slits up the side.

"Nothing's wrong with the outfit itself," Trish reassured her friend. "In fact you look fantastic in it, but it's so _not_ the look we want you to convey at the conference."

"I know," she studied her reflection. "It does kinda have that 'I'm going to be on Jerry Springer's show' feel to it."

"That's what I was thinking." Trish said. "Besides, you don't want to go for a sexy temptress look. Think more along the lines of a conservative look."

"That's right," Jessie pursed her lips as she looked the blonde over. "We're going for the girl-next-door look. The one that says she wouldn't possibly go after a married man."

"That's so boring," Jenn sighed. "I like this top."

"You can go with that look another time," Trish told her friend as she went to change into another outfit that Jessie had thrown together. "But we don't want give the public the wrong impression. Misty is the fallen woman in this. Let's keep it that way."

Jenn came out a few minutes later, dressed in a silk indigo Gucci shirt that had long fluttery sleeves, black Seven for All Mankind flared jeans, and black Prada calf high boots, which were mostly hidden under the jeans.

"Now that's more like it," Jessie said in approval.

The blonde looked herself over then looked at her best friend. "I like this outfit, but I don't think it's fair that Trish doesn't have to dress so girl-next-door."

The Australian had a low cut green lace top and a short black skirt on with black sling backs.

"That's because her reputation isn't on the line tonight," Jessie grinned. "Plus now that she's in the public eye as the fiancée of one of the League's sexiest men, she's gotta flaunt it a little."

Jenn scowled a little and Trish patted her friend's arm to soothe her.

"It's not as if I haven't had to dress like you are," she told her. "Remember that big mess a while back when Lu bewitched Drake to think that I was having an affair with Danny and pregnant with his child? I was dressing so conservatively that I looked like a secretary! And anyway be happy that they're designer clothes. I didn't have that luxury!"

The blonde still grumbled.

ooo

Much to Jenn's acute dismay, the hour for the press conference came around all too soon.

She stood backstage with Trish and the others, and waited for the media to be all settled in their seats.

The blonde was nervous beyond belief. She bit her bottom lip and leaned over to Shannon. "Do I look okay?" she whispered.

"You look fine," the younger girl whispered back. "You look like a well-dressed respectable female."

"Good," Jenn muttered. "Wouldn't want to look like a cheap ho." She patted her hair and would have chewed on her fingers if Trish hadn't caught her hand in midair and pushed it back down.

"Don't do that!" she chided gently. "I know you're nervous and that's what you tend to do when nervous, but you just had an expensive manicure!"

"It's just the _side_ of my fingertips. Not the nails themselves," Jenn said in anguish. "I have to do _something_ to take my mind off my nerves. My stomach's all achy and twisted up…what if they don't believe me?"

"Then they don't believe you."

"That's not soothing in the least," Jenn smoothed down the hem of her shirt and tugged at her jeans. "Who would've thought that Seven for all Mankind would be so comfortable?"

Trish, who was still wearing her earlier skirt and blouse combo, shrugged, "I really wouldn't know."

Jenn made a face, "Bleah. Skirts aren't comfortable enough."

"That's what you always say."

"Well it's true," Jenn looked beyond her best friend at Drake, who was getting the crowd ready for her speech. "Oh this isn't good."

"What's not?" Trish looked in the direction Jenn was looking at.

"I'm gonna puke." Jenn said confidently, "Drake's gonna motion for me and I'm gonna puke."

"No, you're not." A male voice interjected.

Jenn stifled a shriek and spun around and slapped Ash on the shoulder. "Dang it, would you learn to _not_ do that to me!"

Ash shrugged, but couldn't keep a grin from appearing, "Sorry, but it's not like I could warn you."

"Besides," Trish said, giving Ash a pointed look, "I'm sure he's got something _important_ to tell you."

"Now what?" Jenn wailed quietly. "I can't deal with all this pressure. I'm gonna die from a migraine."

"Again," Ash said, "No, you're not."

"And you're, what? Psychic?"

"No," Ash grinned. "But close. Very close."

"I really don't have time for this," Jenn said, patting the Grand Master on the arm. "I'm going to turn around, run for the bathroom, puke, and then come back here before Drake calls for me."

"Nice, real nice visuals there," Trish looked ill herself.

"I thought so," Jenn said, "So I'll see you around."

"No, you're not." Ash caught her by the arm.

"Hey, I'm going to go puke, okay?"

Ash said nothing, only held a hand over her head.

"What are you doing?" Jenn sounded scared. She felt heat radiating from his hand. "You'd better not be messing up my hair, because I'll be real pissed if you do."

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes, lowered his hand, and let the blonde go. "Have some trust in people, Jenn. I just did you a favour."

"What? By bruising me?" Jenn rubbed her now free arm. "I bruise easily, you know. I'm a delicate little flower."

"Yeah, a delicate little flower that has _thorns_," Chris muttered, having walked up behind them during Ash's little trick. "And stinging bees flying all around you."

"What do you want, prince charming?" Jenn looked annoyed. "If you haven't noticed, I was…" She frowned. "…not feeling pukey."

"You're welcome," Ash said.

"Why are you feeling pukey?" Chris looked confused. "You don't mean about this little press conference that Drake's been trying to get your attention about, do you?"

Jenn's eyes widened at the sight of Drake, who was at the podium, looking annoyed under a façade of "I'm Mister Cool Orange Crew Leader who is so NOT annoyed."

Ash shoved her shoulders, "Go and get 'em."

The blonde nodded tensely, but walked towards the stage. Trish followed close behind so the girl wouldn't be able to run the other way.

ooo

The bright lights of the TV cameras and the flashes from the photographers blinded her momentarily as she walked toward Drake and the podium. Jenn hoped feverently that she wouldn't embarrass herself by tripping over her own two feet in front of the world's media. That would be _totally_ embarrassing and she didn't think she'd be able to ever live it down.

The Orange Crew Leader clasped both her hands in greeting and she felt a soft something pressed covertly into her palm. Drake smiled at her and whispered into her ear. "Trish thought this might help with the nerves."

Wondering what Drake was up to, Jenn walked up to the podium. As she composed her thoughts, she unclenched her hand which held the object and glanced down.

It was a small, squishy, foam stress ball.

The blonde grinned to herself as she understood what Drake meant. Jenn could squish the ball as much as she wanted without the media noticing. It would help calm her nerves and she needed all the help she could get in that department!

Taking a deep breath, she looked up and was instantly dazzled by the bright lights again_. So this is what a deer caught in headlights must feel like._

Drake noticed her discomfort and whispered to one of his aides to tell the TV crews to dim their lights a bit.

Thanking Lugia for the podium to hide her shaking limbs, Jenn risked a quick glance to where Drake and Trish were standing in one of the wings of the stage. The Australian gave her a reassuring smile and mouthed, '_You can do it, Jenn._'

_The sooner I get this party started, the sooner it'll be over_, Jenn told herself. She put the foam ball in her pocket and gripped the sides of the podium. She thought back to what Trish and Drake had told her earlier, in an attempt to be able to speak past a stammer of nervousness.

"_Just imagine everyone in their underwear," Drake had said. "That's what I did when I first gave conferences of any type."_

_Trish had nodded. "That should relax you enough! Just don't try picking up any hot guys!"_

"_I dunno," Jenn had said uneasily._

"_Or just imagine that they're all Chris," Ash had suggested evilly. "And that he's waiting for a chance to annoy or irritate you."_

"_Now that," Jenn had snickered, "that may work very well!"_

"_Oh har har," Chris had said with mock annoyance. "I don't approve of this. Just so you know."_

Now, as Jenn looked over the sea of waiting faces, Jenn froze mentally. The teleprompter was ahead of her, invisible to those looking at her, and it was patiently waiting with James' prepared speech.

"_Just stick with the speech I wrote for you and you can't fail!"_

That was what the lilac haired man had told her. Now…Jenn wasn't so sure. She read the first words and wondered if she'd trip over them. "Ladies and gentleman of the press, yesterday I was informed by a reporter from the _Viridian Voyeur…_"

But she couldn't even get _those_ words out of her mouth. She froze, unable to speak. Then she saw movement from the back of the audience, past the crowd of waiting faces and microphones aimed at her. It was Chris.

The dark-haired Scot waved at her and smirked arrogantly.

Annoyance washed over her and, for a second, Jenn forgot all about the pack of ravenous media hounds. Then Chris grinned and gave her a thumbs up. She took another deep breath and began again.

"Sorry, um, this is my first time," Jenn said shyly. "Hi, everyone, thanks for being here today." Her voice, which had started off shaky, soon gained strength from seeing one true friend in front of her. "Yesterday, a dirtbag jerk from the _Viridian Voyeur_ called me on my cell phone to let me know that he was about to publish a front page story all about me. It wasn't a good story. This particular story would've dealt with me and Ash, the Grand Master, Ketchum, having an affair. He said he had the evidence to prove it."

Her anger fuelled her and further steadied her voice. "I called you all here together to let you know the truth. For tonight and the future, I want it known that I have not had anything to do with the divorce that's going on between Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum. The only, and to be quite honest, pathetic excuse for evidence that this sleazebag has on this imagined affair between me and Ash is a picture. They say that a picture tells a thousand words. Let's see what this one has to say."

An image appeared on the large screen behind her. It was the doctored image of Jenn hugging Ash, and at the sight of the picture, many gasps were heard throughout the room.

"See what I mean? It's really so fake that it screams Photoshop." Jenn looked up and studied the picture. "Or at the very least, it might have been Paint Shop Pro." She turned back to look at the crowd and saw the teleprompter going buggy.

**The teleprompter scrolled frantically. "What are you doing! Stick with the I#)script!"**

A grin threatened to move over her face, so Jenn grabbed the laser pointer Drake had showed her to use. She gestured at the picture with the laser. "This was sent to me from Neil Bloom at the _Viridian Voyeur _as proof of the alleged affair. However I can prove to everyone here tonight that this evidence is as fake as Misty's tacky press on nails. Oh, and how it proves that it's an obvious attempt to make Ash look bad."

From the wings of the stage, Trish whispered to Drake, "She's _really_ straying from James' speech."

"Yeah," Drake eyed the lilac haired man, who was seated at the other wing of the stage. James looked torn between anger and begrudging admiration. "She's doing good."

A second image flashed up next to the first. This was the original photo of Jenn and Drake that had a red date stamp clearly visible on the right hand corner.

"This is the original image that was taken by my best friend, Trish. You may know her. She's marrying some guy who goes by the name of Drake Thayer." She paused as people nodded, clapped, and a catcall from Drake. "So anyway, the original copy of this picture is stored on a photo cd in her home." She paused and waited as people scribbled notes or typed on laptops.

"The proof is in the details, guys." Jenn said and switched on the pointer again. "While the jerk, I mean, thief, airbrushed out the date stamp, he forgot about one very important detail." She focused the laser's tip on the Poké Ball pendant that was visibly laying on the chest of the man in the picture. "Since when has the Grand Master been known to wear a Poké Ball pendant? There's only one person I know of who wears something like that. Drake Thayer has been wearing Dragonite's Poké Ball on a chain since dinosaurs ruled the earth. So, like, since forever."

There were chuckles at that, and from the corner of her eye, Jenn could see Drake glowering at her. She smiled and felt more confident. She had them wrapped around her pinky finger.

"On the night this photo was taken, Ash wasn't here in the Islands. He was back in Pallet, at a birthday dinner for his mom. Also, he isn't here now either, but he left a press statement for y'all and it explains his side of things. Pretty much all it's gonna say is that he was at a birthday dinner for his mom. Kinda really repeating what I said, only with flashier words since James wrote it out with him."

She paused again, collecting her thoughts. "Yeah, I almost forgot, there's one more thing. Neil Bloom wouldn't say who his source was, but I have an idea on who it might have been." Jenn coughed something that sounded suspiciously like 'Misty'. "Let me be straight with you guys, and this is completely in my own words here. Check your sources before you write something. Make sure it's true and provable. It sucks to be an innocent person in the middle of a nasty rumour. You get dragged through the mud and your reputation is shot with more holes than Swiss cheese." She looked thoughtful. "Or Neil Bloom's story." She took a breath. "Any questions?"

The blonde froze as the whole room erupted in a frenzy of camera flashes and questions. "Yeah, I kinda figured that would happen."

Drake quickly stepped in and took control. "Ladies and gentleman, please! One question at a time!" he ordered in a stern voice.

They quickly settled down and hands were raised.

The Orange Crew Leader picked one reporter out. "You first."

The man stood up. "The Grand Master's reputation could have been trashed by any girl out there who ever had a photo taken with him. Why do you think that the person responsible singled you out? Is it because you are the former girlfriend of Gary Oak, the man who seduced the Grand Master's wife?"

While she desperately wanted to say, "No, I think it's because Misty's a jealous cow," but Jenn fought to be reasonable. She decided to act as if she wasn't sure how to answer the question and frowned slightly. "Uh…I really don't know why. I do think there are people out there who want your attentions – and by you, I mean you the media – off of them."

"So you believe that Misty or Gary could be involved?"

"Duh!" Jenn snapped. "How thick are you? C'mon, people! Wake up and smell the coffee!" She spoke patiently, as if to a child. "I dated Gary. Misty married Ash. Gary dumped me. Misty shagged Gary. Misty got caught. Ash balled her out. Why wouldn't she or Gary try to fake a story to get all of you guys off of their backs and onto ours!"

This time the media fell into a shocked silence, then re-erupted into a media frenzy.

Jenn sighed wearily, then glared at the teleprompter.

**"See? You should've stuck with my speech. Mwah. James."**

ooo

With the press conference finally over, the group returned to Drake's villa for dinner.

Jenn collapsed onto one of the leather sofas in the great room with a grateful sigh. "Thank Lugia that's over! That was the worst thing I ever had to do! I've never been that nervous in my entire life. I am _never_ doing a press conference _ever_ again."

James looked most unsympathetic as he sat down opposite. "Now if you had just stuck to my brilliant speech like I told you to, it would have been over quicker," he sniffed.

"Poor James," Ash chuckled and patted his personal assistant on the back. "You spent so much time on it too."

"All that hard work," the lilac-haired man complained. "And this is the thanks I get?"

"Stop being such a drama queen," Jenn scowled. "I was nervous, okay? And when I'm nervous, I can't concentrate."

"Pot calling kettle black, Jenn," Shannon laughed. "You're one of the biggest drama queens there is."

"So? I have an excuse," the blonde sniffed. "James doesn't."

The former Team Rocket member pouted.

"At least you managed to tear down the credibility of the photo," Trish told her best friend. "That's the main thing."

"Yeah," Jenn sighed. "At least I _hope_ they choose to believe me over Misty or Gary."

"I don't see why they wouldn't," Chris shrugged. "The evidence spoke for itself. That picture was modified and you have the original to prove it. Not to mention the fact that you had your friends to keep your back covered."

"Plus you have Ash's statement that he was elsewhere that night," Jaime chimed in. "They'd be stupid not to believe you."

But Jenn wouldn't be soothed that easily. "But what if Misty or Gary paid lots of money to the press to get them on their side? I can't do that! I'm not rich like they are!"

"Neither of them are loaded," Ash shook his head. "Misty certainly isn't. Sure she's a Gym Leader but she gave up being an active one when we were married."

"And maybe Gary was," Brock said. "But that was before he was stripped of the Viridian Gym Leadership. I don't know what his status is now. I doubt his Grandfather will let him have his inheritance after that match battle."

"I think we should just wait and see what happens tomorrow," Trish butted in, and dragged Jenn to her feet. "Until then, there's nothing more we can do, so let's go eat!"

ooo

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, though for two inhabitants in Viridian, the morning was quite black.

Misty scowled at the front page of the _Viridian Daily _which trumpeted the headline **GRAND MASTER FRAMED BY FAKE PHOTO OF 'AFFAIR' THAT NEVER WAS.**

"Well, Gary, that brilliant idea of yours didn't work," she grumbled at the man across the table. "How come you forgot to check that you got rid everything?"

The spiky-haired man glared back. "Hey, babe, I just got the photo. I wasn't the one who insisted on using Photoshop. That was _your_ brilliant idea."

Just then Misty's cell phone beeped merrily, indicating that a message had arrived. She glanced at the screen and bit back a groan. It was from James.

'_Ash + lawyer will be here to sign papers. Gary is going to sleepy bye byes in a minute. Ash says not 2 worry.'_

The redhead blinked and wondered how that was going to be accomplished, short of her whacking Gary over the head with a mallet.

Suddenly, a Gengar materialised before the former Viridian Gym Leader and its eyes glowed red. _'Geeengar…_'

Before Misty's amazed eyes, Gary's lids slowly began to flicker until he slumped forward in his chair, snoring loudly.

The Ghost Pokémon turned and grinned at Misty and a telepathic voice chimed in her mind. _:I'm just going to put Lil Gary to bed upstairs.:_

Misty nodded numbly and the Pokémon vanished with its unconscious charge.

The doorbell rang, and she got slowly to her feet and waddled to the front door. She opened it to reveal Ash, Brock and a man in charcoal gray suit with an attaché case under his arm, whom she did not recognise.

"Misty," Ash greeted with a thin smile. "I trust that you got James' text message."

The redhead swallowed nervously, "I did. Please come in."

She ushered the three men in and closed the door behind them.

"What's Brock doing here?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ash started to answer but the Pokémon Breeder beat him to it.

"That's easy," he said. "I'm here to make tea and goodies for you to eat while going over the papers, and to make sure that Gary doesn't disturb you if he wakes up."

He made his way to the kitchen without further ado, leaving Misty with the two other men.

Ash did the introductions. "Misty, this is Mr Sean Pemberton from the law firm, _Pemberton, Stokes and Fraser_. They do a lot of legal work for the League. Sean, I'd like you to meet my….I'd like you to meet Misty."

Misty shook the man's proffered hand and smiled politely.

"Please, come this way," she said as she led them into the dining room where they sat down.

Mr. Pemberton opened his attaché case and withdrew a sheaf of papers which he placed in two neat piles on the glass dining table and a pen.

"This is the prenuptial agreement which you signed before your marriage," he pointed to the first pile. "And this is the divorce settlement." He fixed both of them with a firm stare. "Now you both have to be absolutely sure about this. Once you sign these papers and I file it with the courts, it will be final. There can be no going back."

Misty picked up the prenuptial agreement and read through it quickly, her eyes widening as she read. She placed the document down and shook her head. "I can't sign this, this is so unfair! I can't claim anything of Ash's earnings before we were married."

"This is what you both agreed on," the lawyer raised an eyebrow. "This final draft would not have gone ahead if you both had not agreed to it, and without both of your signatures."

"But…but I never thought it would ever be used!" Misty protested.

"Neither did I, Misty," Ash glared at her momentarily. "But we're here because of _your_ actions. And because of that, our signatures on these papers are now obligatory."

"And what if I _don't_ sign them?" Misty glared back. "Then what?"

"Then you'll _stay_ married which," Ash sighed dryly, "Is obviously what you _don't_ want. You showed me that much when you walked out on me. As an added bonus, I'll let it slip that _you_ were the one who doctored that photo that was given to the _Viridian Voyeur_. So just sign the damn things." Ash sighed again, this time patiently and wearily, "You'll be making things easier on everyone. For once."

Misty scowled, first at him, then at the papers. The lawyer gulped back a sigh of relief. He did not want that hate filled stare directed at him.

_I can't **believe** that he's making me sign something that is so unfair_, Misty thought angrily. _It sucks that both he and the lawyer are right, in that it's because of me and my decision to walk out, that's brought us here to sign papers that I'd never thought would be used. Plus he's got me on the photo thing…How the hell did he know about that?_

But the more she thought about it, the more signing those papers made sense. Gary wanted to her to refuse and to fight Ash for every last dollar in the courts. But that would mean she would still be married to Ash and she didn't want that anymore. If she had, she never would have walked out. Fighting it out in the courts would only make things messier for her, Misty would be depicted not only as unfaithful but as a money-hungry greedy pig.

Was all this anger and bitter fighting worth it? There was no guarantee that the courts would rule in her favour anyway. She was nine months pregnant, about to give birth and she just did not need the extra stress and public scrutiny.

Further fighting might also turn Ash even more against her, and she would not risk that wrath being extended to their unborn child. Misty might deserve his enmity for what she did and rightly so, but their child did not. Misty did not wish for her child, what so many children of broken marriages endured. The painful sight of their parents always fighting and one trying to turn the children against the other.

Not only was that wrong, but it would just not be true. The marriage had been happy for the most part, just that it was no longer what Misty wanted anymore.

The fight and fire had all gone out from the redhead. She would sign and do what was right by her and Ash and their child. She would let Ash go in the hope that he might find someone who would love him the way he loved them.

There was more relief, when finally, Misty lowered the pen to the papers and began to sign. Not until the final signature was complete did Ash himself mentally sigh in relief.

It was done with.

Ash Ketchum was no longer married to Misty Waterflower.

After checking that both signatures were on each piece and dated, Mr Pemberton gathered up the papers and put them back into the attaché case.

"I'll get these filed with the courts immediately," he said as he shut the case with a snap. "I checked their schedules and their workload is very light at the moment so it should be granted almost at once."

Both nodded.

He rose from his seat and tucked the case under his arm. "I'll go tell Brock that we're done."

Ash waited until after the man had left the room before saying anything. "Misty, if you'd like, you can stay at the Plateau until the courts grant the divorce. It'll give you some sanctuary from the paparazzi for a few days."

Misty glanced at him. "What about you? Where will you go?"

"Drake's offered me the use of his holiday villa in a remote part of Pummelo for as long as I need," Ash told her. "Or I can always slip home to Mom's."

"I'm guessing that the invitation to stay at the Plateau doesn't extend to Gary, huh?"

The Grand Master snorted. "Gary can handle himself without any problem. It would take a lot more than this to make him hide from his adoring public."

"That's true," Misty managed to grin in spite of herself. She felt like a weight had lifted off her chest with the signing of the papers. "Thank you, I might take you up on the offer."

Ash stood up and offered her his hand to help her up from the chair.

"After we've gone, go get some of your stuff and tell Gary that you're going to spend time alone," he suggested as they walked to the foyer. "You just take care of yourself and the baby…our…baby."

"I will," Misty said softly, as she rubbed her swollen belly. "This little one is almost ready to be born. He or she is really moving about a lot. Kind of makes it hard to sleep."

"I can imagine," he murmured as they were joined by Brock and Mr Pemberton.

Misty saw the three out the door, with Ash being the last to leave.

He paused, and turned around to face his ex-wife. Swallowing hard, for it was the hardest thing he'd ever have to say, he held out his hand. "All the best for your new life, Misty," he said softly.

Misty hesitated before taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "All the best for yours, too, Ash."

"You'll let me know when the baby is born?"

"I will, I promise," she smiled. "Even if we are fighting, the baby has a right to know his or her daddy."

"I guess this is really it, huh? This is really good-bye."

"Yeah…"

Ash turned to leave before things got really maudlin and mushy. "Take care, Misty."

"You too, Ash."

ooo

Brock was waiting for him at the end of the driveway.

"Hey, where's Sean?" Ash blinked.

"Oh he decided he should get back to the Plateau as soon as possible so he flew back on his Pidgeot," the Pokémon Breeder told him.

"And where's all the press?" There were no reporters or photographers to be seen, and the front lawn had been more crowded than a sold out pop queen's concert.

"Oh Gengar wanted to have some fun with them and I told him he could," Brock smirked. "I think he said something about dumping them in the tower at Lavender Town."

Ash shook his head good-naturedly. That impish Pokémon could never resist the chance at a prank.

"How are you gonna make sure that Misty doesn't blab to make a few bucks?" Brock wanted to know. "She could say anything and people would believe her."

"I know, Mr Pemberton warned me about that," Ash said. "So it was written in the divorce settlement that she agrees not to tell at all. If she keeps quiet, then she gets a nice sum of money. If she spills, she forfeits it. It's in her best interests not to tell tales. Plus she's staying at the Plateau until the divorce goes through."

"So how does it feel to be a free man?"

"I dunno…right now I'm feeling kinda numb," Ash confessed. "Yet, at the same time I feel relieved that it's all over."

"Yeah, so what do you say we go on a boys night out on the town back in Pummelo? Think of all those beach babes!"

"Brock!" Ash laughed. "The divorce hasn't been granted yet. You know I can't do that!"

"You're right," his friend drooped, before perking up. "Hey, maybe we can convince Jenn and the other girls to wear skimpy little dresses!"

"No, Brock," Ash shook his head. "Of course, no. Not only is it too soon for anything resembling chasing girls, there are other things that could come from girl watching."

"You mean sex?"

"No!" Ash's eyes widened. "Sex is the farthest thing from my mind at this point! It's what got me divorced."

Brock turned a dark look on his friend. "Ash, you're a disgrace to your gender."

"I'd rather be a disgrace to my gender," Ash said dryly, "Than to be the latest victim on _E! Weekly_."

"Ah, there is that," Brock put a hand to his chin. "I guess you have a point."

"That's why I'm the boss."

"Yeah, well," The Pewter gym leader seemed to be at a loss. "I guess we could always…watch TV."

"Hopeless," Ash sighed. "You're the best friend I have, but you're hopeless."

Brock shrugged, "Everyone has their off days."

ooo

_Pummelo_

"I wonder how things are going with Ash and Misty," Jenn mused as she sat on the floor of the great room, flipping through Drake's extensive cd collection, writing songs down on a lined pad of paper as she went. The blonde was drawing up the playlist for the dj they were hiring for the dance.

"I don't think you need to worry about Ash," Trish said as she lazily flipped through some bridal magazines while sprawled out on one of the leather sofas. Since the engagement announcement, the Australian had been flooded with offers from well known designers to design the bridal gown as well as the bridesmaids dresses. "I'm sure things are very civil and polite between them. It has to be. They can't try to kill each other in front of Brock and the lawyer, can they?"

"You're right," Jenn sighed as she pulled out one disc and wrinkled her nose at the list of songs on there. "Yuck. How did this 80's cd get in here?"

"That's mine," Shannon said, "Don't you dare toss that in the trash."

"I won't," Jenn said, "But it sure isn't going on the playlist."

Chris looked up from where he was playing Tomb Raider on the Playstation and waggled his eyebrows. "Oooh, someone seems to be very worried about a certain Grand Master everyone in this room knows she likes. It must be _luurrrrrve_."

"No!" Jenn glared at the grinning Scot. "It's not **luurrrrrve** at all, baka. I wouldn't be dumb enough to hook up with a man on his way to divorceland. It would give Misty a boat load of ammunition and the paparazzi would be more vicious than a swarm of angry Beedrills! I don't wanna have a repeat of that last torture session ever, ever again!"

"Say what you like, but I still say it's love," Chris grinned evilly. "I should know. I'm a professional."

Jenn scowled, grabbed a nearby pillow, and hurled it at the Scot, hitting him square in the face.

"Ow."

"There, now you've been hit by a real tomb raider," Jenn glared at him.

"Your bazookas aren't big enough." He said, risking life and limb.

"Oh no, you didn't!" Jenn's eyes widened. "You did not just go there!"

"What can I say?" Chris shrugged. "I live on the edge."

"Yeah, well lil Lara just went off the side of that cliff," Jenn said smugly.

Chris flung his attention back to the game. Alas, he was too late for lil' Lara. He groaned and hit the reset button.

"Speaking of Misty," Shannon spoke up as she rested on one of the recliner chairs. "Do you think she would have signed the divorce settlement willingly or would she put up a fight and refuse?"

"Who knows," Drake shrugged. "If there's a prenuptial agreement that was signed before they were married, then that dictates the terms of the divorce. The terms of the prenup would have had to been agreed on by both parties."

"It would be in Misty's best interest to sign," Trish said. "She obviously wants out of the marriage, so why fight to keep something that you don't want? It wouldn't make any sense."

"So Drake, are you and Trish going to have a prenuptial agreement?" Jaime asked.

Drake and Trish looked at each other blankly and the Orange Crew Leader shrugged.

"I haven't really thought about it," he admitted. "However, I think if we can survive Lu's magicked up affair involving Danny, then I don't think we'll need one."

They were interrupted by the appearance of Callie and Puck, who teleported into their midst.

"What's up?" Drake greeted the two Faes.

"We've received word from the High Court of Illyrium that they wish to bring Lucius to trial in a few days," Callie informed them in her soft, lilting voice.

"The prosecutors would like Trish, Jenn, Mia, and Ash to testify against him," Puck then added. "As you were the ones who suffered directly at his hands."

The three girls in question looked at each other, the fear evident in their eyes.

"You do not have to testify in person," Callie said gently. "If you wish, you are allowed to present written testimony to the Court."

There was a rather uncomfortable silence before Trish slowly shook her head.

"No," she said finally. "No…I'll testify in person. That monster has to be made to pay for what he has done, and I can't let my fear of him prevent that from happening."

"And I'd be more than happy to go," Jenn said. "I just want to see that sick bastard squirm."

"When are we going?" Trish asked, not hiding a little shiver of trepidation.

Drake hugged her close, and she leaned into him, enjoying the security his warmth brought her.

"You'll be leaving two days from now," Puck said. "We'll have a block of rooms ready for you in the palace and let you adjust to the area."

"A palace?" Jenn brightened. "Oh sweet."

"Will Drake be allowed to come along?" Trish asked. "I'd like him to be there for support when I testify."

Jenn frowned. "Hel_lo_, what am I to you? Chopped liver? I mean, I hate liver cuz it's _totally_ disgusting, but best friend here, remember? I do the support thing, too."

Trish grinned. "I know you'll be there for me, Jenn, and I appreciate it, but it's just not the same, sorry."

The blonde didn't bother hiding a mostly feigned look of disgust when Drake smirked.

"I wouldn't mind coming along too," Shannon spoke up shyly. "I've always wondered what it would be like to visit another realm."

"Of course Drake and you can come along," Callie smiled. "As well as anyone else who wants to. There's plenty of room."

"We have to wait for Ash to come back though," Drake reminded them all. "Depending on how he's feeling at the moment, he may not come back until the day we leave."

ooo

Ash wandered out to the backyard of his mom's house for some much needed time alone. He and Brock had gone to his mother's after they had left Misty, and there was much hugging and crying between Ash and his mom at the beginning.

Delia had cooked them a beautiful lunch, and was currently chatting with Brock and Steven in the lounge room to give Ash some time to himself.

The Grand Master looked up at the cloudless sky and reflected on the momentous change that had just happened.

He was no longer a married man.

Would he adjust easily to being on his own? Throughout his entire life, Ash had never really been alone. Ever. He had always had friends along the way for his Pokémon journeys. Misty, Brock, Tracey, May, Max and of course, faithful Pikachu.

Misty had the baby and Gary in her brand new life.

As for Ash…well he was not quite alone either. He still had his mother and stepfather and the extended family, his friends and his Pokémon to support him along the way.

Would he be able to love again? Who knew.

Would he be able to smile again? Of course. Things would be tough at times but he knew he was not alone in this.

_I can do this. I will survive this, I know I can_, he thought to himself.

_This is a new beginning_.

ooo

_Author's Note: Another chapter and it's a biggie. And this is the story that has no end. _

_Just kidding, it will end…when I get there. Eventually._

_As for how they are coping with the divorce - no two divorces are the same. People react and cope differently and I have seen both ends of the spectrum._


	33. Chapter ThirtyTwo: Hold On

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me, it belongs to Nintendo. Puck does not belong to me but to William Shakespeare. The storyline does belong to me.

_A/N_: Now you cannot read this story in parts to get a full understanding of what is going on. You cannot skip the parts with the Fae in them as they are a major player in this saga. Skip it and you will only have an imperfect understanding of the whole story.

ooo

_Chapter Thirty-Two: Hold On_

Jenn bounced between her wardrobe and her bed, taking clothes out and flinging them on the small sofa in her room.

Smiling, she plopped on the bed and lay on her back. "Isn't this exciting? We get to stay in a real palace! That's totally sweet."

"Yeah," Trish agreed as she hugged one of Jenn's stuffed animals to her chest. Trish, Shannon, Mia and Jaime were gathered in Jenn's room to talk girl's stuff without the boys around. "Never thought I'd see the day I'd get to stay in _any_ palace, much less a Fae one."

"What do you think a Fae palace would be like?" Shannon asked. "I hope it isn't entirely made out of magic. I'd get such a fright if I went to sleep in a normal bed and woke up the next day on the hard floor!"

"I don't think so," Trish grinned. "While it sounds like the exact type of prank that Puck would pull, it's not wise if they want returning guests."

"Just think Mia," Jaime said excitedly. "You'll get to see a bit of Puck's world, where he comes from!"

"But will his family accept me?" Mia fretted. "I mean, human and faerie relationships? Not quite taboo but close."

"Come on, Mia," Jenn sighed. "Just about all of the relationships today aren't so traditional."

"I'm not talking tradition, Jenn," Mia shot back. "I'm talking different…species…almost."

"So he's got magic and you don't," Jenn shrugged. "Things like that happen."

"Yeah, but it's not as if I could just go out and _buy _some magic," Mia said. "It's not as easy trying to fit in with a magical family as a normal human family."

"True, but the important thing is what _Puck_ thinks, not his family," Trish spoke up. "I don't think he cares if you're magical or not. He's been back home for the past two years and it's obvious that he's still as much in love with you as ever. If his family didn't like you for not being magical, don't you think he would have married some female Fae back home and never come here?"

"I guess," Mia flushed a little from embarrassment.

"Fret not," Shannon patted the girl on the back. "If Callie likes you, then I'm sure the rest of the family does. I bet they're all pretty similar."

Jenn sat up slowly before hopping to her feet. "The important thing we need to discuss is what everyone's gonna be packing to take with them. Are there going to be dinners and other shindigs we have to attend?" She frowned slightly. "What _do_ you wear when you go and stay with royalty?"

For answers, the three Americans turned to look at the two girls who came from countries still within the British Commonwealth. Both Jaime and Trish blinked before Jaime pointed to the eldest girl.

"Ask her! I wouldn't know."

"Well I wouldn't know either!" Trish protested. "I've never been invited to meet the Queen. Not likely to either as I'm a bloody Aussie colonist."

"You _should_ know," Jenn grinned. "You're supposed to know these sort of things." A sly glint appeared in her eyes. "After all, the British founded Australia out of love and treated the people so well."

"They did not! We started life out as a prison colony! Bloody Poms," Trish muttered.

Jenn grinned. _Gets her going every time and the accent just gets broader when she says it. Score one for the Evil Goddess._

"So what would be the dress code be?" Shannon quickly changed the subject before Jenn could possibly goad Trish any further. She was not too sure whether Trish would come out with a stream of Australian Strine and they wouldn't know if she was insulting them or not.

"Oh I'd say dressy, semi formal," Trish thought. "Something like you'd wear to a garden party, which means no jeans."

Shannon, Mia and Jenn all drooped.

"But I _like_ my jeans," the blonde protested. "And they're good to wear if we have to eat out in a garden."

"I know," Trish smirked. "But not good enough to wear in the presence of royalty."

"But I don't have many really really good clothes," Shannon fretted. "I mean I have good clothes but not _that_ good if you know what I mean. Nothing fancy enough for going to a palace!"

"You just bought some new dresses, didn't you?" Jaime asked.

"Yeah, but they're evening dresses, not what I need," the brunette crossed her arms. "And I only got them because those two shopping fiends made me!"

The two eldest girls look wounded.

"We're only trying to help you," Jenn said bluntly.

"Yeah!" Trish chimed in. "After all, if you're gonna be dating Drake's younger brother then you have to be prepared to go with him to high society events where jeans are taboo."

"Unless they're designer," Jenn quipped.

Trish wagged her finger at the brunette. "You'll need a lot more dresses than just two."

"And we'll selflessly offer our help in finding you some," the blonde beamed.

"Oh noooo," Shannon buried her face in her hands. "I am so doomed….unless…unless we could perhaps borrow some clothes while in the Fae realms?" She looked incredibly hopeful. Anything to save her from shopping again!

Trish, Jenn and Mia exchanged glances. Only they had memories of Fae fashions. Jaime and Shannon hadn't been at the International Pokémon Convention two years ago when they met Puck's family. The two eldest girls had a taste of being dressed to the Fae nines then and it was not one they wished to repeat. At least not in public.

"Only if you want to feel half-naked, Shan," Trish shook her head.

"No, no, Trish, she won't _feel_ half-naked," Jenn corrected her best friend. "She'll _be_ half-naked."

"Oh yeah, that's right," Trish remembered. "You've heard of the phrase 'barely there'? That's what Fae fashions are like – see through to the _max_."

"Not a good look," Jaime shook her head. "Unless you've got a supermodel's figure."

Shannon slumped in defeat. "I guess we'd better go shopping then."

"You learn fast, Young Grasshopper," Trish smirked.

ooo

Ash and Brock reappeared in the middle of the vast lawns and landscaped gardens that was Drake's backyard.

"Will anyone hear us to let us in if we come in through the back?" Brock wondered. "It's a huge place and people don't usually expect visitors to come around the rear."

"We'll soon find out," Ash shrugged as he began to walk towards the villa. "I just didn't want to have to deal with the media just to get to knock on the front door."

"You could have just teleported inside," his friend pointed out. "With all your new powers you can do anything."

"Yeah, I probably could have," Ash agreed. "But I want to do things the _normal_ way. That way people don't get freaked out and I get the added bonus of pretending that there's some semblance of normality about me. Even if there isn't."

"I wouldn't say you're a freak," Brock shook his head. "But I _would_ say that you're unique."

"Perhaps you should have a word or two with Chris," Ash gave a wry smile. "His favourite saying lately is 'Freaky Chosen One thing.' He has no problems with saying that to me about me at all."

"So things that would never happen around other people, happen around you," the Pewter City Gym Leader shrugged. "It doesn't make you a freak. The fact that you have special powers doesn't make you a freak. Pokémon have special powers and they're not freaky, they're special."

"Aww, you're just saying that to get a New Year's bonus."

"Whatever works," Brock grinned. "But I do mean it."

"I know," Ash murmured. "That's what worries me."

Their presence was soon noticed by the guys who were in the great room. They were in the middle of having a Playstation battle, so Ben let them in.

"Is it over?" Drake looked away from the screen for a second to ask the Grand Master. He almost crashed his player into a guardrail. Drake grimaced and corrected his player back onto the road.

Ash nodded as he sat down on a sofa. "Yeah, it's all over," he said softly. "The lawyer is filing the papers as we speak."

"Did Misty try to resist signing them?" Ben wanted to know and since he wasn't playing, he could ask questions without killing his _Zoom Deux_ player.

"At first she did," Ash explained. "But then she realised that there wasn't much she could do about it and that the best thing for us both would be to officially end the marriage."

"How are you feeling?"

"Kinda numb, kinda relieved," Ash said after a few minutes. "Hard to believe that your life can be changed by a single stroke of a pen."

"We're here for you, Ash," Drake told the man. "And you can use the holiday villa for as long as you want."

"Thanks," Ash smiled. "So where are Jenn and all the girls?"

"They're holed up in Jenn's room," Chris spoke up. "Girl talk, they said."

"Do you think they'd mind if I interrupted? I told Jenn I'd tell her when I got back. She volunteered to watch Pikachu for me."

Chris was about to say something along the lines of _luuuuuurrrrve_ but he forgot all about it when Drake's car surged past his. As such, his focus was immediately back on track. Beating Drake at all odds would be priceless.

Ash sighed, as he had been unable to not hear Chris's loudly thought idea of _luuuuuurrrrve._ It wasn't that he had been prying. It was that Chris had been thinking, and projecting, as loudly as if he'd actually shouted the word.

The Grand Master stood up, nodded to Ben – who nodded sympathetically back – and walked over to the side staircase. He took the stairs two at a time and found himself in the upper hallway. Girl sounds, various shrieks, giggles, and talking, led him right to Jenn's room.

He paused outside of the door, raised his hand to knock, but paused again when he heard his name being mentioned.

"What _are_ you gonna do once Ash is a free agent?" That was Jaime, who sounded very interested in a reply. But who would be replying?

"Nothing," It was Jenn, and Ash grinned. He knew she had a crush on him. It hadn't taken him being Satochu to see that. The girl might think that she was being sneaky about crushes, but really, she was as stealthy about guys she liked as Brock was about girls he liked.

Maybe he should've seen about getting the two of _them_ together. Then he figured that it would be like trying to burn a candle at both ends. The two would still be looking at other people.

"You can't do just _nothing_," This time it was Trish, and the Australian sounded sly. "Why, that would be…unJennlike!"

"Maybe," Jenn said, "But it would be immoral to do something like that. The guy just got divorced, guys! That's kind of insensitive."

"You can't say you're not interested in him," This was Shannon. "He's rich enough for you!"

Ash was _definitely_ interested in this reply. Sure he could theoretically try to peer into her mind, but he never wanted to be the sort of person to pry that intimately into someone's mind like that.

"Yeah, of course I like money and of course Ash is totally loaded, but," Jenn paused. "It's not about money with him. I'd like him even if he was broke. It's not the money _or_ the position…It's just…_him._"

"Sounds like _luuuuuurrrrve_," Trish said knowingly.

"It does," Shannon said dreamily, but Ash knew she was thinking about Ben.

"Whatever," Jenn said, sounding bored. "I'll be right back. I gotta go get some chow for little Pikachu."

"She doesn't look hungry," Shannon said.

"Sure she is," Ash heard rustling ,and a murmured _pi_, and then Jenn said, "I'll be back. Don't try looking for my diary, Jaime, I don't have one."

It was then that it dawned on Ash that Jenn was going to go downstairs to the kitchen. Quickly, he wondered if he should stay where he was or to teleport down to the kitchen. He chose the second option and his surroundings blurred and reformed into the kitchen.

No one was in the kitchen with him and Ash was relieved about that. It was getting a little tiresome to keep explaining his newfound powers to the people around him. He ransacked the fridge and pulled out a can of Pepsi.

He'd just finished pouring the contents into a glass with two ice cubes when the blonde strode in with Pikachu. The electric mouse had perched herself on Jenn's shoulders and chirped when she saw Ash.

_"Ash! You're back! I thought I sensed you."_

Jenn frowned and said, "Weren't you in Viridian, like, for all day?"

Pikachu gathered herself and sprung from the blonde's shoulders. Jenn winced a little, as Pikachu had sharp claws, but said nothing. The yellow mouse snuggled in Ash's arms, and the Grand Master cuddled the mouse.

"Yeah," he said after a while. "I was."

Jenn shrugged and massaged the shoulder Pikachu had jumped off of, "And?"

"And what?"

"Are you fr…I mean, did everything go okay?"

"Yes, Jenn," Ash said wryly. "I'm a free agent."

The blonde reddened and quickly turned to the fridge. "I need something to drink."

Ash hid a grin when Jenn didn't face him until her cheeks lost the redness. "It's okay, Jenn, you can say it like that if you want. I won't take it the wrong way."

"What are you talking about?" Jenn put her can of Pepsi onto the counter behind her. "You make it sound like you're back in the dating pool or something and you want me to dangle a lure."

Pikachu looked up at Ash with a grin in her eyes, but she didn't say anything.

"What I meant was you don't have to be afraid to talk to me."

"I'm not afraid!" She grabbed her soda and walked back towards the hallway and the stairs.

"Did you come down here just for soda?"

Jenn froze and turned around slowly. "What?"

"You just came down, with Pikachu, so you could get a soda?"

Jenn's eyes narrowed. "You…weren't listening to us upstairs, were you? I _thought_ I smelled your cologne in the hallway."

"Of course not!" Ash said lightly. "But it _is_ time for Pikachu to eat."

"Uh-huh," Jenn said, "Well, since you're here, I bet she'd rather eat for you. Chow."

The blonde turned and flounced off.

"You think she said that as a pun or do you think she thought she was speaking Italian?"

_"I think she thought she was speaking Italian."_

"I thought so, too."

_"You **were **in the hallway though. I could hear and smell you."_

"I thought you said you sensed me."

_"Pikapi, you have a distinct aura to you, that's true, but you're about as quiet as a Tauros in a crystal shop. Plus I could smell your cologne."_

"I thought that would've worn off by now." He muttered and smoothed some ruffled fur between her eyes. "I put it on real early this morning."

_"It is pretty distinctive."_

"That doesn't explain how she could smell it."

_"Leftover Absol ability?"_

"Maybe." Ash shrugged, "You still want to eat?"

_"You bet! I'm hungry."_

ooo

Later that night, Ash was informed of the trip to the Fae realms for Lu's trial.

"Sure, count me in," the Grand Master told Puck. "There's nothing that would give me more satisfaction than to see Lu brought to justice."

"Oh, I could think of one other thing, Ash," Chris smirked.

"What's that?" Ash asked warily. He hoped that it wasn't going to have anything to do with Jenn. While he liked the blonde, very much, it was just far too soon to be even thinking of hooking up with someone new, even if Misty had already hooked up with Gary. As Grand Master, he was far more restricted in what he could do by public perceptions than she was.

"Punching Gary's lights out," the Scot grinned. "And don't even _try_ to deny that you haven't thought about doing that. Because we all know you have."

"Well, Ashy will just have to wait in line for that," Jenn said darkly. "I still haven't got back yet at that putz for dumping me."

"You _still_ going on about that?" Chris raised an eyebrow. "It's been months and months since that happened!! Let bygones be bygones."

"Excuse you, but no one dumps _this_ American Goddess and gets away with it," Jenn tossed her hair back. "You wrong me and you will so pay for the rest of your life, or until I forget about it. Whichever comes first."

"Jenn," Trish said in a warning tone. "Don't you even **_try_**and get it into that blonde head of yours to go after Gary again."

"Oh, don't worry, Trish," Chris said dismissively. "She said he'd get away with it if she forgot about it. Considering her skills with remembering, I'd say he's safe."

Jenn snorted, but Trish shook her head and kept on talking. "You've already got him back by defeating him in that Pokémon battle thanks to Ash and Drake. Plus haven't you forgotten what happened the last time you went after who you thought was Gary? You went down with the _Titanic_. Literally."

"I'm blonde, not stupid!" Jenn ignored Chris's cough of "Yeahright" and said, "There's no way I could _ever_ forget that." Jenn winced and shuddered at the memory. "That was not how I wanted to visit the _Titanic_ if I were ever presented with the chance.."

"If you don't want a repeat, then don't go after Gary."

"Yeah, but each time I was 'defeated' was totally because of Lu!" Jenn protested. "Now that he's behind bars for good, I could go after Gary and give him the beating he deserves with no problems. I mean, after all we've been through so far, what could possibly go wrong?"

"Don't tempt the Fates, Jenn," Trish raised an eyebrow. "Bad things happen to you when Gary is involved, even when by name only. Stay very far away from him and you'll be fine. Because next time Ash, Callie or Puck may not be able to save you."

Jenn grumbled and hugged a pillow to her stomach. Pikachu giggled and jumped up beside, patting a tiny paw on her arm.

"So who's going on this trip?" Ash asked.

"Trish, Drake, Jenn, Mia, Shannon and Jaime," Callie told him. "And yourself of course."

"Chris, Brock, and I can hold the fort while you guys are away," Ben spoke up. "You guys just enjoy yourselves."

"I wouldn't call testifying at a trial as enjoying yourself," Mia said sourly. "More like torturing yourself."

"Puck, just one question," Jaime piped up. "How is this whole travelling to another realm gonna work? In the books and movies, if you go to another world, time doesn't pass at all in the world you came from. Is this the deal?"

"It is," the chestnut-haired Fae nodded. When you come back here, no time will have passed since you left."

"Well, that kinda sucks," Jenn frowned. "No, wait, that's good. Right?"

"If you consider coming back to find that this world hasn't advanced ten or twenty years while for you it's only been three days," Trish looked smug, "Then yeah, I'd say that's good."

ooo

The day arrived for the trip to Elysium, and all bar Puck and Callie, were very excited, but also a little nervous. Last night, the two Faes had been subject to all sorts of questions and demands.

"Let me get one thing straight," Jaime had said. "You _do_ know how to get us back into our own world don't you? I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a place where I can see men's dangly bits all the time."

"Hey, I got Trish and Jenn back from other dimensions okay!" Puck had protested before Callie gave a discreet 'ahem'. "Ah, I mean _we_ got them both back."

"My suitcase better not get lost on our way to or from wherever we're going," Jenn warned with a raised eyebrow. "It's a limited edition Louis Vuitton case and I loves it to death."

The travellers had all gathered in the back garden of Drake's villa, with their small suitcases and carryon bags.

All were dressed smartly, for Trish had demanded to know exactly where they were going to end up in Elysium. "I don't want to be wearing t-shirt and jeans and then find myself in front of the King and Queen and the court in all their finery," she had said. "That would be utterly humiliating."

Told they were going to appear in the private chambers to meet the King and Queen, they had all dressed accordingly.

Drake and Ash were looking sharp in dark Italian tailored business suits made from the finest wool, crisp white shirts and ties.

Trish was attired in a slim-fitting dusty rose dress of georgette crepe, teamed with a white linen bolero jacket.

Jenn had begrudgingly conceded to wear a matching silk skirt and top outfit in deep lavender, but only after she was assured that it was a Dolce and Gabanna original.

Shannon was smartly and neatly turned out in a red dress with contrasting black accessories. "If I'm going to get dressed up, it might as well be in my favourite colours," she had said.

Mia, who also hated getting dressed up, was in a simple, yet elegant jade green dress which accentuated the green in her eyes. The brunette was not only dressing up for the King and Queen but also for the impending 'meet the parents' that was sure to happen soon after their arrival. Mia was so nervous about her appearance that she kept wanting confirmation from everybody every few minutes.

Jaime's choice was a plain belted linen dress with capped sleeves in pale pink and worn with matching pumps.

"Are we all ready?" Callie asked in her lilting voice. The two Faes were also dressed to meet the King and Queen, although they were attired in the latest Fae fashions.

Chris was trying, and failing miserably, not to ogle Callie's lovely curves. Puck noticed the Scot's attempts and scowled at him to let him know his brotherly displeasure. Not that Chris took any notice.

Ash looked around at the small group and got confirming nods. "I'd say so."

"Okay, I want you to gather together in a tight group," she instructed. "And make sure your luggage is right in the middle. We're going to put a transportation sphere of magic around you, and your surroundings are going to go all white and then reappear a few seconds later as the walls of the Palace."

As they watched, lilac tendrils of magic flew around them to form a perfect circle and flickered to form sheer 'curtains' that flickered brightly every few minutes. The backyard shimmered out of existence and was replaced by an all encompassing whiteness which was then replaced by the damask curtains and gilt edged furniture of a palace chamber.

Shannon was a little startled when she realised that they were not alone. Two glittering personages sat upon opulent thrones, the King and Queen of the Fae Realms. Jaime patted her friend on the shoulder to help calm her nerves. The brunette nodded her thanks.

"Welcome, Mortals," The Queen said graciously. Her voice chimed like silver bells. "We offer our gratitude in return for your assistance in aiding Calliope and Puck in the capture of Lucius."

"_Just _their thanks?" Jenn muttered. "I wouldn't mind having a little monetary reward either."

"Jenn!" Trish elbowed her friend. "Hush!"

"But back home most people offer rewards for helping," Jenn whispered back. "Why can't the Fae?"

"Yeah, but what would you do with it? You can't use Fae currency back home," the Australian murmured to her best friend. "And it's not like there's a bank around that would convert it."

The blonde sighed. "I hate it when you're right."

King Oberon's eyes twinkled with amusement. "You must be the one called Jenn."

Jenn blinked. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Oh, Puck has been telling Us all about you."

"All _good_ things I hope," Jenn pointedly looked at the Fae in question with the unspoken promise of threats in her tone.

"Do not worry, my dear," the Queen laughed. "He's made you sound all so wonderful and of course you shall be rewarded with objects that you can take back home. We feel bad that some of you had to suffer so terribly at the hands of Lucius."

"As do I!" Jenn suddenly brightened. "It was simply _horrible_! The things he did…" The blonde bit back a theatrical sob that would've done Kate Winslet proud. "I don't know if I'll _ever_ overcome it."

Ash held back on snorting his disbelief. The blonde was laying it on so thick that he wondered if the Queen or King was buying it.

:_She is amusing Us, Chosen One_.: It was the Queen and after a quick glance at her amused face, Ash also smiled. :_We take no offence to her comical actions_.:

_That_ was a relief. The last thing he needed to explain to her parents was how Jenn managed to piss off the royalty of the Fae Realm. He just hope that the blonde had enough sense to know when she was close to crossing the line for the rest of their time here.

"Of course, you'll be scarred for the rest of your life," Trish rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Well, yeah!" Jenn nodded emphatically. "I've never experienced anything so distressing in my life."

"We appreciate the fact that you have agreed to testify against Lucius," Oberon said. "We realise that it will take enormous courage to revisit such painful memories, but it is necessary for the Court to hear his full crimes to ensure full justice is done."

"That's why we're here, Your Majesties," Trish said. "To make sure he pays."

"And he will," the King promised. "We're going to make sure that he can't ever do such things again."

"That's a relief," Drake said. "Because he caused enough damage as it is."

Oberon nodded and his gaze fell on the young woman who was standing next to his favourite Fae. "Puck, aren't you going to finally introduce us to your lady love who has so captivated your heart these past few years?"

Puck blinked. "Oh…yes, of course I was going to do that, Your Majesty." He took Mia's hand and led her to stand in front of the two monarchs. "Your Majesties, this is my girlfriend, Maria or Mia as she prefers to be called. Mia, this is King Oberon and Queen Titania."

Mia quailed inwardly under the scrutiny of those regal eyes and she hoped that her knees weren't knocking together from nervousness. Many unMialike thoughts flew through her mind_. Is my hair okay? Is my make-up okay or did the mascara run making me look like a raccoon?_

The King smiled kindly, "Pleased to finally meet you, Mia. Puck has told us so much about you the past few years. It's always been 'Mia this and Mia that…', I have never seen him so besotted with any girl before."

Mia blushed and looked at Puck who was equally red. Several snickers and giggles from their friends came behind them.

"It's n..nice to finally meet you too, Your Majesties," Mia finally managed to stammer out. "Puck's told me a lot about Elysium and I'm glad that I can be here."

Oberon grinned and winked at the girl. "Puck should think himself one very lucky guy."

"Puck," The Queen intoned, "Will you assist Savin with the mortals' belongings? They are to stay in the Southern Wing of the Palace."

"Yes, of course, My Queen," Puck bowed low and formally. "It would be an honour."

The group followed Puck and another Fae, this one a blond male about the same age as Puck, out of the large room.

"What about our bags?" Jenn asked with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't you getting some servants to help carry them? 'Cuz if my limited edition Louis Vuitton gets snagged by some sticky-fingered Fae then I won't be held responsible for my physical reaction."

Savin blinked and glanced at his fellow Fae. :_Do all mortal females get violent over lost bags or just this one?:_

:_Just this one,:_ Puck sent back :_Not only is she American but she's **far** too attached to designer goods.:_

"Fear not, Jenn," the chestnut-haired Fae grinned at the blonde. "As my Lady Queen has said, we shall teleport your precious bag to the room you will be staying in."

"Oh good," Jenn sighed. "I really don't want to spend my time in a prison cell for hurting you."

"You're so thoughtful."

"Duh."

ooo

Finally they reached the southern wing of the palace and Savin pushed open the gilded wooden doors to reveal a large room with a canopied four poster king-sized bed, and Jenn could see another doorway leading off into an adjoining sitting room.

"This can be where you and Trish stay," Puck indicated to Drake.

"Thanks," the Orange Crew Leader smiled and took Trish's hand and led her into the room.

There was a following wolf-whistle and an "Oooh la la!" that neither of them had to guess who it had come from.

"Jenn, shut up," Trish said good-naturedly and gave a cheeky grin back at her friend before the door closed behind them.

"Shut up, Jenn, go away, Jenn." Jenn rolled her eyes at the door, then sighed with the patience of a saint. "A Goddess knows when her work is done."

"Yeah, especially when she tries to cover up the fact that she's not needed!" Ash chuckled from behind her.

"No one asked you, Chosen Dork!" Jenn stalked after Jaime, Shannon, Puck, Mia, and Savin. Her mild annoyance was tinged with a warmth that she and her hormones thoroughly knew of as "Hot Guy Alert!!!" She looked over her shoulder and saw that, sure enough, Ash was following them.

:_Should we get the Chosen One to his room?:_ Savin asked Puck. :_Or the blonde?:_

:_The blonde,:_ Puck answered fervently. :_Definitely the blonde. At least we can **talk** to Ash. Jenn doesn't get far beyond hot guys, luxury sales, or raging parties_.:

:_What's a luxury sale?:_

:_Don't worry about that, Savin, please. It's **far** too hard to explain.:_

"Aah, here we are," Puck said, pausing by a double door that was about four down from the suite that Trish and Drake had. He threw open the doors. "Ladies, welcome to your suite."

Jenn, Mia, Shannon, and Jaime oohed and aahed over the room. It was large, nearly as extravagant as Trish and Drake's, and felt warm and welcoming in a very posh way.

"_Nice_ place," Ash said appreciatively.

"These will be your rooms for the duration," Puck said as Savin led the way in. He noted that the bags were securely situated in the centre of the round room. "The central room is the parlour. There are four rooms flanking the parlour, but you'll have to share the bathroom."

"It's not very large," Savin said apologetically. "I hope it will suit your needs."

The girls didn't need to worry about staking out a room. All four were identical in colour, layout, and size. They went to check out the bathroom and each girl gaped.

"Not very large?" Jenn eyed a suddenly blushing Savin. "Dude, it's frigging _huge_!"

And it was. A large triple vanity dressing area had four large sinks apiece, then there was a choice of a shower, Jacuzzi tub, or large round bathing tub that looked big enough to fit at least five people in it. Each of those three were in their own separate area that had a door for privacy. Off to the side were four toilet stalls that were made of glistening white marble.

"Puck, this is wonderful," Mia grinned.

"This is huge," Shannon breathed. "I think I'm in love!"

"It's incredible," Jaime agreed. "I can't believe it's all ours to use!"

"For the duration of your time here, it is," Puck said jovially. Then his tone went serious. "However, you'll need the relaxation after you each give your account of what Lu did."

"Do we get a masseuse?" Jenn asked. "That would probably help, too."

"You ask for _far_ too much," Puck gave her a look.

"Yeah, Jenn," Ash said with a grin. "Don't forget, you're not the one that's royalty around here."

"No," Jenn said smugly, "I'm not royalty _here_. Here I'm a Goddess."

"Put a sock in it, Goddess," Mia said, coming to Puck's defence. "Geeze, I don't know which is bigger. This suite or her ego."

"That's such an easy question to answer," the chestnut-haired Fae smirked. "Her ego."

"Some people say ego, others say self-confidence," Jenn tossed her head. "There's no one better than yourself to keep you going and confident!"

"True," Shannon said. "Though Trish usually calls you a Goddess."

"Also being a Goddess, she's learned to compliment a fellow Goddess," the blonde smirked. "And I've trained her well."

Jaime rolled her eyes. "So where will you be staying, Ash?"

The Grand Master shrugged and looked at Puck.

"Ash will be a few doors down from you," he said before a sly grin spread across his face. "So you'd better keep all that talking and giggling down or else he won't be able to sleep tonight."

"We won't be _that _loud," Mia slapped her boyfriend on the arm. "We're in separate rooms anyway."

Puck grinned and led Savin and Ash back out into the corridor and another four doors down. "This is your suite, Chosen One," he opened the doors into another vast room.

Ash walked in and was relieved to see his suitcase sitting in the far corner of the bedroom.

"We will leave you to get settled," Savin bowed slightly. "Someone will come round to gather you and the others for a lunch with the King and Queen."

Ash nodded. "Thank you."

Puck waited until Savin had left and turned to Ash. "Ash, I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping us against Lu. You didn't have to help me at all, but you did…and at a great personal cost, too. I'll never forget this."

"Hey, I couldn't stand by and watch my friends and this world be destroyed," Ash shrugged. "Don't blame yourself for what happened with Misty. These things happen…some couples just grow apart and realise that it's no longer what they want."

"If you insist," Puck cocked his head, "Maybe she wasn't your true love."

"If she wasn't, I don't know if I want to find out what it's like to lose a true love," Ash shrugged again. "Anyway, I just want to unpack and catch a quick nap."

"I don't blame you," Puck smiled wryly. "Those girls are a handful."

"They sure are."

"Especially that blonde," Puck said. "She gets me tired just by being around her. I couldn't imagine _being_ with her."

"Puck, I do hope that's not your unconventional way of trying to set me up with Jenn. I'm really just…not about to date anyone anytime soon. At all."

Puck held up his hands, "Okay, okay. I give. I just hate to see someone so recently dumped being so miserable and alone."

"I didn't know your name was Cupid." Ash grinned. "And, I'm not miserable and alone, though I _was_ recently dumped."

"I wasn't talking about you, Ash."

"Who? Jenn?" Ash was puzzled. "She looks happy enough to me."

"I've caught sight of her a few times when she thought no one was looking." Puck said and walked towards the door. "She hides it well."

"She hides a lot well," Ash muttered, then shook his head. He had other things in mind right now, namely that nap. "I'll see you later, Puck."

The chestnut-haired Fae nodded, then left, gently closing the door behind him.

Though he really meant to unpack, Ash made the mistake of sitting on the bed. It was so soft and inviting that it was impossible to resist. He laid out on the bed and reached out for the light. Using a miniscule fraction of his Chosen One powers, he turned out the lights and shut the curtains, effectively rendering the room pitch black.

Within seconds he was asleep, heading towards the most restful sleep he'd ever had.

ooo

Jenn had just finished unpacking when there was a light knock on the door.

"Who goes there!" she called out. "Answer fast, for thou art crunchy and good with ketchup."

"It's Trish," came the familiar voice of her down under friend. "You're lucky that it wasn't one of the servants. They wouldn't know what to make of that statement."

"That's their problem," the blonde snorted. "Oh, you can come in."

Trish walked in and cast an appreciative eye around the spacious and opulent room. "Very nice, Jenn. Quite the accommodation fit for a Goddess."

"I thought so, too," Jenn grinned. "Even though it's not as roomy and grand as yours."

"Surely you're not complaining already," her friend raised an eyebrow. "We just got here!!"

"I'm not complaining," the blonde shook her head. "Just stating a fact." She sat down on the edge of her bed and bounced a little. "Awwyeah, this is so soft and comfortable. Like bouncing on a really soft cushion."

"The beds are nice," Trish agreed. "The nicest I've ever seen."

"Can you believe that we're staying in a _real_ palace?" Jenn's eyes were bright. "This is just awesome."

"I can't believe that we're in another realm altogether," Trish grinned.

Jenn frowned, "I know. It's so weird."

"It's not too different," Trish said. "Other than being in a palace."

"Yeah, but…have you noticed how hot everyone is?" Jenn said this very seriously. "I haven't seen a single ugly person here."

Trish sighed and shook her head. "You are such a blonde."

"I know," Jenn tilted her head to the side, "But what does that have to do with anything?"

The Australian suppressed a laugh. "You're insufferable."

"Yeah, I know. What about all the hot guys?" Jenn waggled her eyebrows. "Think I can take one home with me?"

"Sure, Brock," Trish said dryly, "We'll just go down to the corner store and get one to go."

"They have that kind of place here!?" the blonde looked excited. "How do you know that?"

"No, of course I don't!" Trish laughed. "I've never been here before."

"But you just said…"

"I was just kidding, Jenn," Trish swatted her arm playfully before sitting down beside her. "So who do you think is hot?"

"That Savin dude is pretty hot," Jenn sighed. "I wouldn't mind him Savin me from anything."

"Oyyy…." The Australian groaned. "That was really feeble."

"I try," Jenn laughed. "So now it's your turn. Who do you find hot?"

"Well…," Trish thought for a little. "They're all very nice but I don't think any one stands out as particularly hot."

Jenn thwapped her on the arm with a soft cushion. "Whaddya mean that you don't find one of them really hot?!" She then sighed, "Oh right, I forget, you're all with the ball and chain thing to Mister Orange Dork. But that doesn't mean you can't have any fun, Trish. You can still look!"

"I know, I know," Trish grinned. "I have noticed that guys are hot here, honest. I just wouldn't jump any of them because they're not Drake."

"See, that's where you're no fun!"

Trish shook her head, "And I fail to see why you and Gary broke up. You're two of a kind."

"Keep that up and the Goddess will evict you from her temporary quarters," Jenn said with a mock glare. "And for the record, _I_ dumped _his_ ass."

"I know, I know," Trish grinned again. "Trash to the curb, and all that rot."

"And don't you forget it none."

"Never!" Trish stood up. "Now, let's go get the others and find out what's going on tonight."

ooo

Dinner was a private affair with just the King and Queen and Puck and Callie in the monarchs' private dining room.

As they were led in by two female Fae servants, the human guests were trying, and failing, to not gape with open mouths at the gilded mirrors and furniture within the room.

A long rectangular dining table of polished wood, that was covered with a snowy white tablecloth of the finest silk, stood in the centre of the opulent room. Large floral centrepieces of exotic flowers that none of them had ever seen before were placed at even intervals down the centre of the table.

"Wow, this is the ritziest place I've ever been to dinner," Shannon whispered to Jenn.

Jenn nodded as she gazed at the shiny silverware and china neatly set out before each seat. "Me too. It feels like something out of _Pretty Woman_."

"Let's just hope they don't serve snails like they did in the movie," the brunette shuddered.

The blonde grinned nervously. "Somehow, Shan, I think they serve something _way_ ritzier than snails."

"Welcome, welcome," Puck greeted them as if he hadn't seen them in days, much less the few hours they'd all spent adjusting to the Fae realm. "If you will all find your seats as soon as possible, we can start dinner."

"Where is everyone?" Mia asked. "I thought it was us and your parents."

Puck flushed at that, "Uh, Mia, they'll be coming shortly. They had some last minute…stuff to take care of."

Callie giggled at that. Her brother made it sound as if their parents were off having a romantic interlude. Far be it for her to explain that their parents were being romantic in their own way. In other words, they were arguing pettily about foolish things. They would be down soon, though Callie was certain their mother would best their father at whatever the argument was about.

Mia looked uncomfortable at the answer Puck had given them and busily looked around for her name. She found it and frowned. She had been seated two down from Puck. Mia looked over at Puck with a question in her expression.

The chestnut haired Fae didn't miss the look by a long shot. :_Please, Mia, forgive me. I couldn't change their minds.:_

_:I thought we were supposed to be expressing our love and letting them know how much we love each other,:_ Mia stood back as Jenn and Shannon walked by, busily looking for their names. :_You haven't said one romantic thing to me since we all got here!:_

:_I know and I'm sorry, but things are a lot different here than you may have thought.:_

_:I know, baby_,: Mia thought back, darkly and angrily:_They're far worse.:_

Whatever Puck was going to say, Mia didn't listen for. She was mad, dammit, and if she wasn't going to get a straight answer back – and from _Puck_ no less – then he was sure as hell going to get the silent treatment from her.

Further down the table, Jenn frowned over at Trish. "This isn't funny."

"What isn't?" Trish asked.

"Yeah, what isn't?" Drake inquired daringly.

From across the table, Ash put in his two cents, "Yeah, is something wrong?"

The blonde took a breath and let it out slowly. Then she hissed at her best friend, "Some schmuck sat me across from Ash! That's not funny!"

Trish stifled a grin. For some reason, her best friend was being awfully touchy about being around Ash. She would have to tread carefully. "Oh, I'm sure they just made a mistake. You could ask Puck and maybe you can get your seat changed."

Jenn looked down the line at Puck, who was looking at Mia with soulful puppy dog eyes. Mia was ignoring him steadfastly and was talking with Shannon. "No, that's okay." She eyed the centrepiece, which was almost blocking her view of Ash, though not quite. "Maybe you can move the centrepiece over, Drake."

"Me?! Why me?!"

Jenn was instantly apologetic. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I forgot that one shouldn't ask the elderly and infirmed to move around heavy objects."

Trish _did _laugh at that, then instantly covered her mouth with a hand. "Sorry, hon."

Drake was about to say something when trumpets bugled the arrival of the King and Queen.

Puck motioned for everyone to sit down, and luckily enough, everyone had found their assigned seat.

The Queen sat, but the King remained standing.

"I know that all of you are probably hungry, so I'll keep this short and sweet," the King smiled. "Once again I'd like to extend a warm welcome to our mortal guests and so thought this informal dinner would be a nice way to settle in on your first night here. There will be a formal dinner and dance tomorrow night so the whole kingdom can show you their gratitude. Please feel free to treat our palace as your home."

Everyone clapped politely as Oberon sat down.

Jenn leant towards Trish. "This is an _informal_ dinner?! I'd hate to see what they call a formal dinner!"

"I know!" Trish whispered back. "I hope the gowns we brought are good enough!"

"Yeah otherwise we're in trouble," the blonde was wide-eyed. "I'm not gonna trust a Fae's fashion sense."

"Me neither."

Further down the table, Jaime was trying to see where the waiters would be coming from.

"What do you suppose Fae food is like?" she whispered to Mia and Shannon. "I'm getting a little nervous over what it could be like. Is it very different from what we're used to?"

"I don't know," Shannon shrugged. "I can't imagine it being too different. So far, everything seems to be the same as in our world, only better."

Waiters bearing silver domed platters came out of swinging doors situated at the far end of the dining room and lined up behind each guest. With a single motion, they placed all plates in front of each person. Then again with a single motion, whipped off the covers to reveal an arrangement of prawns and scallops on lettuce leaves.

"Oooh," Jenn clapped her hands. "I love seafood." She was glad that the entrée came so quickly as it gave her an excuse to avoid eye contact with Ash opposite. While she loved seafood, she wasn't overly fond of prawns (she still wasn't sure what they were, even though Trish had told her ten billion times over), didn't know what a scallop was (other than knowing it could be a decorative edge on a dress), and really hated lettuce.

Ash glanced at her, making a note to ask the girl later why she was so obviously trying to avoid him. He was tempted to wave and say, "Hello, I'm right here," just to see what she'd do. But when he caught her glance and the blonde became so flighty that she dropped her fork in a noisy clatter against her plate, he decided not to.

Instead he reached out teasingly and bopped the side of her leg.

"Drake," Trish slanted a look over at the Orange Islands Leader, "Time for nummy later."

Drake looked confused and Ash hid a chuckle behind a bite of lettuce. He'd try to get the blonde's attention later.

ooo

They had just finished the entrée and were waiting for the main course when Puck and Callie's parents, Helena and Demetrius, arrived.

"Many apologies to your Majesties for being late," Demetrius bowed low. "My wife and I had some business to attend to."

"That is quite okay," Titania smiled. "You're here now and that is all that matters."

The parents smiled and took their places between Mia and Puck. Mia trying very hard not to show her displeasure at being parted from Puck and smiled with as much genuineness as she could at his father who sat down next to her.

"Nice to see you again, Mia," Demetrius smiled. "It's been a while since we visited your realm."

"It certainly has," the brunette said politely. She wondered if this was all a ploy to show her that Puck's mother did not approve of him having a mortal girlfriend. She looked over at Helena, but couldn't figure out if the cool look was approving or disapproving. Mia felt at a loss and poked at her meal.

Jenn was another who didn't really enjoy the dinner. Sure, the food was delicious, but she was so nervous about being seated opposite Ash, that she was unable to relax and enjoy herself. The blonde refused to make eye contact with him, and would only talk to either Trish or Drake.

The Australian kept giving her odd looks and tried to include Ash in the conversation, only to give up when Jenn repeatedly refused to join in. Trish then gave her a pointed look which clearly said, _We're gonna have a talk about this later._

Jenn sighed with more than a little apprehension. She had the biggest feeling like she'd done something wrong, only she hadn't done _anything_. She looked down at her plate, but the food had suddenly lost all of its appeal. The blonde desperately wished that dinner would be over.

ooo

Half an hour later Jenn was back in the sanctuary of her room and very glad of it. At least here she could relax and be herself. She lay flat across the bed on her stomach and pondered on how messed up things were.

Her reprieve was short-lived when a knock came at the door, followed by "Jenn, it's me."

The blonde sighed inwardly and then called out, "Yeah."

She heard the door swing open and shut, and light footsteps coming across the floor before the end of the bed depressed a little as her best friend sat down beside her.

"So, you mind telling me what all that was about at dinner?"

"No," Jenn shook her head, while refusing to look at Trish. "Because you're mad at me and I didn't do anything wrong."

There was an audible sigh. "I'm not mad, Jenn…just really confused, that's all. Just a few days ago you were complaining that you weren't allowed to hang out with Ash as a friend, and now you're acting like he has leprosy or something so awful you can't even talk to him, let alone just make eye contact."

Jenn winced a little. "Is it that obvious?"

"Obvious? It's so obvious that _everyone_ noticed it! And I'd be surprised if Ash wasn't a little offended by your behaviour. Why is it that all of a sudden you can't stand to be in the same room as him? Did he do something really horrible to you, because why are you so afraid of him? You are never afraid."

The blonde shoved her bangs away from her eyes and sighed. "I just…I like him. I _really _like him. I could just about forget about Gary over Ash."

"…Just about forget about Gary?" Trish slapped the blonde playfully on her upper arm. "You idiot! You should've gotten over that wanker ages ago!"

"Hello, _I_ was the loyal one in the relationship. My love burns like an eternal flame!"

"Then it's time you put a cap on that fire," Trish said dryly. "Move on, Jenn. Gary has."

"That's cold," Jenn glared at her feet, "And for the record, I'm not listening."

"It's about time that you did," Trish said wisely. "And it's time that you realize that there's someone out there who may care about you in a way that Gary never could."

"I know that I don't have to ask who," Jenn covered her eyes with both hands, then sat up and rested her hands on her knees. "But I just don't think anything could develop between me and Drake, no matter how often he teases me."

Trish's mouth gaped for a split second, "You are impossible!"

"I know," Jenn said sadly, "That's what Drake says all the time."

"Ash cares about you."

"Well he can't." Jenn looked away. "He can't."

"Why not?" Trish was surprised. "It would be such a romantic ending to all of the drama that's gone on between you! From rolling around in the surf, to taking care of him when he was a Pikachu and then when he returned the favour when you were an Absol."

"It just wouldn't be right."

"Jenn, come off it," Trish said sternly. "Do you know how sad he was when he first saw your doppelganger laying on the ground with a crushed skull?"

"He was?"

"Yes, but don't go on thinking that it was romantic," The Australian shook her head. "Honestly, you're so masochistic at times that it drives me nuts."

"I'm not macho," Jenn said. "I might be a little dramatic, but I'm not macho."

"You know what I mean."

Jenn sensed that the time for joking was done with. "I know what you mean, but Ash can't be interested in someone like me."

"I don't see why not."

"He's the Grand Master! He runs the Pokémon League!" Jenn looked away. "He's a huge celebrity. Him being interested in me would be like Mariah Carey trying to hook up with Chris."

"See, that I don't think he'd mind!"

"And I don't doubt it for a second," Jenn said. "But can you see the analogy here? A huge celebrity falling for one of us non-celebrities just isn't something that happens in real life."

"It could," Trish said wisely. "Drake proposed to me. I don't see why Ash wouldn't eventually do the same for you."

"Because he just wouldn't," Jenn shrugged. "He just got divorced for one thing. For another, his Freaky Chosen One powers would soon figure out that I'm only after him for his money."

Trish gave her a dry look.

"Okay, okay, I was kidding." Jenn sighed. "I _do_ like him and I think it's more than he's a hot guy."

Trish smiled smugly. "See, I knew it."

"Easy for you to say," Jenn picked at her fingernails.

"Not as easy as you might think."

"Huh?"

"It's not all a piece of cake, Jenn," Trish explained. "I'm not as calm about Drake's celebrity status as you must think."

"Then I'm thinking wrong all the time."

"Possibly," Trish shrugged. "But it's hard to deal with Drake being a celebrity. He's the head of the Orange League and I have to make sure I project the right image as his bride to be. I have to make sure I don't get caught by the paparazzi and have them spin it into some false story. You saw how easy it was for a fake story to almost take down our relationship in flames."

"Yeah and that's almost as scary as dealing with Lu."

"It is," Trish nodded, "But I hope you realize that it can be dealt with. You can, eventually, have the happy ending you want. You just have to fight for it."

"I know," Jenn said. "I just think this isn't the time to be rushing in to something."

"Of course it isn't," Trish said. "You need to give the media and the public some time to accept the divorce of the Golden Couple."

Jenn gave her friend a withering look. "The Golden Couple?"

"That's what they called them."

"What and ever."

"If there's one thing that Hollywood has shown the world, it's that a couple can successfully hide a budding relationship," Trish stood up and stretched. "You can make it work, but only if you want to."

"Thanks, Yoda."

"Anytime," Trish rubbed her neck. "You should come with me. Puck wanted us to all meet down in the Great Hall within the hour."

"What for?"

"Something about getting ready for the preliminaries of the trial." Trish looked a little apprehensive. "He said that the trials in the Fae Court aren't the same as the trials in our world."

"What do you think he meant by that?"

"I don't know," Trish shivered. "But he looked really serious."

"Puck being serious? Really serious?" Jenn frowned worriedly. "That isn't good."

"Tell me about it. Well, come on then."

The blonde stood up and followed her best friend. "You do know that I was kidding about Drake, right?"

"Yeah, Jenn," Trish opened the door and ushered her friend out. "You're the blonde, not me."

"That's right," Jenn said, passing by Trish. Then the friendly insult dawned on her. "Hey!"

The door closed behind the girls, leaving the room in darkness. Then, in a corner of the room unnoticed by the girls, a figure emerged from a hiding place against the wall. There was a small chuckle, then a glimmer of sapphire blue, and the room was empty of all living things except for a small potted plant on the marble windowsill.

The leaves of the plant trembled and became still in the room that had no breeze.

ooo

Puck and Callie were waiting for the group in the Great Hall, grave expressions on their faces. After waiting for the group to settle after gawking at the huge floor to ceiling windows and the large paintings and portraits that adorned the walls, the Faes got down to business.

"Lu's trial is set to begin in five days time," Callie began. "But we wanted to let you know exactly what you are in for now, so you can have time to prepare and adjust."

Trish, Jenn and Mia all glanced at each other uneasily. This didn't sound too good to any of them, especially at the suggestion to prepare and adjust.

"Each of you will be allocated one day each to give your evidence," Puck continued. "Trish is scheduled to go first, followed by Jenn, Mia, and Ash the last one of all."

"What's the big deal? There can't be a huge difference between Fae trials and our trials." Jenn said in an uncharacteristically quiet tone. "I mean, all it could be is us telling a big room of people what happened to us. Right?"

Puck shook his head. "How I wish that was the way we did things here, because it would be so much easier for all of you. No, what the Court is going to ask you to do, is to relive your experiences through your memories."

"What?!!" Trish blanched. "Puck, you **_can't _**send us back to go through that again! We almost **_died_**!"

Drake wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close.

"You're not going to be sent back to other dimensions," Puck tried to reassure the girl. "Rather, the Court will tap into your memories of those incidents and place you there that way, so that they can fully appreciate what you went through because of Lu."

"So just what the hell are you talking about?" Jenn said, barely able to hold back her anger. "What is going to happen? Tell us **_exactly_** what's gonna happen."

"Well…" Puck looked at his sister, who nodded reassuringly. "You'll be approached by the Court Mage. He will place a talisman around your neck. It's a pendant shaped like a dragon's head that is held by a chain of pure silver. The talisman will do most of the work for you. All you have to do is give it access to that part of your memories."

"The talisman will activate once you focus on that memory." Callie added in. "You needn't think consciously on the memory, nor must you hold your focus on what happened. Your brain, your subconscious, has flawlessly remembered everything that happened, everything you saw, and everything you felt. It will project an imagery of the following events."

"It will almost be like being in a hologram that fully surrounds you," Puck said. "You'll smell the same scents you encountered, feel the same air temperatures, and hear the same noises."

Jenn interrupted him. "Puck, that's not good in everyone's case! I went swimming in some really cold water. You can't possibly expect that I'll agree to reliving that!"

"And I almost died from an asthma attack!" Trish looked panicked. "I won't go through that again."

"Relax, people!" Puck tried his best to reassure them. "You don't necessarily have to relive _everything._"

"It's true," Callie said, after seeing all the dubious looks. "After you initially show the trauma that Lu subjected you to the talisman, you do not have to relive it. You can shut your eyes to turn from it and it will not affect the powers of the talisman. It will still project the dangerous times you went through."

"So what you mean," Ash said thoughtfully, "Is that the talisman only needs to get a tiny foothold into the memory to fully project every little detail?"

"Yes," Puck looked and sounded relieved. "That's exactly it."

"Better load up on blankets," Trish teased Jenn.

"Yeah, well you better grab a steak," Jenn grumbled back. "At least that'll give the dog something else to chase after."

"I hate to be contrary to such a considerate idea," Puck said light-heartedly. "But nothing will be affected by anything you do now."

"So you mean it'll be like a time loop?" Jenn looked puzzled.

"Kind of," Callie said, "You're on the right track."

"Oh quick," Drake looked around. "Someone get me to the lottery store because I need to buy tickets. The day Jenn is on the right track is the day that all my numbers will be picked."

"Drake," Trish said warningly.

"No, don't worry about it, Trish," Jenn said. "I think what he was really looking for is a Bingo card like all the other old fogies have."

"Hey!!" Drake protested.

The Australian sighed. "Look, I know you two can't help it, but would you quit with all these insults between you until _after_ this trial is over? Honestly, I feel like I'm dealing with two kids at times."

"We're only playing," Jenn said teasingly. "Aren't we, Drake?"

"It's all in good fun," the Orange Crew Leader agreed. "No real harm is meant by it, except perhaps to one's pride."

Trish gave him a dry look. "Which is exactly the reason why you and Jenn shouldn't continue teasing each other. You're proud and Jenn's pride is the size of Texas."

The blonde sniffed a little haughtily at that.

"Guys, we're getting off track here," Puck interrupted. "Are you guys still okay with testifying, now that you know what's in store?"

"I guess so," Trish said begrudgingly. "If it wasn't for the fact that I want to see Lu suffer for what he did to me, then I wouldn't do it, no." She sighed. "Just…give us some time to get used to it, then I think we'll be right."

ooo

It was about one in the morning when all were asleep that something strange happened to the potted plant on the windowsill in Jenn's room.

The plant shivered and trembled before disintegrating into a swirl of sapphire sparkles, which reformed to reveal a tall, muscular blond Fae by the name of Cormac.

Cormac was Savin's older brother and the darling of his parents' eyes. He had taken a fancy to the blonde mortal who had come with her friends to testify against Lucius at his trial, and what Cormac wanted, Cormac got.

Then he had overheard a conversation between his younger brother and Puck which piqued his interest.

_"Savin, I need you to do me a favour, pretty please?" the chestnut-haired Fae asked_

_"What is it?"_

_"You know those mortals who came back with me? The blonde girl, Jenn, and the Chosen One?"_

_"Yeah, what about them? She's kinda scary," Savin shivered._

_"I want you to help me play matchmaker to those two," Puck beamed._

_"Oh no," Savin backed away, palms raised. "I don't want to get involved in your madcap matchmaking schemes! Look what happened the last time you tried to play matchmaker. You stuffed it up!"_

_"Just at first," Puck pouted. "Then I got it right. It was all because of that damn flower potion. This time will be **different,** Savin. There will be no need for a potion because I know that they both happen to be attracted to each other anyway! They're both just too stubborn to admit it."_

_"I dunno, Puck," Savin sounded doubtful. _

_"Oh come on Savin, this time I **can't **mess up! They're both destined to be together."_

_There was a sigh and Cormac knew that his brother had given in. _

_"So what do you want me to do?"_

_"Just pretend that you're interested in Jenn. She thinks you're kinda cute anyway. Just dance with her at all the balls and pay lots of attention to her so that the Chosen One gets jealous." Puck's excitement was growing as the plot unfolded. "Then I want you to pretend to have your way with her, and Ash will come to the rescue of Jenn and all's well that ends well.'_

There was no way that Cormac was going to lose to a so-called Chosen One.

He vanished and reappeared a few doors down, and looked down on the slumbering Chosen One.

A sinister smile crossed his face and a web of sapphire magic descended over the Grand Master. As Cormac watched, the man's form glowed brightly before shrinking and morphing – until there was a small yellow ball of fluff slumbering on the bed.

The Fae grabbed the Pikachu, who woke up with a surprised squeak, and threw him into a small woven basket which he slammed the lid shut and slid the latch closed.

_'Pika!!!_' the basket shook furiously.

"Sorry, pal," Cormac sneered as he invoked a glamour to surround him so that he looked and sounded exactly like Ash. "But no one is allowed to deny me anything, and I want that lady friend of yours that you like so much. And there is _nothing _that you can do about it. Night, dude." He slipped into Ash's bed and went to sleep

Inside the cage, Ash swore softly in Pikachuese. How on earth was he going to get out of this one? He was a Pokémon again, he had none of his Pokémon friends to assist him, and no one would be able to understand him save for Puck, Callie or perhaps Drake.

But then again…this Fae was stupid enough to turn him into the one Pokémon he had been before and knew best of all. Praying that he'd be able to recall everything that Pikachu had taught him, he set to work gnawing a hole in his prison with his razor sharp teeth.

He made a face at the rope. If he got rope fibre stuck between his teeth, he was gonna be so pissed.

ooo

Jenn woke up to find herself sleeping on her stomach. Sleep was gradually replaced by the dawning of an unfamiliar weight between her shoulder blades. She reached up over one shoulder and blindly felt fur.

_Ohmigawd,_ she thought a little frantically. _If something I ate here gave me fur on my back I will so kill Puck. And then Lu because it's all his fault we're even here in the first place._

Then she felt the fur move and she realized that something was sleeping on her back. She worried that it could be some cute looking Fae creature that would suddenly show fangs or claws as soon as she moved. She decided that she'd have to move anyway to get up, so she cautiously slid the unknown creature off of her back and rolled out of bed.

Standing up, she could see that there was a familiar shade of yellow laying on her bed. She squinted and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. A Pikachu? Jenn distinctly remembered Puck telling her that Pokémon didn't exist in the Fae realm at all.

"So how is there one here now?" she wondered out loud. The sound of her voice woke it up and it looked up at her with an expression that said it was as half-asleep as she was.

"_Pika pichu_," it said, then shook its head at the sound. It looked very awake and upset all of a sudden and Jenn took a step back in alarm.

"Don't go shooting off any electricity," Jenn warned it. "I've experienced it already and I didn't like it the first ten times, I didn't like it when I was an Absol, and I don't want to experience it again."

The Pikachu looked at her with an expression that seemed to be a mix of 'what the hell' and 'whatever.' It got up, tangled its back right leg in the blanket, shook it off, and hopped over to the edge of the bed. "_Chu__, pi pi! Pi Pikapi!"_

"That's so cute," Jenn giggled. "You sound just like Ash's Pikachu!"

The Pikachu sighed and its ears laid along its back.

"You won't shock me if I pick you up, will you?"

The Pikachu looked up at her and shook its head.

"Cutie!" Jenn picked up the Pikachu and studied it. She frowned. "You almost look…familiar." She shook her head and laughed. "What an idiot I am. Of course you look familiar. You're a Pikachu. I've only seen about a billion of them."

There was a knock on her closed bedroom door, followed by Trish's voice. "You up yet?"

"Yeah, I'm up."

"Well come on. Me, Jaime, Shannon, and Mia are going down to the Great Hall for breakfast."

"I'm not dressed yet!" Jenn rolled her eyes. "You guys been up for hours already or what?"

"Only a half hour," came the smug reply. "And if you can be dressed in ten minutes, you can come with us."

"Oh thank you, generous one," Jenn said. "I'll be there. Hang on." She put the Pikachu back onto her bed. "I don't know if I should bring you or not. I don't want you to get in trouble." She frowned. "However you got here. Maybe you're one of Pikachu's line and you snuck in Ash's duffle bag."

She shrugged, "At any rate, I gotta go get dressed!" She turned around and darted over to her luggage, which was still not fully unpacked. "Let's see, how about this." She pulled out a red shirt and blue jeans. "You think this will look okay?"

The Pikachu cocked its head to the side and shrugged.

Jenn's eyes narrowed. "You must be a male Pikachu. Only a guy, no matter what species, would shrug when a girl asked questions about clothes. Just for that, I gotta do this." Jenn reached over and pulled the flat sheet over the Pikachu. She chuckled at the movement beneath the cover. "Give me five minutes to get dressed. You'll have enough air for that."

ooo

From beneath the blanket, Ash sighed patiently. Jenn really was such a blonde. He could hear rustling and resisted the urge to sneak a peek. A moment passed and he pulled the blanket until he could see out. Unfortunately, she'd already finished getting dressed and was walking back towards him.

"Naughty boy," she said teasingly. "You're bad, but it's time for breakfast. Are you one of Ash's?"

The irony wasn't lost on him. He nodded his head since, technically, he was one of his since he _was_ him. He decided he'd just give himself a headache thinking along those lines and focused on other things. Namely, how he could communicate with anyone. Jenn and the girls were out of the question. None of them had any experience with Pikachus, so none could begin to understand the minimum of Pikachuese. He had to talk with Puck or Callie.

"Well, come on with me," she said and scooped him up. "I guess I can find Ash at breakfast and let him know you snuck along."

Anger coursed through him and static electricity sparked his cheeks.

"Hey, come on," Jenn said and sounded a little scared. "I really don't want to experience any electricity this early in the morning."

Ash could sense the fear from her and forced himself to settle down. Facing the Fae that took his place, that stole his identity, would clear things up. He could find Puck or Callie and telepathically talk with them. Then they could expose the Fae for a fake Ash, get on with the trial, and then get back home.

He let Jenn hold him in her arms and forced himself to behave. The blonde walked to the door and into the central room. Trish, Jaime, Mia, and Shannon all gave identical squeals of "A PIKACHU!" and rushed over to see him. Even though his cheeks were already Pikachu red, he could feel a blush steal over him anyway. After all of the spotlighting the divorce gave him, it was nice to have some positive attention.

"This is one of Ash's Pikachus," Jenn was saying. "I think he snuck into Ash's duffle bag."

"Oh you poor thing!" Shannon cooed. "You must be starving!"

"He's so cute," Mia scratched him between his ears.

"How did he know you were here?" Trish arched an eyebrow. "You sure that isn't Satochu?"

Ash felt his heart jump.

"Trish, puh-leze!" Jenn scoffed. "Don't you think I'd know if Ash was a Pikachu? You think I'd fall for that one _again_?"

Trish snickered and Ash silently agreed with the Australian's sentiments.

Jenn pulled him away from the petting hands. "_Anyway_. I know I'm hungry and I think this little guy's hungry, so _we're_ going to lunch."

Mia chuckled. "Don't you mean breakfast?"

"Whatever!" Jenn pulled open the door and made a right.

"You're going the wrong way!" Mia called out.

The blonde reappeared, walking by the door with her nose in the air and holding a Pikachu with a strained look on his little face.

ooo

Breakfast was an affair as opulent as dinner the night before. The girls were clustered at the far end of the main table and were being served lavishly. Platters of food, pitchers of drink, and baskets of toasted bread were spread out all around them.

"What is this?" Callie walked into the Great Hall. "We have a little Pokémon visitor?"

The Pikachu's head whipped around and the little creature ran over to the female Fae. It stood before her and began to chatter excitedly.

Callie crouched down and shook her head, "I'm sorry little one, but I don't speak Pikachu."

It stared at her with a fierce look and Callie waited for it to do something. "Did you want to say something?"

The Pikachu looked stunned, then turned around and trudged slowly back to the table.

"Aww, you poor thing," Jenn got up and walked over to the Pikachu. She picked it up and walked back to the table. "Come on and sit with me."

The blonde sat back on her chair and held the Pikachu on her lap. She leaned over and got a small dish and filled it with pieces of fruit, especially apples, but the Pikachu ignored it.

"Have you ever known a Pikachu to ignore apples?" Shannon asked with concern.

"Nope," Mia said over toast and scrambled eggs. "Then again, I don't really know Pikachus."

"This one is really odd," Trish agreed.

"C'mon, people," Jenn rubbed the Pikachu between tense shoulder blades. "He is right here, you know. I'm pretty sure he can understand what we're saying."

"What who's saying?" Puck had teleported into the room right behind Mia. He gave her a hug and a kiss on her head. "Do we have another visitor?"

The Pikachu once again became excited and he jumped off of Jenn's lap and darted over to Puck. All the while, he chattered incessantly to Puck.

Puck looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry but…I don't understand what you're saying."

"That's what I said," Callie murmured over a slice of watermelon.

The Pikachu stared up at Puck with determination in his little brown eyes. Once again, there was a shake of a Fae head. "What?"

Again, the little Pikachu trudged back to Jenn and hopped up on her lap. He sat back and closed his eyes.

"I think he's meditating," Shannon whispered loudly.

Jenn looked down at the little Pikachu. "I think you're right."

"A Pikachu?" A new voice broke into the room. "How did one of those get here?"

Jenn yelped as a shot of electricity coursed through her. The Pikachu jumped off of her lap and darted towards the newcomer.

"We think he's one of yours," Trish said. "That he snuck into your duffle bag."

Jenn saw that the little Pikachu had a slightly angry air to it and she called out a warning, "Ash, look out!"

The Pikachu froze at the name and that gave Ash a chance to grab the little Pokémon by the scruff of its neck. Try as it may, and it did, the little Pikachu couldn't move.

_"What's going on?"_ Ash growled out angrily. "_Who the hell are you?"_

_:You honestly didn't think I'd let you shock me, did you? You should feel honoured. It's not just anyone that Cormac the Magnificent choses to become,:_ Cormac's silky mental voice chided Ash. :_Think on it, __Chosen__ One…:_ The term was said scathingly. :_I put a freeze on your ability to speak with anyone in English, Pokémonese, or telepathy. Face it, dude, you're stuck like this forever. Or however long Pikachus live for.:_

Ash's heart rose in his throat. No one could understand him…in any way? There had to be a way to communicate with them.

Cormac walked over to Jenn and gave her a sultry look. "Here you go," he put Ash the Pikachu into Jenn's lap. "I think he likes you."

Jenn's jaw dropped. "You're _giving_ him to me?"

"Sure thing, doll," Cormac…Ash…said. "I think you can take good care of him."

:_And it'll be so tormenting to you, Ash. I can't think of a better way to make you suffer.:_

Ash felt his spirits drop, then perk up a little. The Fae said that he couldn't communicate by spoken word or telepathically. He never said anything about _writing _what he wanted to say. Ash picked up a cube of apple. The day was suddenly looking up.

"Oh look, he's eating the apple now," Jaime noticed. "Maybe he just wasn't that hungry."

Ash nibbled the apple while wistfully gazing at the lavish spread that was on the table just out of his reach. What he wouldn't give for a piece of bacon or toast. The smell was tantalizing and driving him nuts. _Why does everyone think that Pikachus only eat all fruit,_ he grumbled internally. _I know for a fact that Pik is partial to a bit of yogurt and cream cheese. _

He had to think and think carefully about his next move. Hopefully he would be able to alert everyone as to who he really was through writing it down. If not then he would have to hope that the jerk who stole his identity would slip up in some way.

Ash noticed that Trish was shooting small glances every now and then at the impostor Ash and then back at him. Perhaps he could try to convince the Australian of his true identity before he tried to communicate with anyone else. After all, she _had_ unknowingly hit the nail on the head with her assertion that he could be Satochu. Again.

_And if anyone can convince Jenn about anything at all, it's Trish_, Ash grinned to himself as he reached for another cube of apple.

Drake walked in to join the group for breakfast, having gone for a morning work out in the palace gym and a shower. As the Orange Crew Leader sat down beside Trish, he noticed the Pokémon.

"Hey, I didn't know Pikachu had come along with us," he grinned.

"It's not Ash's Pikachu," Jenn informed him as she stroked the Pokémon's soft striped back. "And it's a boy Pikachu."

"Oookay," Drake looked at 'Ash'. "So is this one from Pikachu's first litter? Her mate is that Raichu, right?"

"Uh…yeah," Ash nodded quickly. "The Raichu that lives next door in Pallet is the father and this one is just one of two babies she had by him."

Drake gave the Grand Master an odd look, a look that was not missed by the suddenly happy little Pikachu on Jenn's lap. "No, Pikachu's mate is Katrina's Pokémon and they live on the Indigo Plateau. Heck, if _I _know that, _you_ should know that."

"And Pikachu had more than two babies for her first litter, she had six," Trish then added, also giving the man an odd look.

"Ah…well, it is still early in the morning," Ash waved it off. "I didn't have a good sleep last night."

But the Australian wouldn't let it go so easily in her mind. Things were just very strange. The sudden appearance of the Pikachu, how it went to find Jenn of all people, and it was not sticking around Ash at all, it's refusal to eat apple at first and Ash's strange behaviour.

The Grand Master never called any female, 'doll'. That was more of a Gary thing. And the fact that he seemed to have forgotten his favourite Pokémon's first litter was quite extraordinary. After the birth, Ash had been going on like a proud father, reciting and showing off every single one of the Pichus to all who would listen.

ooo

Cormac cursed himself. The power rush of being a so called Chosen One was going to his head. He was so busy trying to get the mortals' minds off of the mystery Pikachu that he was ignoring Cormac's Rule Number One of stealing forms.

Never let your guard down.

With his magickal Fae abilities, he didn't just assume a form, he _became_ the form. He knew most of Ash's memories and thoughts. He had to in order to convincingly become who he had stolen. He also knew the man's fears and how to use them against him. Ash didn't know that, though.

Quickly, he grabbed a plate and loaded it up with what resembled Ash's favourite foods, and got a mug of coffee just as Ash liked. He sat down and started eating voraciously, just as Ash would. He didn't sweat that Callie and Puck, both of which were stronger magickally that he was, were in the room. He had perfect trust in his powers of form stealing. It would not waver unless he messed up and did something unAshlike.

Which was probably the result of the looks he'd been getting. He peered into Ash's memories and knew that the Chosen One wouldn't just give away one of his Pokémon, not unless he _really_ liked the person he gave one to.

And he could tell that Ash _really_ liked Jenn. He couldn't fault the mortal. The blonde looked to be very promising in mating and he could see into her heart, as all Fae could, and he saw that she was genuinely a good person. She was very much like Ash. It was sickening. But it would be her shortcoming. She would never see it coming and in the end she would be easy to take advantage of.

Very easy, indeed.

ooo

Trish and Drake went for a short stroll in the palace rose garden after lunch, and the Orange Crew Leader noticed that his fiancée had been rather preoccupied ever since breakfast.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked as he led her to a marble garden seat.

"Oh, I'm just finding today to be very weird so far," Trish smiled at him as they sat down.

"Like Ash's memory lapse?" Drake raised a dark eyebrow.

"That's just one of them," the Australian confirmed. "And the fact that he called Jenn, 'doll'. That's not like him at all. That's more what Gary would do." She sighed. "Unless I'm just reading too much into it as usual."

"Maybe he's just stressed out at the moment," the Orange Crew Leader shrugged. "He's had to save the world and just got divorced. It's a lot of strain on the poor guy."

"Maybe," Trish allowed. "Then there's that odd Pikachu that just appeared. Puck said that there were no Pokémon to found in the Fae world, and here one appears."

"Jenn said it was one of Ash's and that it probably snuck in his duffle bag."

"Yeah, but why did it only appear this morning? Wouldn't it have popped out not long after we got here? We've been here a full day. It would have had to eat. Plus there's the fact that it went straight to Jenn and not Ash. Something's very strange here."

ooo

Back in the palace, Puck was helping to arrange the decorations for the night's festivities, when he was stopped by Savin. The blond Fae was looking rather pensive.

"Puck, have you seen my brother anywhere today?"

"Cormac? No, sorry," the chestnut-haired Fae shook his head.

"Mum and Dad are getting a little worried. They haven't seen or heard anything from him since last night," Savin explained.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Puck reassured the younger Fae. "He's a grown man. He's probably gone off visiting or something like that."

Ooo

After lunch, the girls went back to their rooms to begin preparing for the ball.

Jenn especially wanted to look her best, mostly because Ash seemed to be paying more attention to her. After breakfast, she had spent the entire morning in the company of the Grand Master. It was perfect…or as perfect as it could be with a little Pikachu who absolutely refused to leave her side the entire time.

It was a little weird, because last night had seemed so stilted, but this morning things felt a little easier. Maybe it was the presence of the strange little Pikachu that helped. She wasn't sure what was going on, but there was something about Ash this morning that made him easier to talk to.

The blonde had hoped that the electric mouse would have the good sense, heck _any_ sense, to go off and leave her alone, especially since she would have had time alone with Ash, but he didn't. There was a set defiance in the small Pokémon's expression, as if he had been daring them to try and make him leave.

The Grand Master had tried to shoo it off a few times but the Pikachu's cheeks had sparked dangerously and Jenn begged the man to leave the mouse be. While Ash may be virtually shock proof after all these years with Pikachu, Jenn certainly wasn't, and there was no way she was having her carefully straightened hair frizzed by electricity.

Jenn carried the Pokémon into her room and placed him on the bed.

"Listen up, tiny, and listen good. I have a dance I've got to get ready for so I don't want any funny stuff from you," she told him. "Trish said she'd be over in a half an hour to help with styling my hair, and I need to be dressed by then."

The Pikachu looked at her and then over at a small desk near the door. He hopped down off the bed and darted over, making a mighty leap to land on the chair.

Jenn looked at him with amusement. "What the heck are you doing?"

The small Pokémon hopped up onto the wooden desk and picked up the pen that was lying on a small writing pad.

The blonde's eyes widened and she moved quickly to remove the pen from the Pokémon's grasp before it could do anything with it.

The Pikachu blinked and chattered angrily.

"This is my favourite pen!" Jenn waved the hard sapphire blue pen warningly. "I don't want you chewing it up."

The little mouse sighed and slumped on the table.

Jenn took a look at the depressed looking mouse and sighed. She placed the pen on the dresser and grabbed her dress from its hook on the side of the wardrobe. "I'm gonna go get into my dress. Do _not _go for that pen."

Ash waited until the door closed before making his move. Luckily, he had plenty of experience in a Pikachu body so he knew how to use it to his advantage. Using his sharp vision, he judged the distance between the table he was on and the dresser. Not far away at all.

It was easy, almost too easy. He went to grab the pen, but paused to study the words on the side. Ash choked back a laugh. _This _was her favourite pen?! Shaking his head, he grabbed it in his jaws and leaped back over to the table.

He could hear the sound of the dress, which was a long silvery grey silk confection, rustling and he figured he didn't have a whole lot of time left. He didn't waste any time in getting the pen into his paw, which actually held a pen quite nicely, and wrote his note. He'd just finished writing it and setting the pen down, when the blonde came out of the bathroom.

Ash was almost stunned by what he saw. Jenn had chosen a snug fitting dress that had a slight train in the back. It had silver beads strategically placed around her…uh…well, the beads were up top.

"I hope you listened to me," Jenn walked over, then groaned. "No, you didn't listen to me." She grabbed the pen and glared at the teeth marks that Ash really had tried to avoid placing. Especially on _that_ pen.

The blonde sighed, "Okay, fine, so maybe you just don't want to listen. Not like you'd be the first to not listen to me."

Ash grabbed the paper and rustled it at her.

"Oh, cute, you wrote me a note," Jenn sighed. "Time to look at some chicken scratch."

Ash felt smug. His handwriting, even as a Pikachu, didn't resemble chicken scratch in the least.

"This is even neater than mine," Jenn looked at him over the top of the paper at him. "You wrote this?"

Ash nodded emphatically. _Finally_ someone would listen to him!

"And you think you're Ash?"

Again, he nodded.

"Oh, that's good! You almost got me!" Jenn laughed, "Jenn, it's Ash, some fae turned me into a Pikachu. Tell Puck immediately." She looked over at him. "So, Satochu, nice to see you being short and silly again."

Ash sighed with relief. "_Thank Lugia_."

"I didn't even speak Pikachuese when I was an Absol, but that sounded really suspicious." The blonde stormed for the door to the central room. She flung it open and yelled for Trish.

Moments later, Jenn was followed by the Australian. "Jenn, what is it?"

"Trish, I'd just like to tell you that this was probably the best joke anyone has ever played on me."

Ash felt his heart drop to his feet. She didn't believe him!

"Jenn, what are you talking about!"

Jenn gave her friend the note. "I mean, this was a great touch and all, but I think you need to give him back to Ash. I should've known that Ash wouldn't really give me a Pokémon like that."

Trish looked from the note to the Pikachu with something bordering on disbelief. "Jenn, I didn't play any prank on you."

At the same time that Trish and Jenn were talking, Ash put his two cents in and tried to get Trish's attention. He tried to talk to her, hoping against hope that he could at least get through to the Australian.

Finally Jenn had had enough. "ASH, WILL YOU **SHUT UP**!"

There was near deafening silence. Jenn stared down at the shocked Pikachu with a horrified look on her face. "I mean…I just…"

She fled the room, leaving behind one surprised Pikachu and one confused friend.

Trish winced and sighed. "I think we'd better find Puck."

Ash perked up a little at the words and cocked his head at the Australian, pointing first at the note and then at himself. '_Pikachu pika Pikapi?_'

Trish looked at the note still in her hands and then at the Pikachu with the pleading brown eyes. "It's _really_ you, Ash isn't it?"

Ash nodded emphatically. "_Pika!!!"_

"I thought something was strange!!" The Australian grinned. "You didn't strike me as being a normal Pikachu at all."

Ash cheered happily. "_Pika! Pikachu_!' Finally, someone believed him! He was right in trying to focus his efforts on Trish. Drake's bride to be was one smart and sharp cookie.

"How the heck did you end up like this, again?" Trish wanted to know. "Was it Puck?"

He shook his head, picked up the pen and wrote one word on a piece of paper before waving it at the girl.

Trish walked over and took it off him. "Cormac," she read. "Who the hell is he?"

Ash shrugged.

"Wait…he must be the one who's pretending to be you," Trish realised. "But why? I guess we'll find out after we find Puck," she said as she picked him up. "Luckily for you, I had finished getting ready half an hour ago!"

It was then that Ash noticed that Trish was indeed, dressed up and glamorous in an off the shoulder ruby red gown with crystal beading around the neckline, which fluttered and shimmered with every movement. Her raven tresses were swept up in a stylish do, with a red rose pinned just above her left ear.

"Now don't you tear the dress with your sharp claws," she warned him lightly. "This wasn't cheap and Grand Master or not, if you ruin this dress, then you'll be a Pikachu fur stole."

Ash gulped and made sure to keep still.

"Let's get Drake first then we'll find Puck."

ooo

After Jenn had run out of the room, she realised she had nowhere else to go but to the dance. She sighed and smoothed down her hair. _I guess the fancy hair styling will have to wait until the next dance,_ Jenn grinned ruefully. _Cuz I am **far **too proud to walk back in there. Plus it's just too odd to think that Ash could be a foot tall…**again.**_

As she walked towards the Grand Ballroom, her mind retraced over what had just happened.

The note was no joke, no playful prank pulled on her by Trish. Jenn refused to believe that the Pikachu could be a transformed Ash. She didn't _want_ to believe, because that would mean she had been duped. _Again_. And that thought was unbearable. It was bad enough that most people thought she was a dumb blonde, but to be proven tricked again by the same transformation would _really_ make her look dumb.

_No, this has to be a joke. I would know if Ash wasn't the real deal_, she told herself silently. _Plus, I would know better than anyone else if someone had been turned into a Pokémon since it had happened to me. It wasn't that bad being an Absol, but the possibility for romance was negative zero._

_It just has to be a prank Puck is playing on me_, she convinced herself. _Having a Pikachu writing a note was all a set up and nothing more than that. I spent the whole day with Ash and he hadn't done anything weird or out of character._

"Jenn!" A familiar male voice broke into her thoughts. "I've been looking for you."

She looked to see the Grand Master standing in the doorway to the ballroom, looking suave and handsome in a tuxedo.

"Ash!" she greeted the man shyly. "You look really nice tonight."

"And you look extremely beautiful," he said as his approving eyes roved up and down her figure.

The blonde blushed and looked at the polished marble floor while her face cooled down. Maybe Trish was right when she said that Ash cared for her. Maybe tonight would see the happy ending she had been craving.

A hand came into sight, a familiar hand, and Jenn looked up to see Ash offering his hand to her. "Shall we enter the dance in style, m'lady?"

"You bet!" Jenn grinned. Then she felt stupid for even considering that Ash could be a Pikachu again. He was here in all his tall, dark, and handsome glory. She brushed away her fears of being publicly seen with him. There was no paparazzi here, no one to report to Ash's fans that he was seen with her at a dance, and no one to care if she would be romantic around him.

_Screw what everyone thinks_, she thought dreamily. _I'm in for the night of my life._

_To be continued…._

_ooo_

_Author's Note: Many apologies to the readers of this series for the very long delay in updates. A combination of family problems, a new intensive job which is now over by the end of this month and general procrastination. Everyone suffers from that from time to time._

_But I haven't exactly been idle writing wise. I do have a few chapters in their raw format up my sleeve._


	34. 33: Leavin My Life in Your Hands

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me, it belongs to Nintendo. Puck does not belong to me but to William Shakespeare. The storyline does belong to me. The lyrics in the chapter title come from the Backstreet Boys 'As Long As You Love Me'.

ooo

_Chapter Thirty-Three: Leavin' My Life in Your Hands_

Twenty minutes later, Trish arrived with Drake, Shannon and Jaime in tow; the Canadian holding the Pikachu.

Trish, with Ash's help, had filled the others in on the situation before they went to look for Puck. Problem was, the chestnut-haired Fae was nowhere to be found.

"He probably went to the dance earlier with Mia," Shannon said. "I think I overheard her saying that he was going to introduce her to some of his closest friends beforehand."

"Why is it that you can never find someone when you _really_ need them," Trish sighed and had gently hugged a drooping Pikachu.

The small group stood in the doorway to the Grand Ballroom and looked around in admiration. The venue was truly a magnificent sight, with tall arched windows reaching almost to the high vaulted ceiling. Huge crystal chandeliers hung at intervals down the length of the room and cast a brilliant glow over the glittering crowds below.

"How on earth are we supposed to find one Fae in a sea of hundreds?" Shannon whispered as she self consciously adjusted the sleeves of her gown.

"Telepathy?" Drake suggested as he led them into the room. "There's no way we're just going to be able to find him just by looking, there are too many people! My guess is that we have to focus our thoughts on him and contact him that way."

"We have to look for Jenn too," Trish reminded them. "I don't like the thought of her being alone with that impostor at all."

There was an answering growl from the Pikachu and his cheeks sparked dangerously.

"Calm down, Ash," Jaime berated the small Pokémon. "I don't want or deserve to be shocked, so save that electricity for when you find this jerk."

Ash grinned sheepishly and patted her hand with his paw as a way of apology.

As they made their way through the crowds, a small murmur ran through the Faes that these must be the mortals who were special and honoured guests of the King and Queen.

A brunette Fae who was so scantily clad that Jaime and Shannon had to look away, smiled flirtatiously at Drake as he passed.

But the Orange Crew Leader merely smiled politely and slipped his arm around Trish's waist, holding her close as he raised her left hand to his lips and kissed it, the diamond ring sparkling in the light.

The Fae looked disappointed, and Trish reminded herself to keep acting classy and dignified. What she really wanted to do was give the Fae girl the finger and say "Sucked in!" But she wouldn't because that would be lowering herself.

The Australian looked around the crowded room in the hopes she could spot a certain blonde.

_Jenn, where are you?_

ooo

Jenn was feeling the happiest she had ever been in a very long while, slow dancing in the arms of the Grand Master to some very romantic Fae music.

_If this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up,_ she thought to herself as she snuggled against Ash.

The blonde not only felt beautiful, she _knew_ she was beautiful. Ash had not taken his eyes off her since they had met up at the dance. It felt as if they were the only two in the whole room.

Ash drew her closer until they were pressed against each other, his hand that had been at the small of her back, slowly sliding down until it was much lower.

Jenn flushed as she felt something begin to bulge between them in Ash's lower regions. _Ohmigawd, can this really be happening?_

The Grand Master looked at her with a heated gaze, "How about we take a break from all this dancing and sit outside for a while?"

"Sure," she replied with nervous anticipation.

ooo

"Where is Puck?" Trish hissed to her friends as they continued to try to contact the Fae. "And while we're at it, where is _Jenn_?"

The blonde was nowhere to be seen, nor was the impostor Ash.

"This is not good. Not good at all," the Australian fretted. "We've got to find her."

"Now hang on, Trish," Jaime tried to soothe the girl. "Aren't you overreacting a little? Jenn's an adult, a big girl. I'm sure she can take care of herself against this guy."

"Ordinarily I would agree with you," Trish said. "But not this time, because this guy is not just pretending to be anyone, he's pretending to be Ash. And Ash is Jenn's weak spot."

"Huh?"

"What I mean is that Jenn is capable of defending herself against _any_ guy, even Gary, but not against Ash," the Australian explained patiently. "She would do anything for him and any guy pretending to be him could use that to take advantage of her. Remember that incident when Lu put a glamour on Rudy to make him look like Ash? Jenn got a tattoo that was really a spying device, even though Jenn loathes needles and hates a lot of pain but she got it because Ash had one."

"And this guy is not only pretending to be Ash but he's got magic as well," Drake realised with a frown. "That makes him all the more dangerous."

"I don't know, guys," Shannon said nervously. "I mean, shouldn't we not be jumping to conclusions just yet? The guy could have just pretended to be Ash for some harmless fun, that's all."

Trish and the Pikachu just gave her a Look.

"Shannon, stealing a person's identity is never harmless fun," Trish said firmly. "He turned the real Ash into a Pikachu so that he couldn't stop him. No, this guy sounds like bad news."

"But how do we even hope to track them down in this crowd?" Jaime gestured.

Trish looked down at the Pikachu who cocked his head to the side. "How about we track her down using a Pikachu's sense of smell?"

Ash blinked.

"You can't tell me that you were in there the whole time with Jenn and didn't catch the scent of her favourite perfume?" Trish grinned. "The girl practically swims in _Chanel Chance_ and I doubt if any Fae wears perfume like that."

He thought about it then nodded. Now that Trish mentioned it, he did remember smelling the floral scent of Jenn's perfume as she dabbed it on. It was one that he had always liked.

Jaime put the small creature down on the floor. "Now just be careful that no one accidentally steps on you," she reminded him.

The Pikachu lifted his nose in the air and sniffed intently. Catching the faint trace of Jenn's perfume, he ran off into the crowds, with the group following close behind.

ooo

Cormac was grinning to himself as he led the unsuspecting blonde to one of the many alcoves off the wide marble veranda that surrounded the Grand Ballroom. Each alcove had bench seating and wooden trellises covered with ivy to give privacy.

He was going to score with the blonde mortal tonight. He could tell she would do anything and everything that he told her to, because she thought he was the Grand Master. She was but putty in his arms.

Cormac had tried to ignore the growing bulge in his pants all evening but could not contain his lust any longer. Crude it may be, but he was going to take the blonde in the alcove while everyone else was dancing inside. _This love struck blonde will probably find my love moves romantic_, he thought snidely.

He pulled her into one of the alcoves and ignored her surprised little eep.

"We're making out here?"

"Isn't it romantic enough?" Cormac was surprised.

"Oh it's lovely!" Jenn said quickly. "I'm just a little surprised since it's not that far from everyone else."

"That little bit of danger makes it fun."

"And I laugh in the face of danger!"

Cormac shrugged. "If you feel like it."

Jenn frowned. "You know, I laugh in the face of danger."

"Yeah, you said that already." Cormac frowned. "Don't you want to make out?"

"Well, yeah," Jenn said. "It's just that…"

"What?"

"Nothing, I'm probably just imagining things."

"You _are_ blonde," Cormac said. "It's bound to happen."

Jenn stood up angrily. "What the hell do you mean by that?!"

"Everyone knows that blondes aren't that smart."

"That's it, I am so out of here."

Cormac narrowed his eyes. "No, you're not."

"Watch me, dork!" She walked by him, but he grabbed her wrist. "Hey! Let me go, Ash!"

Cormac was thrilled by the fear that suddenly laced her voice. "I don't think so. We came in here to make out."

"Well I don't want to anymore," Jenn jerked her arm, but Cormac wasn't letting go. "Let go!"

"No, and right about now, I think I deserve more than making out," Cormac stood and pulled her against his body. "Let's take things up a notch."

Jenn's eyes got wide, "I so don't think so."

"You're blonde, that's natural that you don't think," Cormac shoved her back onto one of the benches.

"This isn't like you, Ash," Jenn's voice quivered. "You're not acting like yourself."

"Oh to the void with this," Cormac said. "I don't really care about pretending anymore. I'm getting you and no one can stop me. Especially not that stupid Chosen One."

"What's going on?!" Jenn cried out. "What're you talking about?!"

ooo

Nimbly weaving in and out between all the legs, Ash finally made it out onto the wide veranda. Sitting on his haunches, he sniffed the air again. Jenn's perfume was much stronger and his sharp Pikachu ears caught the sounds of two voices nearby, one masculine, low and menacing, one feminine and slightly raised with fear.

It was Jenn and she was about to be in huge trouble.

Waves of fury welled up inside him and Ash's cheeks sparked dangerously as he put on a burst of speed with Agility.

Pokémon form or not, he would be damned in Hell if he let that creep who stole his identity, hurt the girl that he _really_ liked. Even more so when that jerk was posing as _him_.

Some distance behind him, he heard the voices of his friends as they followed his jagged tail.

Just as he neared the alcove, a high-pitched scream rang through the air.

ooo

Jenn was absolutely terrified as she lay against the cold marble of the bench, slightly dazed from the brutal shove 'Ash' had given her when she had tried to get up. He was now standing over her with some rope he had got from Lugia knows where and tying her wrists above her head.

The blonde silently cursed her stupidity in running off from Trish and the little Pikachu earlier. She cursed her stupid pride that wouldn't let her go back to them. If she had, then she wouldn't be in this mess. _Hindsight is **such** a bitch_.

With a sinking heart, Jenn realised that she had been duped again. She knew now that this man wasn't Ash at all. There was no way in the world that Ash would ever treat her like this man was treating her. Even worse, that meant that the Pikachu with the note had been right all along. That Pikachu was the real Ash Ketchum, and this Ash was an impostor.

An impostor who was about to rape her.

Jenn struggled furiously to get upright as the man was fumbling with his pants. If only she could get to her feet, then she could run towards the ballroom and towards help.

But she couldn't manage it and tears prickled the back of her eyes. Where was Trish? Where was Ash? Heck, she would have even loved to see Drake appear just about now. Jenn knew that the Orange Crew Leader would have had no trouble punching this jerk into unconsciousness.

Suddenly a yellow blur skittered around the corner and launched itself at high speed right at her attacker. The impact right in the middle of his stomach region sent the man flying to the other side of the alcove.

The blur landed upright on all fours and Jenn's heart leapt when she saw it was a Pikachu with red cheeks sparking dangerously.

Before the man could move, the Pikachu clenched its tiny paws into fists and sent a huge bolt of lightning into the impostor. '_PIKA!!!"_

The man screamed and his form jerked and spasmed with the huge amount of electricity coursing through him before it died down as suddenly as it had appeared.

As he lay there smoking, something strange happened to the man, and his body glowed and wavered until finally a blond-haired Fae lay unconscious. Then he glowed again and reverted back to a dark-haired Ash.

Jenn's eyes widened at the sight and at the little Pikachu who dusted its paws together with a satisfied '**_Kachu._**' But she had no time to ponder this latest development as her friends came barrelling around the corner.

"Jenn!!" Trish gasped and rushed over to her friend, as did Drake. The two managed to gently raise her to an upright position and loosened her bonds. Jenn sagged against the Orange Crew Leader and he put his arm around her, supporting her with his strength.

"I don't suppose this is the perfect time to say I told…"

"Drake, your continued existence depends so much on you _not_ finishing that sentence."

"_Cha_," the Pikachu jumped up onto the bench next to the two.

"I can't deal with all of this right now." Jenn looked down at him. "I need to just go to sleep and wake up and forget all this happened."

She stood up, a little shaky, and walked out. Trish followed close behind.

Drake snorted, "Now she _wants_ to forget."

Ash nodded and went to follow, but Drake shook his head. "I really wouldn't, Ash. She needs some time."

Ash sighed but sat back. He looked back at Cormac, who still looked like him, and shocked him again, just because.

Drake turned a blind eye to it, but grinned anyway. What could he say? The impostor had obviously been trying to get away.

"What's going on?" A new voice came onto the scene. It was Puck, Mia and Callie with Savin not far behind.

The Orange Crew Leader pointed to the unconscious man lying on the ground. "This Fae here has been impersonating Ash, who the Fae turned into this Pikachu here."

Ash waved his paw at them.

"And Ash just saved Jenn from being raped by this guy by using a nice Thunder attack."

"By the gods," Puck breathed, absolutely horrified, as were the two other Faes. "Is Jenn okay?"

"She's a bit shaken but otherwise unharmed," Drake reassured them. "Trish has gone back to the room with her."

"I'm sure she'll be fine after a good night's sleep," Shannon added, though she looked worried.

"So who's this?" Callie asked, pointing at the Fae on the ground, whose form was softly glowing.

"Someone called Cormac," Drake said.

Savin's eyes widened. "Cormac?" As he said the words, the Fae glowed once before reverting to the blond-haired male he had always been.

"So that's why we couldn't find him," Savin breathed as he knelt down beside his brother and helped him up to a sitting position. "Mother and Father will be pleased that he has been found." He looked at the gathered mortals, "I am sorry for all this, but Cormac has always been my parents' favourite and he's always got what he wanted. I guess he decided he wanted Jenn and that Ash was in the way."

The Pikachu frowned and began to chatter angrily to the Orange Crew Leader next to him.

Though he had no idea what Ash was saying, Drake frowned as well, "I don't think a simple sorry is gonna cut it with Ash or Jenn. Identity theft and attempted rape are serious crimes and Cormac can't go unpunished for it, even if he has managed to get away with it before. Maybe if someone had put their foot down before when he was younger, it would have never come to this."

"Don't worry, he won't go unpunished," Callie assured him as a group of Fae sentries came running out in response to her signal.

Two burly guards hauled Cormac to his feet and handcuffed his wrists behind his back. Cormac groaned at the sensation of the iron that had been clapped around his wrists.

"Tell the King and Queen that this Fae stole the identity of the Chosen One and attempted to force himself on one of the mortal females," the female Fae gave the instructions.

The guards nodded and hauled their prisoner off.

Puck watched them disappear around the corner before turning back to the small electric mouse that was sitting patiently on the marble bench. "So, I guess we turn you back to normal now, huh, Ash?"

The Pikachu glared daggers at the chestnut-haired Fae and he grinned sheepishly. "Oh right, I forgot what happens when you turn back. Let's go back to your room first then perform the spell."

ooo

Jenn was never so glad to reach the safety of her room as she was that night. The blonde walked in and sat down on the edge of her bed and buried her face in her hands.

Soft footsteps came across the carpet and she knew without looking that Trish had followed her. Without a word, her best friend sat down beside her and placed a gentle hand on her back.

Now that the adrenalin had died down, a bad case of the shakes now set in, along with tears. For once, Jenn didn't care if anyone saw her crying. She was that far past caring. She had never been that frightened in her life. Not even the incident on the _Titanic_ had shaken her this much, because she had at least known what to expect on the ship and could take steps to save herself.

Here she had been bound up and rendered totally helpless, and her attacker had been a lot stronger than she had been and had magic in his arsenal as well. "You know," she said, her words muffled as she didn't lift her head from her hands, "This coulda all been spared if Puck had given me my fire power back."

Trish's concern instantly bordered on exasperation. Trust the girl to a) not give up on getting magic back in her life and b) to joke during a serious time.

"I don't think it would've worked here, Jenn."

"Ash's did," Jenn sat up, mindless of her tear streaked face. "Ash…I can't even believe he was a Pikachu _again._"

"Strange things happen around him all the time." Trish shrugged. "He's the Chosen One."

There was silence for a moment, broken by a yawn from Jenn. A yawn that was chopped up by a hiccup left over from crying.

"You'd better get some sleep, missy," Trish said sternly. "Things will be brighter in the morning."

"Of course they will," Jenn said sagely. "It'll be morning. That sun thing will be in the sky."

Trish slapped her friend lightly on the shoulder. "Get changed and get to sleep."

"Yes, mom," Jenn said, slightly mockingly. She gave her friend a hug and then watched as the door closed behind Trish. The blonde sighed and looked down at her dress. It was torn along the side and streaked with dirt.

She stalked to the bathroom, closed the door, and then tore the dress off. She balled it up and tossed it into the trash can, then turned the water on hot and steamy. She'd need a bath before getting to bed or else she would be unable to sleep. Jenn had always found bathing to be relaxing.

ooo

Trish managed to locate her friends easily enough when she returned to the Grand Ballroom, they were standing off to the side, evidently deciding that it was safer for mere mortals to stick together when faced with mischievous magical beings.

Jaime was the first to notice her approach and told the rest, who then all perked up with expectant gazes.

"How's Jenn?" Drake asked his fiancée as she slipped her hand in his.

"She's a bit unstrung and upset, but she'll be okay after she has a good sleep. I sent her off to bed," Trish informed them.

"You sure she'll be okay?" Mia asked, doubt tingeing her voice. "I mean this is Jenn after all. She says she's fine when she isn't and all that."

"I'm sure," the Australian grinned. "The reason being that Jenn kept making wisecracks the whole time I was there. If Jenn doesn't make light of a serious situation with at least one wisecrack, _then_ there is something seriously wrong."

"If you say so," the brunette was still a little doubtful.

"If Trish says not to worry about Jenn, then I wouldn't worry," Drake told Mia. "After all she's her best friend and knows her best. Who else would have continued to put up with Jenn all this time?"

Trish smacked the Orange Crew Leader on his arm. "Hush, Drake and be nice for once! Jenn's just had a very traumatic event."

"I _am_ being nice," Drake protested. "I can't help it if Jenn's always getting herself into trouble."

"That's true," the Australian sighed. "Sometimes I wish she had a tracking device on her so I could find her _before_ she gets into trouble."

"That would take all the fun out if it," Drake said, "Don't you think?"

"I'm thinking that you're not thinking," Trish grumped. "Why don't you go and be a sweetie and get me a little something to drink?"

"Uh…okay," Drake scurried off, glad for the respite.

"Trish, did you send him off just to get him out of here?" Mia grinned.

The Australian smirked, "You know me _far_ too well!"

ooo

Half an hour later, Ash returned with Puck to the festivities, now back in his proper human form. The Grand Master adjusted his bow-tie a little before entering the room.

He chuckled a little at the thought that the last time he had entered this very room, he had been a foot tall Pikachu.

"They're over there," Puck indicated the far side of the room and led him towards their friends.

"Hey Ash, glad to see _chu_ back to normal," Trish quipped with a wicked grin.

Groans all around.

"Trish, that was _really _bad," Shannon shook her head good-naturedly.

"Thank you," the Australian beamed. "I try."

Ash grinned at the light-hearted banter before sobering and asking the question that been plaguing his mind for the past hour. "How's Jenn doing?"

In reply, Trish took his hand. "How about we talk about this while we take a turn around the dance floor?"

"Uh…okay," Ash blinked with confusion but let her lead him into the crowds.

Taking her into his arms, they began to dance and Trish fixed him with calm gaze. "Jenn is going to be fine, Ash. She was rather shaken so I sent her to bed, but I think that things will be better in the morning."

"That's good," the Grand Master sighed in relief. "I don't think I could bear it if she'd been hurt by that creep, especially while he was pretending to be me."

"Thanks for saving her, Ash," Trish said gratefully. "If it hadn't been for you racing ahead…well I don't think I really want to consider what would have happened to Jenn."

"You've known me long enough by now to know that I live to help," the dark-haired man smiled. "It's part of my nature."

"Mind if I start calling you Jenn's Guardian Angel?" Trish grinned. "Every single time she's been in trouble, you've been the one to rescue her. It's almost like you have her on radar."

"Nothing like that, I can assure you," he said. "I just have a knack for turning up at the right time."

"And thank Lugia that you do."

Ash then asked a question that had been bugging him ever since they had arrived in the Fae realms, and who better to answer than the girl who knew best?

"Trish, have you noticed that Jenn's been a little jittery around me lately?"

"She's not just a little jittery, she's more like jumpy," the Australian rolled her eyes.

"Is…it something I've said or done?"

"Not at all," Trish shook her head. "It's more like the fact that Jenn has really got it bad for you. I know that's nothing new but the situation between you is now different. You're now available, so things could possibly happen between you two."

Ash started to protest but Trish put a hand up to stop him.

"I know that it's too soon for you to think about dating again, everyone knows that," she continued. "But I do think perhaps there's a chance later on for happiness."

"I know," the Grand Master said. "And I do like Jenn, a lot."

"Perhaps a little more than friends?" Trish asked knowingly.

Ash almost went to deny it, but then changed his mind. Who was he trying to kid? There were no paparazzi snooping around and Trish would never run to the press and blab. "Yeah, I do."

"I knew it!" Trish grinned then sobered. "Jenn's just very afraid of being hurt again, that's why she's a little jittery around you. Gary was her first real relationship and he treated her like trash. Just treat her gently and treat her nice, or Grand Master or not, it'll be _your_ funeral."

"Do you think she's afraid of me?"

"What? That's absurd!"

"It's just that…these new powers are a little hard to control at times." He sighed. "I'm a little confused at times by them."

Trish shook her head. "You are so talking to the wrong person about this."

Ash laughed, "Yeah, I know. I should probably be talking to Sabrina about it."

"She's creepy, Ash," Trish said. "Really creepy."

"Aww, she's not so bad once you get to know her," the Grand Master defended his colleague and friend. "She hasn't reverted back to that scary version since Haunter joined her."

"She's still kinda creepy."

ooo

Jenn woke up, refreshed, to brilliant sunlight streaming in through the gap in the long silk curtains. Rubbing her eyes as she slowly raised herself to a sitting position, the events of last night came flooding back.

The Pikachu handing her the note to say he was really Ash, Jenn running out of the room on Trish and Ash. Ash…_no_…Cormac trying to rape her and the real Ash in the shape of a Pikachu coming to her rescue.

The blonde sighed and ran a hand through her messy bed hair. Why did things around her always have to be so messed up?

Why didn't she listen to Trish when her friend first raised the possibility that the strange little Pikachu was Ash, when her friend was usually right about her hunches? Why didn't she believe Ash when he waved that note at her?

Hang on, make that why did she _refuse_ to believe that Ash could have been a Pikachu again. Deep deep down inside she had known that the Pikachu was telling the truth; otherwise she never would have yelled at it using Ash's name when it kept trying to talk to Trish. Jenn _had_ known, which is why she had run.

But running from the truth had turned out to be the worst mistake she had made.

Now not only would she have to hear an "I told you so!" from Trish, but she would also have to thank Ash for saving her life yet again _and_ apologize to him for not believing him.

_This day has the potential to be extremely sucky._

ooo

Breakfast was quieter compared to the previous day because all were tired from the dance. It was also awkward for two in particular.

Jenn looked a little nervous to be around Ash, and froze with 'deer caught in the headlights' look on her face whenever he so much as glanced her way.

Ash sighed inwardly, making a note to try to talk to her later.

Trish was another who was a little exasperated by the blonde's behaviour, but knew from past experience that there was not much she could do about it. She decided to take a stroll through the palace gardens to muse over Jenn and Ash and to come to terms with the fact that she would have to relive her ordeal at the hands of Lu in a few days time.

ooo

Trish wandered through the tall hedges of the rear garden. The gardens themselves were amazing. There were five of them, one for each element that the Faes worked with in their magic. She was in the earth garden and was surrounded by many hues of brown and green.

Birds chirped softly and a warm breeze gently teased her hair. Trish was walking by a large evergreen when she heard a voice nearby.

"...and if you were to, again _in theory_, jump from the top turret, I dare say that you won't die."

Trish blinked. What was the subject of this conversation?!? Intrigued, she walked closer until she came upon a small clearing. Sitting beneath a large oak tree was a brown haired guy who looked to be around her own age.

Though she didn't make any motion, he looked up, right at her, and looked back down. Trish was very put off by that. How rude! He looked right at her, took no notice of her, and continued talking with...nothing. It struck Trish as odd that he looked somewhat like Danny.

Her curiosity was beyond piqued. She walked closer until she could more clearly hear him. She could also see that he looked very much like Danny. So much that they could almost be twins. If it weren't for his brilliant purple eyes, they could be twins.

"Of course she cannot see me! She's mortal and I am Fae." The Fae paused and scowled down at the boulder who had apparently offended him. "What do you mean she's right behind me? What do you mean, turn around?"

"The boulder said to turn around," Trish said with false sweetness. "I think you should listen to it."

"It's not a boulder that I am talking to," The Fae was irritated. "It's the cricket on top of it!"

"What cricket?"

Then the Fae turned back and got a good look at her. "You!" His eyes widened and he leaped to his feet. "What are you doing here?"

"Puck invited me." Trish tilted her head to the side. "Who are you talking to if it's not the boulder?"

The Fae went to answer then paused, "What do you mean she can see me but not you?"

"I can't hear him either." Trish added on.

The Fae sighed. "Yes, yes, of _course_ you're right."

"Okay," Trish said, puzzled.

"Not you," he gestured to the boulder. "Him."

"Who?"

"He won't show himself to you," the Fae said. "Air spirit, you know. Flighty things. Annoying things, as well." He sighed. "Fine, I'm sorry for saying the truth about you."

A stiff breeze gusted by, aimed directly at the Fae, and he sighed patiently. "Let's just go back to the palace and find Puck. And if you won't show yourself, then at least leave and take your wind with you."

The wind ceased and the Fae gestured to Trish. "Come along. Let's go find Puck." Then he muttered, "Damned annoying trickster."

Trish paused, then followed the Fae. As she passed the boulder, she caught sight of something small and blue sitting on the boulder. She turned her head to look, and caught a fleeting glimpse of a tiny winged figure dressed in blue. It...he...was barely taller than her cell phone. It waved at her, then vanished from sight.

_That was as tiny as Tinkerbell!_ Trish thought excitedly, but followed the Danny looking Fae. _Hope Jenn doesn't see this guy. She'll fall all over him!_

She was also curious to know more about this Fae and why the curious reaction to her presence here. How did he know her when she had never set foot in the Fae realms before? Nor did she remember ever seeing this particular Fae in the past.

The only Faes she knew were Puck, Callie, Flory and Lu. Not that she really knew Lu at all but had the unfortunate luck to be one of his victims.

ooo

They found Puck in one of the sitting rooms, leafing through a book. The chestnut-haired Fae glanced up at their approach and his eyes widened.

Placing the book down quickly on the table, he gave a graceful bow. "Your Highness, Prince Fiore, what may I do for you?"

Trish raised an eyebrow. The Fae that looked like Danny was a prince? He certainly didn't act like one.

Fiore gestured to Trish. "This mortal lady says that you invited her. Is that so?"

Puck's eyes widened. "Trish? Why yes, your parents and I invited her along with the other mortals. They are needed to testify against Lucius." He looked a little worried. "Has she been bothering you, your highness?"

"I haven't been bothering _anyone_," the Australian scowled at Puck. "And that's the truth." Trish simmered inside. Maybe she was wrong. This guy was certainly acting as arrogant as she thought a prince might act.

"They're here for the Courts?" Fiore frowned. "So that would mean that they're going to testify."

Trish sighed. "He already said that!"

"Trish," Puck said warningly. "Prince Fiore is one of the sons of the King and Queen."

"Puck, I got that," Trish said. "I know what Prince means."

"No, don't worry about it, Puck," Fiore said. "Listen, I have some things to do, so I'd appreciate it if you could watch over Trish."

"Excuse you!" Trish said, very Jenn like. "I am not a helpless creature that needs to be looked after!"

Fiore gave her a blank look, then shrugged. "I'll be seeing you around, Puck."

With that, Fiore walked out of the room. The door closed on its own behind the Prince.

"That guy is so arrogant!" Trish seethed.

"That guy is a Prince," Puck said patiently. "And you're lucky you didn't get him mad."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I _didn't _do anything wrong," the Australian said with some exasperation. "All I was doing was walking in the palace gardens when I came across this prince talking to what appeared to be himself about jumping off the top turret and not dying. Naturally I walked over to him to introduce myself and ask if everything is alright. Now if that is a crime in this realm, then you should have big signs up wherever the royal family is, saying "Do not enter, do not speak to royal family."

"Okay, okay," the chestnut-haired Fae held his hands up in submission. "I thought you had done something else for the prince to come and ask me how you came to be here."

"Well I didn't," Trish crossed her arms. "And Prince or not, I am going to talk to him and get some answers."

"Whoa there," Puck looked a little nervous. "I don't think that's a very good idea, Trish. What if he gets mad?"

"So? I think I deserve an explanation of why he leapt to his feet and said "You!!" and asked me what I was doing here, when I have never seen him before in my life. Then being taken to see you and then him walking off without so much as an explanation as to his behaviour towards me. It's like I'm being accused of some crime without being told what the crime is."

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that," Puck said. He hesitated. "I doubt he was trying to accuse you of something."

"Then _what _do you call that attitude?"

"Royalty," Puck shrugged. "He's born to it and it's all he knows, but he's actually a lot more personable than his brothers."

Trish made a face, "He's not as bad as his brothers? I _so_ do not want to meet them."

"I don't know if that will be possible," Puck gave a wry grin. "You _are_ staying in their palace."

"We've been here, what, two or three days and he's the first one I've seen," Trish declared. " This place is huge. I think it's possible."

ooo

Jenn was slouched in a large leather chair in the library, completely engrossed in a novel, when she noticed that there were a pair of legs peeking from under the book. Feeling apprehensive, she slowly and reluctantly looked up and saw the Grand Master staring at her.

Still, she gave a little shriek and dropped the book at the sight of the one man she had been trying to avoid all day. Her luck had finally run out. "Ash!! What are you doing here?!" She scowled at the book. She'd lost her place.

Ash raised a dark eyebrow. "Wanting to ask you how you are feeling after last night. Unless I'm not allowed to ask such a question of the Goddess."

Jenn flushed slightly under the dark gaze. "Uh…sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I'm much better this morning, thanks for asking."

Relief washed over the Grand Master's features. "That's good to hear." He looked down at her book and then at her. "Listen, can we talk?"

Jenn fidgeted with the pages of her book. It didn't really matter what page she'd been on. It wasn't all that interesting, though it beat trying to come up with an excuse to say to Ash. She wasn't too sure about being alone with him, even with a little voice inside her conscience telling her otherwise.

_C'mon girl, think about it. That wasn't Ash last night and you know it. That was just another Fae pretending to be him. This is the real deal in front of you and you know he would never hurt you. In fact he rescued you again, so why would he hurt you? Besides you can't run away from him forever. _

"Uh, sure," the blonde shut the book and put it down on the table next to the chair. "Take a seat.

Ash sat down beside her and seemed to be debating with himself over something. Finally he took a deep breath and turned to her. "Jenn….why are you so afraid of me? You've never been afraid before. Why now?"

Jenn blinked. "Me? Afraid of you? Of course not!"

"Then why have you been trying to avoid me all this time?"

"Wow, you know, I bet the mixed signals from me are just frustrating." She finally said. At his nod, she continued. "It's just that, I mean, I _like_ you, but you just got divorced. Then we came here and it was like, wow I'm finally free to talk to you, and then BAM!" She smacked her hands together and grinned when Ash jumped a little. "You get turned into a Pikachu, and he turns into you."

"But still…"

"Ah, ye of little memory," Jenn said. "I know it wasn't much of a big deal for you, but that guy looked and sounded just like you."

"Yeah, I remember that much," Ash rolled his eyes. "I'm a guy, but I'm not stupid."

"You said it, not me," Jenn said, then continued. "See, it wouldn't sound the same if I said, imagine if some female Fae turned me into an Absol, then turned into me, just so she could have her wicked way with you."

Ash grinned and had to duck to avoid getting smacked by Jenn. "Okay, okay, I _get_ it!"

"You're _gonna _get it. Besides, it wasn't the fact that he wanted to have his wicked way with me," Jenn scowled and thought it over. "I mean, it _was_, because even if he looked and sounded like you, he wasn't _you_. But the point was that I was powerless to do anything. I don't like that."

Ash wisely said nothing. If he wasn't in the Fae dimension, he'd have all his Chosen One powers at the ready. Since he was here, the magics in this dimension had effectively neutralized his powers. That may not make much sense to anyone not used to dealing with magic, but Ash had been told by Puck that the King and Queen were extremely powerful and that they'd set wards in place. Anyone that ventured in from any other dimension would be without their powers while in the Fae dimension.

Jenn sighed. "I just can't wait to get back home. It sucks when idiots around you are insanely powerful. I just want to get this stupid trial done and over with."

"Yeah, you must miss your family."

"And my Pokémon," Jenn shrugged. "I haven't even gotten a chance to ride my Rapidash or to get Meowth to ask that Mightyena what it's doing here." She looked thoughtful. "Or to cuddle with my Absol and test out my Dratini's strength. Plus my Growlithe are totally ready to evolve."

"Got any Fire Stones handy?" Ash asked with a smile.

"Pfft. I wish. Those stones are hella expensive for one, let alone two," Jenn snorted.

"Though there was a time that Drake offered to buy them for me as well as for Trish, but I forgot about it until it was too late."

"I've got plenty of them back home," the Grand Master said. "I think I could spare two."

The blonde's eyes widened. "Really? You'd just _give_ them to me? That would be _awesome_."

"No problem," Ash smiled. "Just remind me about them when we get back."

The two sat in companionable silence for a few moments and Jenn lost more and more of her awkwardness around Ash with every passing minute. There was just something about him that made Jenn feel totally at ease and comfortable. No other man had been able do that. Not even Gary.

"So…" Ash broke the silence and fixed her with a steady gaze. "You really like me, don't you."

"Of course I do!" Jenn grinned. "I've always liked you, Ash."

Ash shook his head good-naturedly. "No, no, I mean _really_ like me, as in romantic like."

Jenn felt her face turn pink and felt herself go suddenly shy. "Yeah, I really do."

"I feel the same way about you too," Ash smiled. "I know that it's too soon after my divorce for either of us to be together….but it doesn't mean that we _can't_ make it happen, eventually." He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "We still can hang around together as friends and let it happen at its own pace."

"My pace isn't as slow as the gossip mongers."

"I know," Ash said, "But with some things, it's best to be patient."

"Says the man who was so impatient when he was rookie Pokémon trainer," Jenn said teasingly. "Don't try to deny it, because Brock's told us a ton of stories about your journeys together."

"He can't talk," the Grand Master grumbled good-naturedly. "The minute he saw any pretty girl he would propose marriage instantly. Can't tell you how many times that scared them off." He tilted his head to the side. "Still does, actually."

ooo

After dinner, Shannon and Jenn decided to pay their eldest friend a visit, so wandered into where Trish and Drake were staying. They found the couple in the suite's sitting room, Drake was reading a book while Trish was staring off into space, looking a little pensive.

The Orange Crew Leader glanced up and noted the marked change in Jenn's mood since the morning. "Hey Jenn, you look like the cat that just got the cream. What's happened?"

Jenn grinned as she flopped down next to the Australian. "Ashy and I talked."

"Oh?" Shannon was instantly interested. Jenn hadn't shared that on their walk over.

"And I did say that I _really_ liked him," Jenn grinned. "And then he told me that he feels the same about me and that a relationship could happen."

"_Will_ happen," Trish corrected with a grin. "You know it will, because you two are perfect for each other."

"Imagine that," the blonde sighed dreamily. "A hot guy like that being interested in me…"

Drake would have said something, but for the fact that Trish pinched his arm **_hard_** . He yelped in pain instead.

"I _told _you things could work out if you really want them to," her best friend said triumphantly. "And I was right."

"Yes, Master Yoda," Jenn rolled her eyes. "Always right you are."

"And what are you up to?" Shannon asked the eldest girl. "You were looking like you were plotting something when we came in."

"I am," Trish confirmed. "I am determined to confront a certain Fae and get some answers."

Shannon looked a little nervous. "After what happened to Jenn, is that wise?"

"You sound just like Puck."

"Yeah, so what Fae are you gonna talk to?" Jenn asked. "And why would you want to talk to one?"

Trish shrugged. "Just this one that seems to be a complete arrogant jerk."

"And again, why would you want to talk to one of _them_?"

"Because he acts as if he knows me, or knows something about me, and I want to know what it is," the Australian declared. "I've never seen him before in my life!"

"Do you know his name?" Drake asked.

"Prince Fiore, and he's one of the sons of the King and Queen."

"You know a prince?" Jenn blinked. "I thought you said that you didn't know any royalty."

"I _don't_ know him!" Trish protested. "But he knows me, and that's what I want to find out about!"

ooo

The Fae in question was engrossed in a large book in his private chambers. Well…he was trying to read, as was his usual want, but he just couldn't concentrate.

Fiore was a little unsettled by the appearance of Trish in the Fae Realms. He had never expected to see her again after his good deed and that was the way that he preferred it.

But now she was here to testify against Lucius, and Fiore was afraid that Trish just might find out his secret.

_Just might…more like, she **will**, and sooner rather than later_, he thought_. Puck did say that she was the most clued in of all the mortals. I wonder how she will react…or how will I react…once she finds out? Females make me so nervous._

ooo

Meanwhile, Mia and Puck were taking a moonlight stroll in the gardens, walking arm in arm.

It was very romantic, or would be, if Mia's mind had not been so preoccupied.

After debating with herself, she finally mustered the courage to speak up. "Puck…have your parents said anything to you about…_us_?"

The chestnut-haired Fae stopped short and blinked. "Us? Why do you ask?"

"Puck, I'm not sure that your parents, especially your mother, like me very much," Mia blurted out. "I think that they'd like me more if I was a Fae, but I'm not."

"Mia, I think they'd like _me _more if I wasn't such a trickster," Puck gave her a level look. "But I can't change who I am. I could make you just as Fae as I am, but it wouldn't stop you from still doubting yourself. You might worry that you weren't Fae enough for them. Besides, how could they not grow to love you? They just haven't had enough time to get to know you."

"You really think so?" Mia's voice was a little hopeful.

"I know so," Puck smiled as he kissed her gently. "Just give them some time and they will come to love you. I'm sure it won't take them long at all, I mean, I fell in love with you the moment I saw you."

Mia blushed furiously and she slapped his arm playfully. "That was _such _a suck up line."

Secretly she was thrilled by it but she wasn't gonna let him know that.

"But it's true!" the chestnut-haired Fae protested. "The moment I saw you at the convention, I fell head over heels for you."

"The head over heels part sounds about right," she teased.

"Miiiiia! That's not fair," Puck pouted, a wounded look on his face. "You can't talk, you are just as klutzy as I am."

Mia giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "I know, that's why Jenn always says that we're the perfect pair."

"You shouldn't worry too much, Mi," Puck reassured his girlfriend. "Mum and Dad can hardly say no to us being together, not after Flory married Riny."

ooo

After breakfast the next day, Trish decided that now was as good a time as any to track down Prince Fiore. The trial was fast coming up and she didn't need any other mysteries hanging around her when she was the first to testify.

She decided not to ask any of the servants or other Faes about where he was. They would just tell him that she was looking for him, and the way he reacted to her the first time, she would bet that he would do a runner.

Patience was the key. Sooner or later she would find him, though it would help if she could find that air spirit he was talking to. Fiore had said that the sprite wouldn't show himself to her, but the sprite did exactly that.

If the sprite was willing to help her, perhaps he could convince the prince that Trish had no intention of hurting him or even jumping him. She was just curious as to how he knew her when she had never seen him before in her life.

So she went to the earth garden where she had first seen it. To her dismay, it was empty. She turned, dejected, and went to go back to the palace. Just when she had turned, she heard a squeak.

Curious, she turned back and saw the cutest creature sitting on the ground and looking up at her. It looked a lot like a tiny cream powder puff, all fluffy and with big brown eyes and two little floppy ears.

Trish knelt down slowly as to not scare it. "Aren't you a little cutie," she cooed and the critter squeaked happily and hopped up and down in delight. "I don't know _what _you are, but you're cute."

She rose to her feet and turned to go, but she had not gone very far when she heard another squeak. The Australian turned to see the same creature sitting behind her and looking up with big brown eyes.

"I know I said you were cute, but that didn't mean you had to follow me," she grinned and knelt down again. Slowly she reached out her hand, very slowly, just in case it grew fangs and turned out to be not so cute after all.

The tiny creature squeaked and hopped closer until finally she could put her hand on it and gently rub it behind its ears. The little creature purred contentedly.

"You know I can't take you home," Trish sighed. "Whatever you are. I don't think Fae creatures can travel outside their realms."

"Normally, they can't," An amused voice said from behind her. "However, I don't know how you'll break the news to Puck."

Trish sprang to her feet and spun around in a heartbeat. "What is wrong with you people! You can't just scare someone like that!"

Fiore looked confused. "I didn't scare you. He was telling you I was behind you."

"Forgive me," Trish said scathingly. "But I don't speak creampuff."

"Creampuff?"

"Forget about it," Trish pinned the royal Fae with a glare. "Tell me who you are and how you know me."

"Direct, isn't she?" Fiore asked the creampuff. The creature squeaked.

"I'm over here," Trish said. "Tell me the truth now."

"Hey, you can't just order me around," Fiore said. "No one orders me around."

"Oh, okay," Trish nodded and shrugged. "I guess I'll have to go ask your mum or dad why you know me before you even knew I was here." She walked by him. "See you around."

Fiore's confusion was snapped into clarity. "You can't ask them!"

"Why not? You don't seem to know how to answer a simple question."

"It's not that simple!"

"Why?!"

"Because…because I wasn't supposed to do what I did." Fiore sighed dejectedly. "I wasn't supposed to interfere. Observance without interference."

"That's a scientific impossibility. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Whatever you study, you also change."

"You know the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle?" Fiore looked surprised. "That's fascinating."

"No, what's fascinating is that the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle crossed dimensions." Trish sighed. "Listen, why were you watching and _what _were you watching to do something that you're too scared to tell me?"

"We watch you. Royalty can watch mortals of their choosing." Fiore looked uncomfortable, then muttered something.

"What was that?"

"A quick spell," Fiore explained. "It allows us to speak and not be heard."

"By anyone?" Trish was doubtful.

"By anyone," Fiore said, "I'm royal. I naturally have more powerful magic."

"Yeah, well continue talking."

"We, the royal family that is, chose to watch over you mortals just to make sure that Puck wasn't messing up your lives again. We all know what a prankster he is."

"And?"

"We focused on you especially when we saw what Lucius was doing."

"You…knew?"

"We knew," Fiore said, missing the disbelief in Trish's voice. "And while no one else thought that what he was doing was intrinsically wrong…"

"He tried to _kill_ us several times! What could be more intrinsically wrong than that?!"

"He never succeeded."

"He almost did!" Trish seethed. "I almost died! I was in a coma!"

"I know, and when that happened I knew I couldn't sit back and do nothing," Fiore took a deep breath. "I helped you back from your coma."

Trish blinked. "That's it? That's your big secret?"

"I lied to you," Fiore looked ashamed. "I told you things that weren't true."

"You said you were my Guide."

"I know." Fiore sounded miserable. "I wish I could make it up to you but…"

"Why would you want to make it up to me? You _were _my Guide." Trish shook her head. "You guided me from death. You brought me back."

"You…you're happy about my lies?"

Unexpectedly, she threw her arms around him and hugged him, "I always wanted to thank you! I never thought I would be able to express how much that meant to me." She stepped back and a happy gleam was in her eyes. "I never would have guessed _this_!"

"Oh, please don't tell," Fiore begged, still bright red from the hug. "If my siblings ever found out, they'd have a field day. I get teased enough for being such a bookworm."

"I promise," Trish swore, "I'll never tell anyone."

Fiore looked into her heart and saw that she told the truth, and smiled. "Thank you."

The Australian shook her head. "No, don't thank me. I'm the one who should be thanking _you_. You saved my life. I can never thank or repay you enough for that."

"Oh no need for that," the Fae looked down at his feet. "I just couldn't stand by and watch you die. Anyone would have done the same thing."

"But they didn't," Trish said. "You were the only one who cared enough to do something. That should prove to you that you're a better person than any of the others." She grinned and impulsively hugged him again. "Thank you so much, Fiore. Because of you, I have a future."

She stepped back and showed the Fae her left hand with the engagement ring. "See? I would not be getting married to the man of my dreams if not for you. I would be six feet under and pushing up daisies in some cemetery back home."

"So you're not mad?" Fiore ventured timidly.

"Not at all!" Trish shook her head. "I'm ecstatic!" She looked at him quizzically. "Just one question…why did you take the form of Mushuu instead of your own form? You look exactly like my fiancé's best friend, Danny."

"I thought that Mushuu would be more like a spirit guide might look like," the prince explained. "And that you might trust me more."

"Did you help Jenn as well?" Trish then asked. "Because she told me that she was helped by a Danny look-alike on the _Titanic_."

"Yeah that was me too," the Fae admitted. "After Lucius targeted you, I made it my mission to save as many of his victims as I could."

"Thank you for that," Trish smiled. "I don't know what I would have done if my best friend had died." She looked at the prince. "Look, I know you don't want anyone to know about this, and that I promised a few minutes ago that I wouldn't tell anyone…but can I at least tell Drake? I know that he'd like to thank you too, and he would never tell anyone else."

Fiore pondered it over before nodding. "I guess so. But no one else."

"Promise." Trish held out her hand. "Friends?"

Fiore took her hand and shook it, smiling. "Friends."

"So you're a bookworm?"

"Yeah, love reading, and my siblings tease me for it," Fiore ran a hand through his hair. "They think I'm going to marry a book instead of a girl, because I don't know to act around them."

"You _have_ been looking a little uncomfortable around me," Trish grinned.

"I just get so nervous around girls," the prince confessed. "I don't know what to say to them."

"Your siblings tease you lots?"

"They do. They keep on saying that no girl would want to dance with me at all because I'm so awkward."

Trish tilted her head slightly. "I bet you can dance though, being a royal you would have had dance lessons or something."

"We all had to have them growing up," Fiore blushed.

"So all you need is a willing partner," Trish said. "I can fix that."

An indignant squeaking by their feet interrupted them and they looked down to see the creampuff looking most indignant.

"He thinks you're paying too much attention to me," Fiore translated.

"Not to be rude or anything…but what is it?"

"It's a Fluffy."

Trish gave him a dry look. "_Very_ original."

"That's what it _is_, fluffy," the Fae defended himself. "I didn't name the creatures, someone else did."

"And were they eight when they did?" Trish giggled. "It's such a childish name for a species!"

Fiore shook his head, "I would have suggested creampuff."

Trish gave him a dubious look. "You did not!"

The Fluffy squeaked demandingly.

"Yes, I know," Fiore said to it. "But she has more pressing issues."

Another squeak.

"She must prepare for the trials," Fiore said solemnly. "They begin tomorrow."

Trish, who had been laughing at the two, suddenly quieted. "Tomorrow? I didn't know that."

"Yes," Fiore said to the Australian. "And the Courts will want to talk to as many of you as they can tomorrow and the next day. It will be extremely intense."

"Wow," Trish sighed. "Yes, it will be."

"You should inform your friends," Fiore prompted.

"That's right," Trish gasped, "I have to warn them! Now if you will excuse me, I have to go." She walked off quickly. "I'll talk to you later!" Her voice floated back.

The Fluffy squeaked in dismay but then vanished.

Fiore blinked then shook his head.

ooo

Trish found her friends gathered in the girls' suite and they all looked up when she entered, looking a little breathless.

"Is everything okay?" Jenn asked, a little concerned.

"Not really," Trish sat down next to her fiancé. "I just found out that Lu's trial has been moved forward to tomorrow. They're starting earlier because they want to get as much done as possible."

"What?" the blonde blanched. "But…I'm not ready for that! I'm not ready to stand in front of _another _audience!" Ash quietly reached over and took her hand, which seemed to calm her a bit.

Shannon bit back a little awww at the sight. It seemed that things might be finally going right for her older friend. Though the blonde obviously tried to pretend that Ash wasn't there, it was more than noticeable that she accepted and needed his support.

"Neither am I," Trish grimaced. She leaned into Drake for support. "I don't want to face having another asthma attack like that."

"There are safety precautions," Callie said. "While you will go through every thing that happened as if reliving it, you won't suffer the same ailments."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jenn looked confused. "If we go through it, the only thing that can happen is for us to have the same results from those memories."

"Chaos theory," Trish offered with a grin.

Jenn rolled her eyes.

"What's that?" Callie asked.

"Chaos theory, brought up by the very sexy Ian Malcolm," Jenn said knowingly. "If a butterfly flaps its wings in Peking, it rains in New York."

"What?!" Shannon shook her head. "That doesn't apply to this sort of a situation."

"It could too," Jenn said. "If you run a drop of water down the back of someone's hand, and then try the same thing again, there's a different result. If you have us relive our memories, as Callie says, then theoretically we won't have the same exact end result."

There were blank looks all around and Jenn sighed with defeat.

"So, Callie, it's sort of a safety net?" The blonde offered.

"Um…no," Callie still looked confused, but shrugged elegantly. "Actually, you'll just be remembering the events of the trials Lu put you through, but without any physical harm befalling you. It's more of a simulation, than a reliving of what happened."

"Well that's good," Trish said somewhat relieved. "But even a simulation could trigger off my asthma, you know."

"Will you have doctors or whatever equivalent you have in this world, standing by?" Drake asked, concerned for his fiancée's health.

"I'll make sure that there will be medical support there," Callie reassured him.

Trish was about to ask something when a familiar bit of fluff appeared in her lap. The Fluffy looked up at her with a happy squeak. The Australian sighed.

"Oooh isn't it just the **_cutest _**thing you've ever seen!" Jaime squealed and clasped her hands.

"No, that is the **_weirdest _**thing I've ever seen," Jenn peered closer at the tiny creature who was purring contentedly like a small motor. "What _is _it?"

"It's a Fluffy," Trish said as she scratched it behind its floppy ears. "I saw it out in the gardens when I was trying to find the prince and it's followed me ever since."

"Fluffy?" the blonde raised an eyebrow. "Did some demon spawn of a kid name it?"

"I don't know," Trish shrugged. "But that's what it's called."

"Appropriate name for it," Drake grinned. He gently tickled the critter on the head and it squeaked joyfully. "Hope you're not the possessive type."

In response, the creature purred louder and rubbed against Drake's hand.

"Aww, it likes older men!" Jenn beamed.

"I really need to blackmail her with something," Drake muttered.

"For now, despite Fluffy's distracting ways, I think we need to concentrate on the trials," Trish said. "I'm first, then Mia, Ash, and Jenn."

"What?!" Jenn blurted out, "I'm last?!"

Trish shrugged, "Saving the best for last?"

"Trish, this isn't that kind of last!" Jenn whined.

Ash went to pat her hand reassuringly, but Jenn shook her head.

"I don't need to be distracted, Fluffy. I'm in the middle of a dramatic crisis." The blonde sighed loudly. "Man, I should have gone to the Caribbean."

"Don't you mean 'mon'?" Drake wisecracked.

Jenn glared at him, "You watch yourself, mon, or I'll shove some rum where the sun don't shine."

"Cool it, you two," Trish warned with frown. "I don't need you two bickering like children when I'm gonna have to testify tomorrow." The Fluffy growled at them from her lap.

"I'll behave if Jenn does," Drake said.

The blonde tossed her head. "Puh-lease, I am always well-behaved."

"Yeah, right," Jaime rolled her eyes. "And just who is the one in our group who is _always_ getting into trouble?"

"I don't go looking for trouble," Jenn sniffed. "It just seems to always finds me."

"That's what I've been saying for years," Ash mused. "But no one seems to believe me."

"Oh, now look who's being dramatic," Jenn snorted. "You have not been saying that for years."

"You two are a perfect match then," Shannon grinned slyly. "Both trouble magnets."

"While I think it's perfectly adorable that the two of you are bickering," Trish grinned. "I think we need to get down to basics. We need to bug Callie for defensive guards against any trouble brought up by the trials."

"I'll make sure that there are safeguards in place," the female Fae reassured them. "If you start experiencing physical distress during the reliving, then you can detach yourself from the process. The Court will still experience and see what happened to you, but you will no longer be a part of it."

"That's a relief," Jenn sighed. "I don't want to swim in an ice cold ocean ever again."

ooo

_Later that night_

After tossing and turning for what seemed the thousandth time, Jenn rolled over and opened one bleary eye at the digital clock on the bedside table. The fluorescent figures glowed 1.15AM.

The blonde groaned to herself before flinging off the covers and slowly getting out of bed. There was just no way she was able to sleep tonight, not with her mind buzzing about the upcoming trials and reliving her nightmare ordeal at the hands of Lu.

Pulling on her silk robe, the blonde stepped into a pair of slippers, and made her way quietly to the double doors which opened onto the wide common balcony that went around the entire floor.

A soft breeze ruffled her hair as she stepped outside, and she inhaled the fresh air deeply. It was then that she noticed that she was not the only one who couldn't sleep.

A little further up from her, she could make out the familiar figure of her best friend, sitting down on one of the stone benches and gazing out into the distance.

Jenn padded up to her and Trish glanced at her in surprise as she sat down next to her.

"What, you couldn't sleep as well?" the Australian asked.

"Yeah," the blonde sighed. "Mind's just buzzing. Bet you're awake for the same reason. Thinking about the trial?"

"To quote a certain Goddess, _duh_," Trish grinned. "Not looking forward to it at all."

"Me neither," Jenn agreed. "It was hard enough getting rid of those nightmares in the first place and now we have to go through it all over again!"

Trish nodded as she gazed out into the night sky. "I must confess that I'm more than a little nervous about it. As you know I had the hardest time recovering from it, both physically and mentally." She looked down at her hands then up again. "I want to see Lu convicted and pay for what he's done to me…but I'm not sure if I could go through all that again."

"Sure you can," Jenn reassured her. "Didn't you survive everything Lu put you through? You're a much stronger person for that and he can't ever hurt you again. Just remember what Callie Allie said; you can get out of it any time you want."

"I'm guess I'm over-anxious about it," the Australian grinned sheepishly. "You're not worried."

"Oh I _am_ worried, I just don't show it," Jenn patted her on the back. "Besides, your case is a bit different. I nearly died but you were, technically, dead for a while. That would freak me out too."

"But Ash has died for a while and he coped better than me."

"Don't compare yourself with Ash," Jenn grinned. "Ash has nearly died or died so many times that it seems to be a part of his life now. He's used to it, and he's got the Freaky Chosen One thing that gets him brought back to life. You and me, we don't have that luxury."

"You're right," Trish grinned back.

"Duh!" Jenn smirked. "The Goddess is always right."

Her friend rolled her eyes.

"You'll be fine, T," the blonde said confidently. "You've got me and you've got that old dude of yours for support."

Trish sighed. "I wish you would stop calling Drake old."

"So does he, but I'm not," Jenn grinned. "He's older than you and that ain't nuthin but the truth."

"Yeah, but that whole old joke is getting a bit…"

"Old?" Jenn wisecracked.

"If I had something to throw at you, I would," Trish groaned. "You're insufferable."

"Yeah, but you love me for it," the blonde smirked then sobered. "And I'll be fine too, when my turn comes, because I've got you and Ashy-boy for support."

"Oh, how I wish I had a mini tape recorder or something like that handy," Trish sighed. "Your public admittance of needing Ash is so rare."

"Whatev," Jenn shrugged, "I'm considering myself lucky Ash didn't appear at the mention of his name. Dude's like a dog sometimes."

"Guess you'd know that firsthand," Trish grinned slyly.

"And again with the jokes getting old," Jenn rolled her eyes.

"Now you know what it feels like," Trish kept on grinning.

What neither of the girls noticed was slight movement at the darkness to the left of them. From the shadows, Ash grinned before teleporting back to his room. He had _so_ heard the whole admission. While it was cute, the dog thing was something that could, in his humble opinion, not be mentioned. _Though, _the Grand Master thought_, I bet Drake would **love** having something to talk back to Jenn about._

ooo

The Court was full to capacity for the first morning of Lu's trial. Many Faes wanted to have a closer look at the mortals as well as hear about what Lucius did to them. Rumours were flying about that there had been kidnappings, torture and a hurricane. A rippling murmur ran through the room as the prisoner was marched in, handcuffed and bound between two guards, and made to sit in the dock.

Lu glared through his bangs at the mortals who were all seated together in the front row, just behind the Crown Prosecutor. His anger burned in his green eyes and the tension levels in the room were palpable.

Jenn shivered slightly at the sight of those hate-filled eyes and clenched her hands into fists. She jumped when something touched one hand and it took her a second to remember that Ash was sitting next to her.

The Grand Master smiled reassuringly at her and rested one hand over one of hers. Before she realized what she was doing, she unclenched her hand and turned it over, taking Ash's hand into hers. Then she knew that Lu couldn't do anything to her, even though those piercing emerald eyes were full of unspoken threats.

At the focal point of the room, the King and Queen were sitting on the judges bench along with two High Court Judges. It would be this quartet who would decide the final judgement.

The Crown Prosecutor rose and bowed to the bench. "Your Majesties, Your Honours, and lords and ladies of the Court. I would like to call my first mortal witness to give her account of the injustices she suffered at the defendant's hands."

Trish swallowed once then rose and walked to the witness box. She was dressed neatly in a navy blue tailored skirt and blazer. She sat down facing the prosecutor.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

"I do," she said firmly.

"Prior to your ordeals, did you have any knowledge of the Fae, Lucius?"

"No," Trish shook her head. "The only Faes I knew were Callie and Puck. I had never seen Lucius before in my life."

"And what did he do to you?"

"He made me fall ill with an incurable sickness, and at the same time brainwashed my boyfriend into thinking that I was having an affair with his best friend. When that didn't work, he magicked me away into a scene from a book I was reading, _The Hound of the Baskervilles_. I was chased and hunted down by the Hound until I was rescued by Puck and Callie."

Trish paused and glared at the prisoner. "As a result, I suffered a near fatal asthma attack and lay in a coma for a few weeks. Not to mention the fact that my recovery took a long time, not only from the physical trauma but the psychological trauma of the ordeal. All because he told me that he was hell-bent on getting revenge on Puck for stopping his plans to overthrow the King. I was just a means to his diabolical ends."

"He told you this?"

"Yes," she stated firmly. "He told me this before he sent me out to face my doom on the moors. I think he believed that no one would be able to save me in time, so his secret would go with me to my grave."

"Thank you, Trish. You may resume your seat."

Gratefully she went back to her seat between Drake and Jenn, and Mia was called next.

"And what did Lucius do to you, Mia?"

"He targeted all of my friends to get at me," she told the Courts. "Because I was the girlfriend of his number one enemy, he thought to harm Puck by harming me by hurting all of my friends one by one."

"So was the harm entirely psychological or physical as well?"

"Physical as well, sir," Mia answered. "After Puck, Callie, Ash and Drake and all the Pokémon had defeated him after the hurricane, he tried to shoot Puck." She paused. "I couldn't bear to see Puck hurt so I took the bullet for him. I nearly died."

King Oberon and Queen Titania shared a look at that statement but said nothing.

Before Jenn knew it, Ash was in front of the Courts telling them about the hurricane, the kidnapping of the girls and the ransom note.

Then it was her turn and the blonde gulped once and rose from her seat. As she passed her best friend, Trish gave her a reassuring smile, and she walked to the dock. Thankfully she didn't stumble or trip over her own two feet in front of all those Faes. Bad enough being ridiculed in her own world, but in another world as well? That would _really_ be humiliating.

"Please, Miss, if you would give your account of your ordeals," the Prosecutor said.

"Well, where do I begin," Jenn said, a little nervous laugh escaping her lips. "That bad ass has done so many things to me. First of all, he goes and kidnaps me and tries to get me to go all evil on my friends to get at Puck. When I refuse, he threatens to kill me but luckily I was rescued by Puck and the Pokémon."

"Next, because I escaped and ruined his plans, he goes and turns me into an Absol, the one Pokémon out of hundreds that my best friend happened to have a phobia of. Now how sucky was that?"

The Prosecutor and all the Faes blinked with confusion. "…Sucky?" the legal Fae ventured.

"Bad, it means very bad," Jenn clarified. "Anyway that wasn't all Lulu did. Cuz the next thing he did was trick me into thinking his mortal crony was my ex and it got me so mad that I wanted to confront him. After magicking up a double and making it look like I committed suicide, he sent me off to drown in the icy Atlantic on the _Titanic_. And trust me, you never _ever _want to experience icy cold water like that."

"I believe you," the Fae smiled. "Thank you, you may resume your seat."

Jenn hurried back to her seat and heaved a great sigh of relief that the first part was over.

"Now we come to the second and most important part of the trial," the Fae said. "The reliving of the ordeals. This will allow us to see, hear, and feel what it was really like during each of the ordeals. The Court Mage will place over their neck the special Talisman which will tap into their memories and project it out to the Court."

The Fae turned to the Court, "If your Majesties would allow an intermission for the mortals to recuperate from retelling their stories?"

"That won't be necessary," Trish spoke up, then looked around at her friends. There were nods of agreement. "We're ready now."

"Very well, if you're ready to begin, would you please come forward to give your account?"

The Australian took a deep breath to calm herself and walked out to where the prosecutor was standing with the Court Mage.

The mage was holding a small pewter talisman by its silver chain. "Now all I want you to do is to focus on what happened to you. The talisman will lock onto the memory and take over from there. No need to stay focused, the talisman will do all the work. It will project the memory as an all surrounding hologram. You will be surrounded by all the sights, sounds and feelings exactly as they were on the night, but you will not be harmed as you were."

Trish breathed a silent sigh of relief at that comment. This was the part that worried her the most, more than the retelling of her story. It wasn't so traumatic just telling what happened her, because she wasn't confronted with the images. But with this, she would be surrounded by the sights and sounds of her ordeal, and it might trigger a reaction she never wanted to experience again.

_You can do this,_ she thought to herself. _You survived the real thing, you can survive this. You have to let them see what happened to you so that Lu pays._

"If you start experiencing any physical distress, then you can ask to be released from the memories by just telling us that you want to get out," the mage told her. "This will not affect the trial in any way as the Talisman need only to tap into a part of your subconscious to project the whole ordeal."

He placed the talisman around the neck and she noted that it was shaped like a dragon head. The metal felt cool against her skin as it settled around her neck.

"Now I want you to think on the main ordeal, the Hound," the Prosecutor prompted gently. "Rather than put you through everything, we shall just focus on the main incident."

The Australian concentrated and thought back to when she woke up and discovered she was in another realm altogether. The talisman at her neck began to glow brightly before a stream of light beamed out of the dragon's mouth and spread across the entire room, changing the appearance entirely. Gone was the bright and airy chamber of the Fae Court, replaced by the dark rich woods of a mansion in Dartmoor.

Trish almost jumped out of her skin at the sight of herself across the room, garbed in Victorian attire and Lu, also dressed in clothes from that era; but then realised that the talisman was projecting things as it happened.

Her role was not to relive every single detail of what had happened, rather to act as a conduit for the talisman.

She grinned to herself as she saw Lu cringing when it showed him telling her about why he was committing these crimes. _Nothing like being incriminated by your own words_, she thought smugly. _It would have to be the most damning evidence of all._

Then the scene changed to the scenery of Dartmoor, and Trish shivered involuntarily as she once again beheld that foggy, barren and sinister landscape. She told herself that this was only a memory not the real thing, but that did not quell the rising apprehension that was starting inside. _This may be harder than I thought…_

ooo

Trish's discomfort did not go unnoticed by some in the room. Jenn was watching her friend with some concern and noticed that Trish started to clench her hands tightly by her side.

_Stay cool, T,_ she begged her friend silently. _Remember this is ain't no thang but a memory, and memories can't hurt you. _Jenn was afraid that if Trish didn't stay calm and collected, that it could trigger off another asthma attack. Not something that she wanted to deal with, when so far away from home and human medical facilities. She wasn't sure if the Fae realm had hospitals or even if Faes got sick.

The blonde glanced over at Drake and saw that the Orange Crew Leader was similarly concerned. Like Jenn, he had been constantly by Trish's side in the hospital after the last attack and he didn't want to repeat that harrowing time ever again.

Jenn only hoped that Trish would have the sense to pull out of the recollection if it became too much for her. Otherwise the blonde was prepared to butt in and drag her back to her seat.

ooo

Trish had managed to fight down the butterflies in her stomach, and was just congratulating herself for overcoming it, when the unearthly howl of the Hound reverberated around the room, and she froze in horror. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears and the blood in her veins felt as if they had turned to ice as the memories of that horrific night returned.

ooo

Drake frowned as he saw Trish turn pale as a sheet at the baying of the Hound. He knew that she had thought she was strong enough and over the whole thing, but the doctors and psychologists had warned him that it could take months or even years before she was completely over such a major trauma. A person didn't nearly die from a horrific event and just get over it like that, with repercussions being felt over the ensuing months or years.

An exception to that rule was Ash, but Drake knew that unlike most people, the Grand Master seemed to have a small claim on immortality by being the Chosen One. Brock had told him about what happened on New Island with Mew and Mewtwo and how Ash had been brought back to life by the Pokémon's' tears.

Drake wondered if it had been anyone else, would they have been brought back?

Point was, Ash was not the best person to compare with when talking about death and coming back to life. Trish, Jenn, or anyone else in that group didn't have the luxury of divine intervention.

ooo

Trish fought to retain control of her spiralling terror by telling herself that this was not real, this was just a hologram with mixed success. Every time she managed to calm herself down, the bloodcurdling cry of the Hound would sound and she was frozen with terror again.

She could feel her anxiety levels rise with each passing minute, which was not good. _This could start to be a bit of a problem..…_

ooo

Prince Fiore watched with a slight frown from his position in the royal box with the rest of his siblings. It was clear that Trish was greatly distressed by the reliving of her memories, and he hoped for her sake that it would be over soon.

Unfortunately, it was the only way that they could convince the Fae Court of the seriousness of Lucius's crimes.

"Can you believe the silly human is scared by a little canine?"

Fiore looked to his left, where one of his sisters was whispering to another sister. She was one of the vainest of his siblings and got everything she ever asked for. She was the youngest and, being the baby of the family, she usually got away with anything she ever did.

"I know!" The other girl whispered back. "She's such a baby!"

Fiore had had enough. Using a quiet tone only the two girls would hear, he hissed out, "If you two don't stop with the catty comments I'll tell mom and dad about the many times you've snuck out to go to mortal rock concerts."

The two girls paled faster than Trish had. They exchanged looks but settled down.

Satisfied, Fiore turned back to the hologram. The Hound of the Baskervilles exploded from the fog, leaping straight for them. Tongues of glowing flames seemed to lick and surround its entire body and its eyes were glowing blood red.

Fiore felt a smug satisfaction when two terrified shrieks came from his left, causing the judges to frown. He glanced over to his two sisters, white as parchment, clinging to each other for comfort.

"Still wanting to play with the little doggy?" he asked with a wicked smile. Their eyes widened and they shook their heads rapidly.

ooo

Those two shrieks were a godsend for Trish, serving to snap her out of her paralysing terror and back to reality. She looked over in the direction the sound came from and saw the two terrified princesses, and smug looking Fiore.

Despite herself, Trish grinned. Thank Lugia that she wasn't the one to make an ass of herself by shrieking out loud. That would have been absolutely humiliating in front of those pompous royal Faes (not including Fiore and his parents. They were nice.). _Out of everyone here, I would have every right to scream. **I** was the one who got chased by the damn demon dog!_

The Australian took a deep calming breath. She knew she could do this now. She knew that she could stick it through to the end. She had to, pride demanded it. While she was nowhere near as proud as Jenn, she still had some. And that pride said that to show some Aussie fortitude and guts and show up those royals who thought they were better than anyone else.

Like any bloody Pom back home, these people needed to be shown up.

She squared her shoulders and thought back to the time when Puck helped her get over her phobia of the Hound. _This is not real, and the Hound cannot hurt me._ To take her mind off the ordeal even more, Trish thought about all the different dogs she had come across over the years and how most of the large dogs were wimps compared to the small ones.

Her neighbour's German Shepherd, Satchmo, may have looked fierce but he let the house be burgled. The only thing Satchmo guarded ferociously was the car.

Or her friend's dog, Saab, also a ferocious looking German Shepherd with nerves of marshmallow. He used to get so nervous when strangers were around that he'd drop noxious bombs around the place. The female Husky, Tish was the boss.

Trish smiled at the memories and imagined the Hound a la Saab, which made her grin even more.

ooo

Her friends noticed her change in mood and Mia leaned over to whisper to Jenn.

"What's her secret? She was as nervous as hell before and now she's all calm and happy?"

"I dunno," the blonde shrugged. "Maybe she's doing that thing where she's imagining everyone naked."

Mia wrinkled her nose. "You mean the Hound? But that would be like a skinned animal. Ewww."

ooo

Before Trish knew it, the hologram had ended, and the imagery faded to reveal once again, the Court chambers. The Mage stepped forward and removed the talisman from around her neck.

"Thank you for that," the Prosecutor said. "Now to finish off, please remind us what the outcome of that ordeal was."

"I suffered a near fatal asthma attack," Trish said. "And was in a coma for about two weeks. Lu even tried to kill me while I was in a coma."

There were gasps of horror from her audience and Lu turned to glare at the Australian. Trish glared right back.

"I spent weeks recovering from not only the physical trauma from what Lu put me through, but also the psychological trauma," she continued. "It took me the longest time to overcome the terror I experienced that night."

"That will be all then, Trish," the Prosecutor smiled. "You may resume your seat."

As the Australian walked back to her seat, Jenn gave her a thumbs up for a job well done. She sat down next to Drake and leant her head on his shoulder as he took her hand in his.

Mia was next up and the Mage put the talisman around her neck. As he did so, Callie leant over and whispered to her brother. "Now remember this is **_only_** a hologram. Mia is still alive and well, and we **_don't _**want a repeat of what happened afterwards."

Puck reddened and nodded. "Yes, Sis," he said meekly. He didn't want the whole realm to know that he had completely flipped out over his girlfriend's death and destroyed most of Pummelo Island in the process. That would make him look just as bad as Lu.

From his seat, Ash also tapped down nervous feelings. Despite being the Chosen One, he wasn't the Chosen One of this realm. It was only in his own world that he was so special. Here in the Fae realm, magic and powers were a daily part of their lives. More than likely, they wouldn't think highly of him if they knew that he was the one who helped to reverse what had happened. A mortal helping a Fae to set right what had gone wrong? Inconceivable.

From beside him, Jenn drummed uneasily on the side of her denim clad leg. Trish was strong about her ordeal. She knew that Mia was strong about hers. The blonde stifled a snort. _Hells bells, Goddess J, she **died **for her Ordeal. What, you got turned into a dog for a few weeks. _She nipped at her lower lip. _Oh, that's gonna be embarrassing as **all** get out._

_:Don't__ worry about it:. _The mirth filled tone was easily identified as Ash's.

Jenn glanced at him from the corner of her eye:_Yeah__, face the peanut gallery over there with my doggie past. I heard them making fun of Trish's evil puppy time. They'll have a field day with mine, plus they'll tease her about having a second evil puppy.:_

_:You__ worried that they'll laugh at you, too?:_

_:Heck__ no. I'm more worried that I'll try to kick their asses and get myself tossed out of here before the hearing's done with!:_

Ash sighed patiently. _:You're__ crazy.:_

_:Yeah__, I know. Hush, okay? They're starting with Mia.:_

ooo

The scenery the hologram filled the room with, was a familiar one to all the mortals – the great room in Drake's villa and all the girls (sans Jenn) doing their various hobbies with the hurricane howling outside.

Jenn blinked in confusion at her non appearance until she remembered that was when she was sleeping off the effects of the Fae Prozac. _I still don't know what the heck those happy fae pills did to me,_ she thought. _Then again, maybe I **really** don't wanna know_.

The shattering of the floor to ceiling glass windows caused the two Fae princesses to scream in terror again before both shrank back under the stern glare of Fiore.

Jenn, Drake and Ash finally got to see what happened to the girls that night. Lu froze them in place before gathering them all with a magical net before vanishing into the night with them.

_So that's what happened,_ Jenn thought and suppressed a shiver. Being frozen in place was second worst to being in a confined space, and with her claustrophobia, she was glad she'd been sleeping off the Fae Prozac. Trish had _so_ done her a favour.

She made a mental note to herself to thank her best friend for that favour after the trial. While whatever she had done while under the influence would be _embarrassing _to say the least, at least it wasn't stifling as being frozen by magic.

The scene changed again to the arena floor of Pummelo Stadium. Jenn had to admit that the Roman Colosseum like structure really did look impressive from the floor, with its endless row of seats rising into the air.

The hologram was so life-like and with the sound of the hurricane howling around them, many Faes involuntarily braced themselves, fully prepared to be buffeted like the many palm trees in the Stadium.

Jenn snickered to herself at the surprised looks on their faces when they realised that it was just a hologram and it wasn't real. It gave her satisfaction to see these magical people, who thought themselves superior, being fooled by a simple illusion.

It made her feel a little bit better about having been duped by Lu. Just a very little, because she _had_ been duped more than a few times. She dreaded to think what they would say about _that_. Probably that humans were stupid as well as weak and magicless.

Murmurs of admiration ran through the room at the appearance of the wild dragon and psychic Pokémon, and Jenn grinned to herself before focussing her attention back to the hologram.

She noted how well Ash and Drake worked together, with no personality or ego clashes, both men working as a team with one thing in mind. Victory. The blonde realised that she had been fortunate to witness two of the biggest names in the Pokémon world working together rather than being on opposite sides of the battlefield. _'Man,' _she thought. _'If those two aren't some of the hottest pieces of yum, I don't know what is.'_

_:Why__ thank you,: _Ash said back with a smug mental tone.

Jenn rolled her eyes and continued watching. Her uneasiness grew as she watched Mia running out of the safety of the Stadium and into the literal line of fire.

The sound of the gunshot rang out loudly in the Court and a few screams rang out among the audience.

Puck breathed a sigh of relief when the hologram ended there. He had been sitting there with his stomach tied in knots, dreading the reaction if the Court saw what happened _after _Mia got shot. He was so ashamed over what he had done and some would snicker over the fact that he lost it over a _mortal_ girl. Unthinkable that a Fae could care so much over a human.

The hologram faded out of sight and the Mage took the talisman off Mia and the Prosecutor was back in command.

"Thanks for that, Mia," he said. "Now if you could please tell the Court of the extent of your injuries."

"The bullet just missed my heart," she said softly. "I nearly died from the blood loss and spent a few weeks in hospital."

"Thank you Mia, that will be all."

Jenn's anxiety increased. This meant Ash was up, and then _she_ would be next, and she was _not_ looking forward at all to that. As Ash rose to take his turn, he gave Jenn's hand a quick squeeze.

"You'll be fine, " he smiled, as he left. "Don't worry about it so much."

_Easy for you to say_, Jenn thought sourly. _You're used to public speaking because you're the Grand Master. I'm not! Then again, if I was the Grand Master it would be really disturbing. _

She couldn't wait for today to be over.

ooo

It was a relieved group of mortals that gathered back in Trish and Drake's suite after the trial was adjourned for the night. The judges would deliberate through the night and give their verdict in the morning.

Jenn collapsed in a chair, rubbing her temples with both hands. "Trish, don't _ever _let me go through something like that again."

"Uh…sure," Trish said as she sat down next to Drake, clearly befuddled as to how she was to accomplish _that_.

"Yeah, right, and maybe you'll learn to listen to people around you," Drake sighed. "I don't really think that'll happen."

"Blah blah blah," Jenn blew raspberries at him. "Thanks for the support."

"Don't think anything of it."

Jenn rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I won't." She yawned. "I'm totally exhausted."

Drake rubbed at his ears. "I never thought I'd hear it! She's tired out!"

The blonde gave him a sour look. "I'm not ten, Drake."

"The way you act," Drake said sweetly. "One could never tell."

Jenn frowned and tilted her head to the side. "Huh?"

Drake sat back. "Exactly."

The blonde looked quizzically at her best friend. "Translation please?"

"Oh, Drake just meant that you're young at heart," Trish said quickly, wanting them to end their bickering right there and then. She was in no mood to put up with them, also being totally exhausted and drained from her testimony.

"Kay," Jenn looked satisfied. "For a moment there I wasn't sure if Drake was insulting me or not."

The Orange Crew Leader would have responded had Trish not dug her nails into his arm as a warning to not say anything he might regret.

He regretted sharp nails dug into his flesh that was for sure.

"I think we should all get to bed and have a good sleep," the Australian decided for the group. "And in the morning, we'll find out whether the Courts believe us or Lu."

ooo

_To be continued_….

_Author's note: Once again, apologies to any readers who have been waiting for close onto 1 year for updates. But as any adult will tell you, sometimes real life gets in the way. Sometimes in a big way._

_An extremely intensive job, which I will be finishing up at the end of this week, and family problems and general procrastination.__ I never actually gave up on writing, as I have a few chapters up my sleeve._


	35. Chapter 35: From You I Cannot Hide

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish_

Disclaimer:  Of course Pokémon does not belong to me. Nor does Puck belong to me, he belongs to William Shakespeare. But the storyline does and any original characters. The lyrics in the title come from "Breathless" by The Corrs.

_Chapter Thirty-Four__: From You I Cannot Hide_

Despite Trish's 'strict' instructions to "have a good sleep", there was one being who could not sleep at all.

Puck sat on the stone bench on the balcony outside his room and gazed over the darkened realm of Elysium and sighed. The chestnut-haired Fae had felt sick to the stomach all throughout the trial, and his discomfort only increased at the thought of the impending verdict.

What it came down to, at least in Puck's eyes, was a verdict in the 'contest' between Lu and himself. A guilty verdict would cement Puck's hard won victory over his arch nemesis and see justice served for all the wrongs done to his mortal friends. A not guilty verdict would be all his nightmares come true.

Not only would it signify that the Fae Realm tolerated, but sanctioned evil done against humans; but that Lu had more support than Puck did.

Puck knew that he had pissed off more than a few Faes with his pranks over the years, but surely not enough to turn a blind eye to evil just because they hated him more?

What he dreaded most in that case, was the possible reactions of his mortal friends. Not only had they suffered terribly because of him, but he had asked that they come to the Fae realm and relive their ordeals.

They'd have to be less than human if they did not think worse of him if Lu was exonerated. All that pain and suffering and for what? Why couldn't Puck have done more to save them in the first place?

"What are you still doing up, Little Brother?" a familiar voice came from the darkness to his right. Callie walked up and sat down next to him, and stretched out her long legs. "If Mum and Dad knew, they'd have a fit."

Despite himself, Puck felt a grin spread over his face at his sister's words. Like all parents, mortal or Fae, Demetrius and Helena found it hard to realise that their children were grown up and not little kids anymore.

"Yeah, I know, Mum would prefer to have me showered and in bed by nine at night," he shook his head good-naturedly. "Ain't gonna happen and in fact hasn't happened for a long long while."

"So what's on your mind," his sister asked gently. "Is it to do with what the morrow will bring?"

Puck forced a smile, "I've thought of nothing else but the verdict ever since we came home. What if…what if they find Lu not guilty? What will our friends say? They'll hate our guts."

"They won't hate our guts," Callie tried to reassure him, though her tone belied her confidence.

"How do you know that?" Puck turned an anguished face towards her. "How do we know what they are _really_ thinking and feeling deep down inside. Even our magic doesn't have the power to see into the deepest recesses of the human mind."

"Easy for us to say that they won't mind, but we're not the ones who suffered at Lu's hands. We're not the ones who nearly died because of a stupid vendetta that had nothing to do with them. What's more is that they suffered because of _me_."

Callie sighed and gently touched his arm. "Listen to me, Puck, you mustn't keep on blaming yourself for what happened. While Lu did target our friends because of his hatred for you, you never made him _do_ it. It was his decision and his decision alone."

"But maybe, maybe I could have foreseen the attacks or at least done something to prevent them from even happening," her brother ran a hand through his thick chestnut locks.

"Once again, you are not to blame for that," Callie said firmly. "You are not a powerful psychic nor are you omnipresent. How could you have stopped them?"

"I still should have done something," Puck said miserably.

"I think that you are not giving your friends enough credit to be able to think rationally," Callie said gently. "I think they are wise enough to know that you cannot be blamed for what happened."

"Some of them, yeah," Puck shook his head. "Others like Jenn, Jaime and Chris, I'm not so sure. Especially Jenn. That blonde is so impulsive and hot-headed that she _leaps_ before she looks."

"I'm sure that Trish or Ash would be able to talk some sense into her."

"I hope you're right."

ooo

The morning's rays hit Jenn right in the face and the blonde merely groaned and rolled over to face the wall.

_You'd think the Faes would know how to dim the sun or sumthin'_ she thought fuzzily as her brain started to wake up.

Jenn stretched lazily before getting out of bed slowly and went to her suitcase to choose her outfit for the day. Today was the verdict day, the big decision, so she wanted an outfit that told Lu that she was not fazed by him anymore.

She settled on her favourite pair of jeans, the flared bottom ones that had a little bit of fray to the hem of them, as well as a red silk kimono styled shirt. Jenn grinned at the shirt. "Cuz there's nothing like apple red that flies the proverbial bird in someone's face.'

Of course, she'd probably get teased for wearing long sleeves, but it was a loose fit to the sleeves. Plus, it had been a touch on the cool side in the court room yesterday. After dressing and brushing out her hair, Jenn sat back on her bed. Though she was more than tempted to fall back to sleep, she mused more on how much she wanted to get back to the real world. She missed her Pokémon most of all, especially now that her little Dratini and Absol were getting closer by the day.

_Those two,_ she thought, _will make a great team one day_.

Her internal musings were interrupted by a knock to her door. "Identify yourself and the Goddess may or may not permit you entry," she called out.

"Just the usual suspects," the familiar Aussie accent floated through the door.

"Ontray vue."

Trish and Shannon entered, both also dressed for the day. Trish was in a deep blue v neck top and black pants, and Shannon was in a lilac t-shirt and jeans combination.

"So how are we, this fine day?" Trish drawled as she drew up chair and sat down.

"I dunno, it's too early to tell," Jenn wisecracked before peering closer at her friend's shoulder, where something small and fluffy seemed to be sprouting. "Trish, maybe you shouldn't have eaten that Fae dessert last night. Because if you haven't had an allergic reaction, then you're getting mouldy in your old age."

Her friend blinked and twisted her head slightly to see the shoulder in question. She sighed once before reaching up and tickling the fluff in question. The fluff giggled and two big brown eyes opened and peered out at Jenn.

"Eeew!" The blonde shrieked. "What is _that_?!"

"Awww, it's that Fluffy that always follows Trish around," Shannon squealed in delight. "Don't you remember, Jenn?"

"Shan you should know better than to ask about me and my memory by now," Jenn said, dryly. "But now that you've told me, I do remember."

The Fluffy jumped down from Trish's shoulder onto Shannon's lap and sniffed her hands inquisitively.

"Awww what a cutie!" the brunette cooed and gently stroked the soft fur. The creature purred contentedly.

"I still say it's the _**weirdest **_thing I have ever seen," Jenn said with a slight frown. "It doesn't look like anything I've ever laid eyes on."

The creampuff looked at her, cocking its head slightly and squeaked.

"What did it say?"

Trish shrugged. "I don't know. I don't speak creampuff."

The Fluffy squeaked again before a soft glow enveloped its entire body, the shape twisting and turning until the glow subsided to reveal a fluffy cream kitten.

The kitten mewed once and Jenn was putty.

"Now that is the _**cutest**_ thing I have ever seen!" the blonde squealed. Trish could almost swear she could see hearts in the girl's eyes.

Shannon was gobsmacked. "Wow, I never thought any other creature than Ditto could change shape like that."

"Well it is a Fae species," Trish shrugged. "It must be pretty magical."

"So what are you gonna do when we leave?" Jenn asked. "It seems pretty attached to you."

"I don't know," the Australian shrugged again. "I don't think I can take it with me."

"So when do we leave?" Shannon asked.

"Soon I hope," Trish said. "I'm missing the real world. It's been nice while it's lasted but I wouldn't want to live here."

"So can we leave now?" Jenn asked.

"Get real!" Trish laughed. "You know we still have the results of the trial to go through."

"But there's a party in our world," Jenn grumbled. "I'd rather go to that than to go through this."

"Who wouldn't?" Shannon asked dryly.

"I wouldn't miss it," Trish said. "Though it might have been better if not for Lu."

"It definitely would've been better without Lu," Jenn said smugly. "I mean, c'mon, the guy's a nutcase."

"Certifiable," Shannon agreed.

"Let's just hope that trait isn't looked upon favourably in this realm," Trish said seriously. "Though who knows what the Fae mindset is like."

A worried frown creased Shannon's brow. "You don't mean that they'd let Lu off lightly? Surely they wouldn't do that after all that he's done!"

"Yeah," Jenn's face darkened. "If they did, then that would totally and utterly suck. I'd never be able to like anything Fae ever again."

"I'm pretty sure they wouldn't," Trish tried to reassure her friends, though after what Fiore told her in the gardens, she wasn't so sure. "After all he did try to overthrow the King and that is high treason. Anyone can see from our stay here so far, that the King and Queen are much loved by their people. I don't think they would stand for such a crime to be committed against them."

"I just hope you're right," the blonde muttered.

"When am I ever not right?" the Australian grinned as she rose from the chair and helped her two friends up. "Come, let us go and get the others and go to the courts to get it over with."

"Nothing like suspense," Shannon quipped.

"I _**hate**_ suspense!" Jenn wailed. "It destraightens my hair."

"Is that even a word?" Shannon rolled her eyes.

"In Jenn-ese, yes," Trish said dryly. "Language is relative when it comes to her."

"Duh," Jenn snorted.

"Maybe you should publish a dictionary of Jenn-ese and Jennisms, Trish," Shannon suggested. "You're used to it and can understand her pretty well, but it would help the rest of us to understand her better."

"Good idea, but it'd be a waste of time," the Australian shook her head. "It would be out of date before it's even published. Jenn-ese is an ever evolving language."

"I guess we shouldn't go down too early," Shannon quirked a grin. "Unless we want to suffer the consequences of Jenn's hair going frizzy."

"Nah, she'll be right, mate," Trish said cheerily as she grabbed each girl by the arm and dragged them from the room. "All Jenn needs is something to distract her."

"Like what?" Shannon frowned.

"Hello!" Jenn looked annoyed. "I _am_ standing right here."

Trish cheerfully ignored her friend. "Oh well, I passed by Ash on my way to collect you girls, and he looks damn hot today," Trish confided with a sly grin. "A dark blue open neck shirt and black jeans that hug his toned butt and legs. And he has some _very_ nice cologne on too, I believe it's the one you said you liked, Jenn."

"Really?" Jenn squeaked before she self consciously smoothed her hair and pulled down her top so it fit better. She flushed at the knowing glances aimed at her actions. The blonde crossed her arms across her stomach. "I mean, you shouldn't be looking at him like that. It's not something an engaged girl does."

Trish managed to stifle a grin at her friend's antics, and patted Jenn on the shoulder. "Relax, you look fine…that colour really suits you." Inside, she was elated. She hadn't seen her best friend act that way at the mere mention of a guy's name since she first went out with Gary.

Shannon also grinned at the blonde. The teasing had certainly gotten all of their minds off of the one thing that worried all of them. The results of the trial. Inwardly she winced, but brightly said, "Guys, I think we should head down to get something to eat."

Jenn shrugged, "If you think we should." But her nonchalant actions were belied by her stomach, which picked just that moment to let out a little growl.

Trish snickered at it. "I think we should." The Australian led the way out of the suite and down the hall. From behind her, she could hear Jenn groan.

"How do you keep track of all of this? I can't go through these halls without a guide." Another low growl, this time from Jenn and not her stomach. "I'd get lost and be wandering around here for centuries."

"Unless your stomach led the way," Shannon teased.

"Har har," Jenn said.

"Oh this is nothing," Trish said breezily. "You think this is bad, you should see the building of Doom down in Canberra." She referred to the job she'd once had that required her presence south of her hometown in Sydney more frequently than she preferred. Business trips that took her away from home were never fun!

"There is that," Jenn said, sounding a little lighter than before.

Trish took a deep breath and let out a little laugh, "Wow, smell that, guys?"

"What?" Jenn took a breath. "I don't smell anything."

"Your nose must be stuffed up," Shannon said, "I smell bacon."

"I was smelling something a little spicier," Trish teased.

Jenn took another deep breath, "It smells like…" She trailed off and Trish turned around. The blonde was practically glowering at her.

"What?" Trish asked innocently.

Jenn glared. "That's cologne and you _know_ it!"

"So?" the Australian grinned, not fazed by her friend's anger. "Doesn't mean that Ash is nearby, it could be Drake for all you know."

"Well it's not, T-vizzie, cuz I know that cologne and it's one that Ash…"

"What about me?" a new voice entered the conversation as Ash came out of the room along with Drake. The Grand Master was indeed dressed as Trish had described and looking extremely hot in Jenn's eyes. He smiled at her and Jenn felt her heart flutter a bit before she smothered that down. She wasn't about to let him see that she was feeling like a nervous schoolgirl on her first date.

"Uh…I was just saying that you wear too much cologne," the blonde said and waved a hand under her nose. "Whaddya do, anyway? Bathe in it?"

Ash wasn't phased in the least and grinned as the blonde strode by all four of them. "I mist it on ever so delicately."

"Whatever," Jenn said and walked around the bend in the hallway.

Trish paused and went to walk after her friend. "She'll get lost."

"I know," Ash said, still grinning. "Funny, isn't it?"

"This gives me so much material for tormenting her," Drake said in a satisfied tone.

They waited for a few minutes before Jenn came walking back. The blonde's cheeks were pink and her tone was slightly surly when she said, "Puck needs to give us maps. Or maybe GPS."

"Do they even have things like that here?" Shannon wondered.

Jenn shrugged. "I dunno, but if they don't, they should."

As they resumed walking, the blonde leaned over and hissed in Trish's ear, "That was deliberately set up, wasn't it? You are so totally Evile."

Trish just grinned cheekily.

ooo

The courtroom was packed to full capacity when proceedings began, and it was a nervous bunch of mortals and two Faes who sat in the front row of the courtroom.

So much was riding on the verdict, and Jenn refused to even think of the possibility that Lu could go free and all charges be dismissed. She was feeling a little sick to the stomach as it was with all the waiting.

Beside her, Trish shifted a little in her place. Like Jenn, the Australian was feeling a little queasy and uncomfortable about the wait. Lu being exonerated and set free would be their worst possible nightmare. They would never be able to live their lives in peace ever again. No matter where they went and what they did, they would forever be looking over their shoulders for Lu to strike. Trish did not like feeling helpless and not in control of her life, and she knew that Jenn was the same.

"So where you gonna go if Lu gets let out?" the blonde whispered in her ear. "I'm thinking the Caribbean or Bora Bora sounds like a nice remote place to hide."

"I'm thinking any place would be good," Trish shrugged. "He's gonna find us no matter where we hide."

Jenn levelled a glare at her. "You're not very reassuring, Trish. Come on, work with me on this!"

"Okay, okay, your idea of hiding on Bora Bora would be absolutely brilliant because he'd never find you in amongst all the nooks and crannies of the caves on the island."

The blonde nodded, satisfied. "That's much better."

Trish rolled her eyes good-naturedly as there came a sharp rapping in the back from the sheriff. "All rise for the entrance of Their Majesties and Honourable Justices."

The court rose as one and stood to attention as the King and Queen, and Justices entered in a solemn file and took their seats on the bench. Once they were seated, the court sat back down.

"Bring in the prisoner to hear his verdict," Oberon commanded and the sheriff bowed.

"At once, Your Majesty."

There was a murmur among the crowds as Lu was marched in, handcuffed and scraggly haired. But the prisoner did not take any notice of them, his piercing green eyes searching for one person in particular. And found them.

Puck resisted the urge to shiver at the hate filled glare that was directed his way, and instead forced himself to glare back. There was no way that he could let Lu think that he was afraid of him.

Lu was forced to stand in front of the ruling populace and he began to speak most unexpectedly. "Your Majesties, if I may…"

"No, you may not, Lucius," The Queen interrupted him. "And if you speak at all during this ruling I will personally silence you magically."

"But your Majesty!"

"QUIET!" The Queen snapped angrily.

Lu, for once, paled and fell silent.

"If it were simply left to me, I would transform you into the rat you are," Titania ground out. "I would strip you of your magic and give you the form, mind, and life span of an average rat, and I would place you into a room full of hungry cats." She sat back in her throne. "You are most fortunate that this decision is not left purely to me."

In the audience, Jenn cheered the Queen on, but only in her head. She didn't dare redirect that anger onto herself!

"Lucius," the Chief Justice intoned gravely. "You have been previously convicted of high treason against Their Majesties with the intention of overthrowing them. You are now charged with crimes against humanity, kidnapping, attempted murder and mass murder. The Court has heard and seen eyewitness accounts of your crimes."

Puck and Callie held their breaths. The verdict was coming up next.

"After careful deliberation, the Court has come to a unanimous decision. You are found guilty on all charges."

There was an explosion of cheering and yelling throughout the room, most of it coming from the front row of humans, who were laughing and hugging with joy. A huge weight had come off all their shoulders and the relief was intoxicating.

The Chief Justice smiled as he waited for the tumult to die down before he continued. "The Court has decided to subject you to a suitable punishment. You are to be stripped of your Faehood and powers, making you mortal. But you will remember about being a Fae."

Lu felt as if he had been punched hard in the guts. Stripped of his Faehood and becoming a pathetic human mortal? The very species that he despised? He'd rather have been put to death than suffer such humiliation.

"The King will ensure that you will not be able to contact anyone in Elysium and that you will have no memories of the human victims so that you will never go after them again. And as added protection for the human race, you will be made to fear all violence."

Jenn sat back down, amid all those still standing and cheering. She felt sick to her stomach. All the constant stress had finally gotten to her and her innards felt all twisted and churned.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked and sat next to her. "We won. Lu's completely defeated." He smiled. "He can't hurt anyone anymore."

"Yeah, I know, I just think the whole thing has just hit me," she smiled back, weakly.

While the guards led a struggling Lu from the room, the Chief Justice approached the humans. "You all have the option of watching the sentence being carried out."

"Ooh, count me in!" Shannon cheered. "I just wish I could have some popcorn!"

"Me too," Trish nodded. "This will give an end to all of those nightmares I've been having."

"No thanks," Jenn declined. "I want to go back to my room."

"Why?" Trish looked as surprised as Drake and Shannon.

"I don't feel very well."

"You were just cheering fifteen minutes ago," Drake said.

"Yeah, well, I feel sick now," Jenn said back. "And unless you want your shoes christened with what I had for breakfast, then you'll just let me go."

"You want Ash to go with you?" Trish asked with a mix of concern and insinuation.

"No," Jenn looked over at Ash for a second, then back at the others. "I need to be alone."

Trish's eyes widened. "Wow, you must be feeling sick!"

"I mean, if it's okay with everyone here," Jenn waved a hand around.

Puck walked over, "I heard what you were saying. It's okay to leave. Once the verdict was handed out, the Court was adjourned. You're all free to come and go as you please."

"Well then, I'll see you guys in," Jenn turned to Puck. "When will all that be done with?"

"It shouldn't be any longer than a half an hour," Puck said, "I can bring you down or send everyone up to you. There'll be a celebration later tonight."

"And a bigger one all day tomorrow," Callie walked up behind her brother. "Now that everyone's free to live their lives without fear."

"Okay then," Jenn said. "I'll see all of you in a half hour."

Trish watched, full of concern, as her best friend disappeared within the crowd. "Someone should go after her. She'll get lost."

"I'll take care of it," Fiore walked away from the group. "I'll bring her back down, too."

"Uh, did anyone see where he came from?" Shannon asked.

"Did he call Jenn or the situation at hand an it?" Drake asked. "Because if it's the first one, I'm amused."

"I can't believe you didn't go after her," Trish elbowed Ash in his side. "Getting a little slow on the uptake?"

"Not really," Ash rubbed his side. "But I know that she does want to be alone."

"Care to talk about it?" Trish asked.

"I would, but they're ready," Ash said, motioning to the guard walking over to them. "Let's go see justice done."

ooo

Jenn blinked in confusion as she stood in a marble foyer with corridors going off in all four directions. Everything looked exactly alike!

'_Which is the one that takes me back to my room??!!'_ she wailed internally. '_Puck should have given us GPS or maps. This totally sucks.'_

"Need some help?' an amused voice came from behind her. She whirled around to find a Danny look-alike standing behind her, dressed in the garbs of royalty.

"Who are you?! You guys _really_ need to learn to not sneak up on people like that!"

The Fae was unruffled. "I'm Prince Fiore, one of the sons of King Oberon and Queen Titania. I can take you back to your room."

"You're a prince?" Jenn asked. "You don't look like one."

Fiore was taken aback. No one had ever talked to him like that before! He raised his chin a notch. "Well I am. Am I not garbed in that of royalty?"

Jenn raised an eyebrow. "If you say so, bub."

"I beg your pardon!"

Jenn shrugged. "If you want to."

"You mortals are quite vexing."

"Thanks," Jenn smiled. "You're not bad looking yourself."

Fiore felt the corner of his eye twitch. If all mortals were like this, it was no wonder Lucius went mad. "What I meant to say was that you are very odd."

"Yeah, I know," Jenn looked around. "Do you know the way to the rooms we were in? I mean, since this is your house and all."

"And why do you assume I know where you are sleeping at?"

"Duh much," Jenn gave him a pointed look. "It is _your_ house."

Fiore let out a long suffering sigh. "Follow me."

As he led the way, Jenn trotted to keep up with him. "See, I knew you knew the way. Even if you do have to make someone jog to keep up with you."

Fiore altered his walking and saw her walk next to him. "You're walking beside me?"

"Why not?" Jenn looked over at him. "This isn't the Stone Age, ace. Girls can walk beside or in front of guys." She did just that for a second before walking next to him again. "So what I'm wondering is why you look so familiar."

Fiore knew why, but didn't want to reveal all his secrets just yet. He knew that he bore a striking resemblance to the mortal gym leader named Danny, but there were obvious differences. His eyes, for example, were a deep amethyst hue and had the tilt to the edges that all Royal Faes had, along with the shimmering hue aspect natural to all Faes. He was also a couple of inches taller than the mortal.

"Well?" Jenn pressed on. "Who are you? Where have I seen you before?"

"Can you not wait until after you are in your suite?" Fiore grumbled. "Some things are better left unheard of by those not meant to hear."

"Like who?"

"It doesn't matter," Fiore turned a corner and into a hallway that was familiar to the blonde. "Let's just get you back to your suite."

"Fiore, hun," Jenn teased. "This is all so…so sudden!"

Fiore groaned quietly. He was very tempted to teleport her to the suite. "Are all you mortals this strange?"

"No, just me. Everyone says that I'm the strangest," the blonde said proudly. "Not even Trish can figure me out and she's known me the longest."

Fiore wondered about the sanity of the Australian. If this was her best friend, it was a wonder to him that she hadn't gone insane long ago.

He led the way down the corridor until Jenn recognised the ornate vase in a wall niche outside the suite she was staying in.

"Here we are, home sweet home," she grinned as she walked into the suite and through to her room. She fell backwards on the bed with a sigh. "Oh that feels good."

Fiore sat down on the chair at the foot of the bed and muttered a spell to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on the conversation.

Jenn raised her head and fixed the Fae with a steady blue-grey gaze. "So again why do you look so familiar?"

"Trish told me that I look like a certain Gym Leader that you all know back home," Fiore explained. "Think of a dorky sweater vest that you particularly hate."

Jenn's eyes widened. "Danny! You're a spitting image of Danny!"

Fiore looked a little insulted. "I do not spit!"

"It's a mortal term for looking exactly alike someone," Jenn explained, rolling her eyes. "Capisce?"

"Pardon?"

A sigh. "Never mind."

"But you _have_ seen me before," Fiore spoke again. "Remember when Lu sent you back onto the _Titanic_? You thought I was Jack."

The blonde's eyes widened. "Ohmigod, that was you? I thought I was going crazy with thinking that Danny could be looking like Jack."

"It was me," the Fae confirmed.

"Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but why would a royal Fae like you want to save lil 'ol me?"

"I couldn't watch and leave you to die at Lucius's hands," Fiore said simply. "Just like I couldn't have left Trish to die."

"So I was a pity case?" Jenn shrugged. "Whatever. So if I said it would kill me if I didn't have a handful of two carat diamonds, you'd probably…"

Fiore glared at her. "I'm royal, not stupid."

"I was just asking!"

Fiore shook his head. "Should I have been surprised?"

Jenn looked thoughtful. "Nope."

ooo

Trish took her seat alongside Drake, and let him hold her by the hand. This was it. She'd finally see Lu punished. She never thought she'd see the day.

If only he could experience the trauma they'd gone through. She knew that it wasn't nice to wish that upon someone, and normally she would be the first to agree. But this was different.

Lu had certainly shown no mercy to any of them, and if he had been free, he would have gone after them until they were dead.

Of course, there was no way that he would ever experience being chased by the Hound of the Baskervilles or going down on the _Titanic_... But there was every chance that he might experience a severe hurricane like the one he had visited upon them.

Puck had told them that Lu would be relocated to the American state known as Florida. It was known rather well for the hurricanes that occurred there. At least Lu would know the power of a hurricane, instead of being the power that formed it. He would know how it would feel to be powerless in the face of such raw, untamed power.

Still and all, Lu glared defiantly until the very end. Right until the King cleared his mind of violent thoughts and desires.

Golden sparkles surrounded him and soon blocked him from view, as the King intoned. "From Fae to mortal, your destiny leads, the rest of your life in Florida to be."

There was a surprised yell before it faded away, along with the magic; leaving no trace behind.

It seemed as if the entire room slowly exhaled at once, letting out breath that they did not realise they had been holding.

Lu was finally gone. Never more would he be able to use his powers to torture anybody. Never would anyone have to be afraid of him ever again.

Trish gripped Drake's hand tightly. She never thought she'd live to see the day that her attacker would be brought to justice, or that she would ever have to see him again.

Sure there was the chance that they might one day, run into the human Lu, but if she made sure to steer clear of Florida, that would never be a problem. Not that she had ever wanted to visit Florida anyway, for she found the north eastern states far more interesting.

"Jenn should have seen this," she said to her fiancé. "It would really have helped her achieve closure."

"Yeah, but you know how she is," Drake said. "Once she's made up her mind, she's too proud to change it."

"Truer words were never spoken," Trish laughed, "Let's go get the others and see about that party."

"You don't need to say another word!" Drake agreed. "Partying is my thing."

ooo

"So are you still feeling ill?" Fiore asked.

Jenn wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, stomach's telling me it's not too happy with me at the moment. I don't deal too well with a whole lot of stress. It really churns up my insides."

"I can help you with that," the Fae offered and before she could reply had uttered a spell which sent a warm soothing feeling through her body.

Jenn could feel her stomach gradually relax and unwind, and the feelings of nausea slowly dissipate. The blonde perked up almost immediately.

"Thanks! Wow, you guys should seriously consider bottling your magic in pill form or something. I could do with such fast working medicine like this! You'd make an absolute fortune! People would pay big bucks for it," She paused and reconsidered. "Nah, more like _mega_ bucks."

"Glad to have helped," the prince smiled, before tilting his head slightly. "Your friends are on their way back." He rose to his feet and stretched slightly. "One last thing before I go – please don't tell anyone of what you learned from me. I wasn't supposed to intervene and I could get into trouble."

"Ain't no thang, Princely. I won't tell anyone," Jenn shook her head with a wry grin. "I'm more likely to forget about it than anything. But thanks for saving me and for saving Trish. I know we'll never be able to thank you enough for that."

Fiore smiled again, then vanished from the room.

Jenn blinked then sighed. "You _could_ have said goodbye first."

ooo

The day passed rather quickly in a blur of preparation for the huge celebration of Lu's departure.

Trish had come to the girls' suite to help decide on gowns for the occasion, with Callie stopping by later to add a little magical pizzazz to their outfits.

Jenn was lying flat on her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows as she stared at two equally beautiful and elegant evening gowns that were hanging off the top of the wardrobe.

"Which one should I wear, Trish?" she groaned. "I can't make up my mind which one. I like both of them the same!"

The Australian tilted her head slightly as she gazed at the gowns in question, but felt herself drawn to one in particular.

It was a sinfully soft silk gown in a rich, deep, purple. Imperial purple like only the Caesars could wear in the glory days of Ancient Rome.

It was a good colour on Jenn.

"I think you should wear the purple one."

"Uh huh," Jenn agreed. "I guess it's better than the gold one."

"You should eBay the gold one," Shannon said. "Better yet, eBay them all. Dresses suck."

"I'm totally inclined to agree," Jenn said. "But maybe after we get home and we're near a computer."

Shannon directed a withering glare at the blonde. "Do I need to add DUH to that?"

"Trust me," Trish said, "You're not alone."

"But what should I wear with the dress?" Jenn's next question threw all of them for a loop.

"What?!" Shannon looked incredulous. "You don't need someone to be telling you clean unmentionables and hose and shoes, do you?"

"Of course not!" Jenn seemed mildly annoyed. "I meant what kind of jewellery should I wear?"

"Got diamonds?" Shannon cracked.

"No," Jenn answered honestly. "Wish I did."

"Maybe Callie can conjure up some for you later," Trish patted her on the back. "But if you can't have diamonds, then the amethyst pendant on the gold chain that you brought with you would work just as well. In any case you'll look like a movie star or a Goddess, take your pick. You'll be dressed to impress."

"Especially a certain Grand Master we all know," Shannon said with a sly wink at the blonde.

Jenn tossed her head, "Who said I wanted to impress _him_?"

"Geeze, Jenn," Shannon sighed. "I don't know why you just won't admit that you're in love with Ash. We're all close friends here and it's totally obvious that you have a crush on him, and he obviously is attracted to you. You're in denial."

"Jenn is Queen of Denial," Trish wisecracked. "And I don't mean the river, either. It just isn't the Jenn way."

"I just don't want either of us to think that we're rebounding with the other," Jenn said with a shrug. "I wasn't married, but Ash was. I mean, it's a little soon for him to be professing undying love."

"Oddly enough…she kind of made sense," Shannon said.

"In that odd little Jenn way," Trish said teasingly. "Come on, the both of you. We've a party to ready ourselves for!"

ooo

An hour later, Jenn surveyed herself in the mirror with a satisfied gaze. The dress and the colour really did suit her well. The deep hue complemented her skin tone and the fabric clung to her body like a second skin, accentuating her figure.

She had settled on wearing her amethyst pendant with the matching earrings, and her long hair loose and carefully straightened, with make-up artfully applied. _Definitely looking like a movie star or a goddess, J –Girl._ _The men will not be able to resist your charms tonight._

Though she had to admit to herself that there was only one man that she was hoping to impress tonight. After her near rape by Cormac, she was completely turned off by male Faes, and vowed to only look at human ones. But since there was only Drake and Ash, and Drake was completely and totally taken by her best friend, the only human guy left was Ash.

The mere thought of the dark and handsome Grand Master sent her stomach a flutter, which she quickly and hastily suppressed. No way was she going to the trouble of looking like a million dollars and ruin it by feeling sick with nerves.

She was telling the truth about not wanting Ash to profess his feelings for her, only for her to find out she was a rebound, or worse, a pity case. That would hurt like hell, and she wasn't willing to have her heart broken all over again.

Deep down inside though, Jenn felt that Ash's feelings were genuine and not simply a rebound. There had always been a strong attraction between the two of them, ever since they had first met. Surely that would never have happened if they had both been as deeply in love with their respective partners as they had first thought.

_Although,_ Jenn looked over her shoulder at her reflection, _There's_ _nothing wrong with a little flirting, so long as it doesn't go beyond that. Of course, with a piece like Ash, I doubt I would._

Then she scolded herself for imagining a happy ending. Maybe some day she'd get married, but she didn't…no, she _wouldn't_…romanticize anything with Ash. Most people would think there was nothing worse than getting your heart broken. _Nope_, Jenn thought as she walked towards her bedroom door, _It_ _was getting your heart broken when you were the one to set yourself up in the first place._

ooo

Trish sighed happily as Drake escorted her towards the ball room. There was a low noise that she'd heard a long way down the hall. At first, she thought it was some huge creature, but then she realized that it was the voices of many people all talking at once.

There was a huge crowd awaiting them, and after the herald at the door announced their presence, the room broke into thunderous applause and cheers.

Both were a little startled and exchanged puzzled looks. "Why are they cheering us now?" Trish whispered to the Orange Crew Leader. "It's not as if we've just arrived and they're making us feel welcome. We've been here for a few weeks now and they never cheered like this at the first dance."

"Maybe they're signalling that they're pleased to see us _go_, now that the trial is over," Drake whispered back.

Trish was about to reply when a nearby Fae grabbed her hand and started shaking it so heartily that the Australian was afraid her hand might fall off. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you so much for what you've done," the man gushed happily.

"Er…thank you….but we really haven't done _anything,_" she managed to stammer in reply.

"What nonsense, of course you have!" the Fae was shocked. "If it had not been for you and your friends coming here, we never could have got rid of Lucius so thoroughly and permanently. Your testimonies and memories was what really nailed him." He grimaced as if recalling painful memories. "You cannot believe how many of us are so relieved he is gone. Lucius has been like a diseased parasite in Elysium for ages."

"So why didn't you do something about him before?" Drake questioned. "Why did it take us humans getting involved, to finally bring him to justice?"

The Fae looked shamefaced. "We were too afraid of what he could possibly do to us. So we let him be."

Trish's expression changed from astonished to outraged in a few seconds.

Drake noticed the change and squeezed her hand firmly in an attempt to calm her down. He hoped that she would have the presence of mind not to burst out with any inflammatory remarks but he couldn't be too sure. Trish _did_ spend a lot of time with Jenn, who was known to be a bit of a hot-head.

The Australian forced herself to calm down and fixed a sweet smile on her face before looking the Fae square in the eyes.

"Oh really? Surely with all the magic at your disposal, you could have handled a rogue Fae quite easily. There's more of you against him and he would have been outnumbered. It would have prevented a lot of misery back in our world that's for sure. Or do you people enjoy watching helpless and magicless beings such as myself, suffer and nearly die because you did nothing?"

The man looked down at his feet and said nothing.

"Now if you will excuse us, we have some celebrating to do," the Australian lifted her nose in the air and swept regally into the room. Drake trailed dutifully behind.

"Was that really necessary?" he whispered in her ear once they were out of earshot.

Trish gave him a look. "Of course it was! We come all this way and relive our horrific ordeals in which we nearly died – only to find out that they could have taken care of Lu ages ago except they were gutless. That just makes me so mad, because I really could have done without the asthma attack and all those weeks in hospital."

"Yeah," Drake nodded. "For a magically powerful race, they aren't very big on the courage quota."

"Just don't tell Jenn about this," Trish decided. "If I got mad, then _she_ would be irate, and perhaps we'd have an incident on our hands."

"I agree, Jenn always has to go one better than you."

"In most things, yeah."

"Especially in levels of insanity," Drake grinned.

Trish just grinned back. "Well, in that, she's always right." She squeezed his hand gently. "And now good sir, how about we take a turn around the dance floor?"

The Orange Crew Leader smiled. "If that is what milady wishes."

ooo

Jenn poised on the threshold of the grand ballroom and looked around for her friends.

No sign of them.

"You know, I really shouldn't be left alone in magical dimensions," the blonde mused. "I tend to do dumber things than I normally do." After all, the last time she was alone in such a party atmosphere, she'd been duped by Cormac and then nearly been raped. There was no way she was going to take any chances this time!

Dumb luck prevailed. Ash arrived with Puck in tow and the chestnut-haired Fae gave her a reassuring wink.

"Yes, Jenn it's really me," the Grand Master smiled and spoke before the blonde got a chance to say a word. "I know about the time you stayed with me when you were an Absol and the Jewel of Coni Neume."

"Okay, enough," Jenn said quickly, but breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Let's not start talking about embarrassing things. I know you're the only one who knew about that Con jewel thing."

"I knew about it, too," Puck said, then fell quiet when he saw Mia across the room. "But I was just a part of keeping you alive."

"Uh…"

"Don't mind him, Jenn, just relax. Have fun." Ash grinned. "Just trust that we're who we say we are."

"Good, cuz I'd really hate to have to hurt you if you're not who you say you are."

Ash just laughed and offered her his arm, which Jenn accepted, and they entered the room. They looked around for their friends and finally spotted Trish and Drake on the dance floor, as Mia, Shannon and Jaime stood on the sidelines, talking.

"If you will excuse me," Puck bowed slightly to them. "I shall take my leave and sweep a lovely Mia off her feet."

The two watched him go.

"He's a strange one," Jenn shook her head. "And coming from me, that _really_ means strange. I just can't figure him out."

"He's a Fae, and Faes are known to be inscrutable," Ash shrugged. "Anyway, they're not a species that we know much about, so as a result we think them strange."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Enough about him," the Grand Master grinned. "How about we join Trish and Drake on the dance floor? I didn't get my dance with you last time."

"Pushy, aren't you?" Jenn said flippantly. "Well, since you asked so nicely, I suppose so."

Despite her flippant words, Jenn was really feeling quite dreamy. In fact, she almost felt like she was dreaming. Everything around her had a hazy look to it. The mass of people around her was phenomenal.

As Jenn let Ash take the lead, she looked around and hoped Trish was having just as much fun as she was.

ooo

Jenn needn't have worried, for her best friend was having a fine time, dancing with her fiancé and not having to worry about a maniacal Fae anymore.

Trish's enjoyment level was raised even further when she glanced across to see the blonde dancing with the Grand Master. To add to her delight, Jenn looked like she was relaxed and enjoying herself in Ash's company.

She didn't realize she was grinning like mad until Drake spoke up.

"Penny for your thoughts? You look like a cat who got the best cream."

Trish inclined her head towards their friends. "My reason for grinning is dancing over there."

Drake looked in said direction. "Ash and Jenn? You know, they really do make a fine looking couple."

"I agree," the Australian smiled as she watched Ash and Jenn talk as they waltzed. "What's more, Jenn's not all angsty and tense like she has been around Ash. I guess she's not trying to deny it now."

"It's about time."

Trish sighed. "I just hope that neither of them mess it up. I just want for Jenn to be happy. _Truly_ happy."

"You're a great friend to Jenn," Drake smiled at her. "Just remember not to neglect your own happiness."

"Oh I won't," the Australian smiled back. "But right now, I have everything I need to be happy. My friends, my health and you."

The Orange Crew Leader pouted. "I'm _last_ on the list?"

Trish smirked and kissed his pout away. "You know the best is saved for last."

"So true."

ooo

By now Jenn had completely relaxed and was enjoying herself immensely, much to her surprise. She was never into dancing, being rather uncoordinated and always afraid of making a fool of herself in public. But Ash was an expert dancer, and steered her so smoothly across the floor that she felt like she was gliding on air. Jenn thought wryly, _Of course he's good at dancing. He'd have to be with being the Grand Master. He probably goes to so many of these dance things that it's practically second nature by now._

"Man, I wish I could dance as well as you," she sighed.

Ash laughed. "It wasn't always the way, I can assure you. Jessie made sure I had dancing lessons as soon as I started winning more tournaments. She said that I could never be seen to have two left feet. Something about it being bad for my image."

Jenn wrinkled her nose. "You didn't get lessons from Rudy, I hope. Trish would probably make like she didn't know you if you did."

"Oh no, Jessie hired a professional dance instructor. The guy had won heaps of competitions."

"This is really nice," the blonde sighed happily.

"Mhmmm, and while I have you here, would you like to dance with me at the celebration ball when we get back to Pummelo?"

Maybe it was the atmosphere, or his dark, pleading eyes, but Jenn found herself unable to say no. In her dreamy state, she didn't care that it might be too 'dangerous' to be seen dancing with Ash so soon after his divorce. She was happy. "I'd really like that."

Ash grinned, "Just what I wanted to hear."

ooo

It was obvious to everyone once the night started to wind down. Faes began to leave the ballroom after bidding farewell to their rulers. The ballroom began to thin out until there were just the humans and the Faes who lived at the palace.

"I think I'm about ready to crash," Jenn yawned.

"About ready to?" Ash had a sly look on his face. "I think you already fell asleep a couple of times."

"Whatever," Jenn yawned again. "I just wanna go to sleep."

"I'll walk you back to your room," the Grand Master offered his arm and Jenn shyly accepted. It would be the perfect end to a wonderful night. It also meant that she wouldn't get lost on the way back to her room which would make it even more perfect. Spending the rest of the night wandering the halls would totally suck.

The blonde hugged her friends good night. "Ciaoness, T-vizzie, I'm gonna go to bed before I crash."

Trish hugged her back, a little concerned. "You want me to come with you? Just so you don't get lost in the corridors."

"Nah, you stay here with Drake and enjoy yourself. I think that Ash can get me back to my room safely." She frowned. "Though there were those nasty rumours of him getting lost all the time…"

"Oh?" A sly grin spread over her friend's face. "_Oh_? Ash is walking you back to your room. Is that so?"

"Don't say another word," Jenn held up a hand. "I know what you're gonna say, and my reply is that the only nocturnal activity that this Goddess will be doing is _sleeping_."

"Nothing else?" Jaime also had a sly grin.

"_Nothing_ else." Jenn rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you people have your minds in the gutters."

"Some things are a long time coming," Trish said sagely.

Jenn sent her a withering glare. "It's not coming now or for a good long time yet."

"That's what you say _now_," Jaime grinned. "You may just change your mind later. After all, you're both adults and Ash is a free agent. Nobody can tell him what he can or can't do."

The blonde crossed her arms. "Aiight guys, that's enough of that. What Ash and I do or don't do is none of your bizziness."

Trish gave her a quick hug to soothe her ruffled feathers. "Aw, we know that Jenn, but you gotta admit that it's pretty exciting for us to see you with Ash instead of your usual hiding from his sight."

Jenn tossed her hair. "You still shouldn't tease me over him."

"Hey, fair's fair," the Australian laughed. "I remember when I first started dating Drake, you used to tease me mercilessly."

"But I'm not even dating Ash!" Jenn whined. "I'm only gonna be dancing with him at the ball when we get back to Pummelo."

"That sounds like a date to me," Shannon grinned.

"Whatev," Jenn waved and flounced off to where Ash was standing before her friends could tease her anymore.

ooo

"What took you so long?" the Grand Master wanted to know as Jenn took his proffered arm and they left the ballroom.

"We were just talking," the blonde yawned slightly.

"About what? Things looked pretty lively to me."

"Nuthin."

"You were talking about me, weren't you?"

Jenn's eyes widened for a fraction, then she snorted. "Someone's got a high opinion of himself."

"No," Ash grinned. "But someone does have a little psychic ability."

"Oh, great. Now you're stuck on the Orange Islands definition of little," Jenn grumbled.

Ash laughed and guided her down the stone corridor.

ooo

"Well," Drake guided Trish around the ballroom one last time. "Now that the kids are off to bed…"

"Drake! There isn't even any music!" Trish laughed. "We can't dance!"

"But we are," Drake waltzed with her gracefully. "And there's music if you listen."

Trish concentrated and listened carefully. Sure enough, there was the faintest strains of a melody in the distance.

"You're right," she admitted. "I hear it now."

"Mhmm…and after this, I think we should take a moonlit stroll through the gardens."

The Australian raised an elegant eyebrow. "It's getting rather late."

"C'mon Trish, the night is young and so are we!" Drake grinned rakishly. "Maybe Jenn didn't get a good sleep last night because normally she would be partying on like there's no tomorrow."

"That's true…"

The Orange Crew Leader drew her closer. "Enough about Jenn for now, the night is ours."

ooo

"Thanks for coming back with me," Jenn smiled at the Grand Master as they reached the ornate doors that led to her suite. "It was really nice of you, and I had a really nice time at the dance too."

It was true. It had been a very long time since Jenn had really enjoyed herself at a function like this. After Gary had dumped her, she had mainly gone along to these functions for the lack of anything better to do. She also needed to keep up appearances so that Gary couldn't have the satisfaction of believing that she was pining for him and him alone. There wasn't a single chance where she was going to let that putz get the better of her.

But tonight, had been fun. When not dancing, she sat off to the side with Ash, just talking or sitting in companionable silence. Ash was a great story teller, and the blonde got a stitch in her side from laughing over his anecdotes about his journeys.

Ash was also greatly interested in learning more about Jenn, and she was immensely flattered that he listened to every single word she had to say, without any smart comments. He was the complete opposite of Gary.

Plus it was really nice to not have to walk back to her room alone, like she normally would. Tonight she had someone to talk to about the night and to make sure she got back safe.

The Grand Master smiled and took Jenn in a gentle embrace, taking the girl by surprise. "No, thank _you_, Jenn. I had a really great time tonight too."

The blonde hugged him back. "I haven't had anything resembling a fun time at one of these things for a long time."

"Me neither," Ash said, his dark gaze holding hers.

"I should really get going," Jenn said, not looking away. "I was getting tired and I should go to bed and…damn, you are _really_ irresistible."

"Uh-huh," Ash said, getting a little closer.

"You're not using any powers on me, are you?"

"Nope."

"That's what I thought."

Anything else Jenn was going to say was soon forgotten as Ash leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. After a moment's hesitation, she began to kiss him back, wrapping her arms around his neck to draw him closer.

ooo

Jenn got the grill from her friends the next morning over breakfast.

"So…how was the walk back with Ash last night?" Trish asked, a twinkle in her eyes.

"It was very nice," Jenn said calmly, as she spread cream cheese over her bagel.

"You two _did_ it didn't you?" Jaime grinned madly.

Jenn set her butterknife down and glared at the Canadian. "You're all staying in the same suite of rooms as I am, so I think you'd have heard something if I had slept with Ash. Anyway, I wouldn't have come out of my room by _myself_."

Jaime looked thoughtful. "That's right…maybe you didn't do it."

"He could've teleported out," Shannon pointed out.

"He could've," Jaime agreed.

"Well he didn't and we didn't," Jenn sniffed. "I don't move that fast. Besides Ash got divorced, like, a week or whatever ago. Dude's probably got commitment issues or something."

Just then they were interrupted by the entrance of Savin into the dining room.

"Excuse me for interrupting," the blond Fae said apologetically. "But I have a request from the King and Queen that you all join them in the throne room before you leave for your world."

"Why?" Jenn asked, "I thought we were done and stuff."

"There's still the room checkout and the matter of taking care of the bill," Savin deadpanned.

"WHAT?!" Jenn's jaw dropped as everyone around her laughed.

"Jenn, there isn't any bill," Trish shook her head. "We're guests here."

Jenn rolled her eyes, thoroughly annoyed. "Fine, then he can leave until we're done."

"Ooh, cold words," Shannon clucked her tongue. "Be nice!"

"Yeah, yeah," Jenn waved her hand dismissively. "Sometime next never."

"Don't believe her, she was being nice just this morning," Trish smirked.

"Triiiiiiish!" the blonde wailed. "Ix nay with the ice nay! I have a reputation to keep up!"

"Sooooorry," her best friend said, not looking sorry at all.

"You're not looking sorry enough," Jenn huffed.

Trish just poked her tongue out at her.

"You can finish your breakfast first," Savin brought them back to topic. "Their Majesties have some news which might interest you."

"Ooooh, like a reward consisting of lots of diamonds and stuff?" Jenn perked up. "Cuz that would be really interesting."

The Fae exhaled a breath. "Just call my name when all of you have finished your breakfast."

With that, the Fae walked out of the room. Once his footsteps had faded, Trish looked over at the blonde. "Diamonds and stuff?"

"What? I didn't see _him_ save the world," Jenn shrugged. "Or help out in any way. I at least helped out a little. I figured jewellery is the least they could offer."

"And the most?"

Jenn grinned evilly, "Fire power!"

"Oy," Trish groaned over her coffee. "Just…oy."

ooo

When they had finished breakfast they called for Savin, and the blond Fae led them to the private throne room where the King and Queen of Elysium were waiting.

"I trust you all had a restful sleep and are quite recovered from last night?" Titania asked in her musical voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jaime replied politely.

"We really are grateful to all of you for coming here to testify against Lucius," the Queen continued. "After seeing what happened to you, we realise how much courage you showed by agreeing to relive it."

"And so," she gestured to a number of servants who came forward bearing trays laden with jewellery. "Please feel free to take as many of these jewels and necklaces back with you as a token of our thanks."

"They're not going to disappear on us when we enter our world are they?" Jenn asked, a little suspicious.

"Jenn!!" Shannon hissed.

"Of course not," the Queen laughed, taking no offence at Jenn's rudeness. "These are all quite real and not at all magical."

"Good, cuz that would really suck," the blonde sighed.

"And now for Puck," Oberon smiled.

"What about me?" the Fae in question was a little nervous. What had he done wrong, now?? He couldn't think of anything it could be.

"Remember a conversation we had a while ago, before you left for the mortal world to attend your cousin's wedding?"

Puck tried but failed. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but so many things have happened since then that I can't possibly remember."

"I made you a proposition, Puck," the King reminded him. "I said that if Mia should prove that her love for you was true, then you could stay with her forever. If not, then you were to come back to Elysium for good."

Mia's eyes widened and she looked at Puck. "You never told me anything about this…"

"He wasn't allowed to," Oberon told her. "If he had told you, then the test results would not have been really truthful."

Puck gulped and gripped Mia's hand tightly. He had forgotten all about it with everything that had been happening. _Now I guess I'll find out what our fate is…_

"You can stay with Mia," the King smiled widely. "When she took the bullet for you, of her own free will, told us that she loved you more than life itself."

"That is _so_ uber romantic," Jenn sighed wistfully.

Puck ignored the melodramatic blonde. What his King had just said…Could it be true?

"Have you nothing to say, dearest jester?" The Queen remarked teasingly.

Puck felt his face redden, "N…no…I mean, yes! A thousand times, yes, my Majesties!"

"Well then?" Oberon grinned. "Or have we managed to finally stump you for words?"

"No..no…" Puck was now beet red. "Ah…it's just that…did I hear you right, Your Majesty? That I can _stay_ with Mia? Forever?"

"Yes, you can," Oberon smiled. "Mia proved her love was true and strong. And as a reward for all the years of faithful service given to me, you can stay with her and be human."

Puck broke into a huge grin. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you sooo much, Your Majesty! This is like all my dreams come true at once. How can I ever thank you for this?"

"Just take good care of her," Oberon winked. "You won't find a more devoted and loving girl than Mia."

"Oh I will!"

Meanwhile Mia was in a state of shock over the news. Could it possibly be true? After all she'd been told by family and friends that her relationship with Puck would never work, would never be anything more than a wistful dream, that she should just give up and find a nice mortal boy to settle down with.

But Mia was stubborn and clung to the hope that Puck would come back to her and wore his ring on her left hand as a reminder and a promise. There was no other man for her but Puck.

Now the King of the Faes had given her the news that she had been longing for all these years. Puck could stay with her forever and be human. It was too good to be true.

"Is it true, Your Majesty?" she blurted out. "Puck will be _human_?"

"Yes, he will be human," Oberon confirmed. "But he will still have some magic to command. I do not think you could take all magic from him, as we did with Florian. It is a part of who Puck is, and what makes him so lovable. But rest assured that I will not send you away without some form of controlling him, Mia. He is after all a notorious prankster."

"I agree."

"Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiia!!!" Puck wailed. "You're not supposed to agree with him! You're supposed to say that I am the most angelic person you know."

"Psh," Jenn scoffed. "Everyone knows that's me."

"I have not known you long, my dear," the Queen said smoothly. "But even I do not buy into that."

Jenn's jaw dropped. "Well I never!"

"Never shut up is what you've never," Puck said, but he was grinning ear to ear with his King's news. "Mia…After all this time!"

Mia's answer was to throw her arms around the Fae in tight embrace. "I knew there was a reason why I would never give up," she whispered in his ear. "We were meant to be."

Puck hugged her back tightly. "I know we were."

Their watching friends were either sniffling or looking a little misty-eyed at the tender scene. All of them knew how hard the past two years had been on Mia.

Trish and Drake thought they had it tough being separated by thousands of miles of ocean, but Mia and Puck had it far worse. They were separated across _worlds_...

Not only that, but Mia had to deal with her family as well. They had not been at all comfortable with the fact that their daughter had fallen in love with a non-human. They told her that she should stop this nonsense and find a nice human guy instead.

Mia told them that Puck was a nice guy and the only one for her. After many heated arguments, her parents realised that their daughter was never going to give in, and openly despaired that she would never get married.

"This is _so_ wonderful," Shannon sniffled. "And so romantic, it's like the ending of a fairytale."

Trish chuckled as she leant against Drake. "It _is_ a fairytale, as Puck is a Fae after all. And this is one fairytale that's going to come true."

"Wish I had that luck," Jenn said wistfully.

"You will, Jenn. You will," her friend reassured her. "You just gotta be patient."

"I know, I know but being patient is not my thang," Jenn grumbled. "I'm an American and we expect instant gratification!"

"But Shannon's an American and she's very patient," Jaime said slyly.

"Yeah, well she's strange," Jenn snorted. "Not only does she like snow but she also loves math."

"Hey!" the girl in question pouted. "I'm not strange."

"You are strange," the blonde said sagely. "We are all strange in a way."

"But none more so than you," Trish teased.

"You got it," Jenn grinned back.

ooo

Finally, Puck and Mia pulled apart and they faced the Fae King and Queen. The young brunette gave a deep curtsey.

"Thank you, Your Majesties," she said with heartfelt sincerity. "I don't know how I will ever be able to repay you enough for making all my dreams come true."

"Me neither," Puck said humbly. "We owe you our happiness."

"You two owe us nothing," Oberon smiled warmly. "Just promise us these things and that will be all."

"Okay…" Mia felt a little hesitant at answering. What would the King of the Fae require from her in return for losing his favourite courtier? Mountains of gold and silver? Her first-born son? Both? That was what happened in _Rumpelstiltskin_ wasn't it? Some might scoff that she was taking a fairytale too much to heart, but she was living one. _Anything_ could happen!

"Puck, I want you to take good care of Mia and try to be a good model citizen," Oberon instructed.

"I will, Your Majesty."

"Mia?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Now she'd find out if she would be living out _Rumpelstiltskin_ or some other fairytale.

"Make sure that Puck stays out of trouble, will you?"

Mia chuckled. "Will do, Your Majesty."

Puck blinked. "Heyyy….."

ooo

Jenn was stuffing the last of her clothes into her suitcase when there was a knock at the door.

"You finished packing yet?" Trish called out.

"Just about, come on in."

The Australian entered and sat down on the bed next to Jenn's bulging bag. "Having fun?"

"Nope," the blonde muttered as she tried to press down another layer of clothes and jewellery. "If you think packing clothes is fun, then you have a strange idea of fun."

Trish grinned.

"Say, T?"

"Yes, Jenn?"

"When we get back to Pummelo, do you think that we could go coacher shopping for the upcoming ball?"

"It's couture, Jenn," her best friend blinked. "Well, sure but didn't you already pick out a couture dress for the ball a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah, I did," Jenn said as she sat down on the other side. "But I changed my mind. I don't think it's good enough for the occasion."

"But it's Vivienne Westwood, one of your favourite designers. Of course it's good enough!"

"Well I don't think so," Jenn shrugged nonchalantly. "Not anymore."

Trish looked baffled until a knowing look came across her face. "I know what it is. You want to dress to impress Ash don't you?"

"Of course not!" the blonde crossed her arms. "I just want to dress as a Goddess should and for no other reason."

"You're in love with him aren't you."

"That sounded suspiciously like it wasn't a question."

"It wasn't."

Jenn shrugged again, "It's not something I want to say out loud. Scratch that. It's something I'm _not_ gonna say out loud."

"I think all those little grins you get when you see him or hear his name says differently."

"I so seriously doubt that."

"Oh really?" Trish arched an eyebrow. "So if I said that Ash was going to help you work out that Rapidash he got you, then that wouldn't mean a thing? That you wouldn't be grinning?"

"Of course not!" Jenn, who had begun to grin, frowned. "Why don't you scoot before I kick you out."

"Whatever you say," Trish grinned and walked out, closing the door behind her.

Jenn rolled her eyes at the closed door, but turned to repack. She grinned as she did. "At least out loud, I won't say..."

The door opened and Trish looked back in, "Don't forget to pack that black Chanel jacket!"

Jenn's eye twitched, "Yes, mom."

The door closed.

She ducked to look under the bed, pulled out the jacket, and murmured, "I'm in love."

ooo

Once all the baggage was in the expansive entryway to the palace, Puck turned to look at Mia. The girl of his dreams had not stopped smiling since the King's announcement.

"How about when we get back, that you and I go out for a romantic dinner to celebrate," he whispered in her ear.

Mia grinned even wider. "I like the sound of that!"

"Good, let's do it!"

"But….how are we going to pay for it? I don't have much money and you don't have any."

"I have some," Puck protested. "But perhaps we can convince Drake to pull some strings and get us a cheap deal at some fancy restaurant."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind. It's a very special celebration for us after all," Mia smiled as she gave him a kiss.

Puck smiled back. "It is indeed."

ooo

Jenn leant against one of the walls and sighed. If there was one thing she was never very good at, it was waiting. And right now they were waiting for the King and Queen, as well as Puck and Callie's parents to arrive to see them off.

The blonde was impatient to get back to her own world to check on her Pokémon as well as to get away from insanely powerful Fae who could hurt her. At least in the mortal world, she was on equal fighting terms with anyone and could kick some serious butt.

Her current position also allowed her to gaze on Ash as much as she liked without anyone noticing. Trish might think she was silly for not admitting that she was in love with the Grand Master, but after Jenn's past romantic experience, she wasn't going to allow herself to fall in the same trap of thinking 'happily ever after' when it could turn out to be 'happily _never_ after.' That's what happened with Gary and she was now wise to the ways of men. Once bitten, twice shy? You bet.

Suddenly her eye candy was gone from her view, and Jenn blinked.

"What are you doing over here all by yourself?" his voice came from her right.

She turned, blushing slightly at his closeness. "Just bored from all the waiting."

"Jenn…when we get back you're not going to start avoiding me again are you?" His dark eyes bore into hers. "Not after that kiss we shared."

Her blue-grey eyes widened in shock, "Hello! Loud much?" She turned her back to him and stared at a landscape tapestry that hung on the wall across from her. "Why not just..." Jenn bit her lip. It would be like Ash to say something sure to be more than slightly embarra...

"What? Announce it to the world?" Amusement tinged his tone. "If you insist…"

Jenn spun around, "If you do, I'll put you in _such _a world of hurt!"

"C'mon, Jenn, I'm just teasing."

"For one thing, that's pressuring me, okay?" Jenn ticked off a finger, "I'm claustrophobic. You pressure me and I'll just lash out. Chosen One powers or not. Two," she ticked off another finger, "We're going back to the real world. Stuff like that was great in fairy land, but not _there_."

"Well, at least I got you to admit that it was great," Ash said with a grin.

"You are completely insufferable!"

"You know me, always looking on the bright side of life," the Grand Master chuckled. "But seriously Jenn, are you _really_ going to shut me out again when we get back because you're afraid of what might happen? Are you thinking that it might be a repeat of what happened with Gary?"

"No, you're not a dog like he is. It's the billion other things that could go wrong," she admitted with a sigh. "You can't possibly forget how the media and public will react if this ever gets out."

"Even though this relationship is something that you want very, very much?"

Jenn opened her mouth to automatically deny it but then closed it shut. There was no use denying the truth with Mr. Chosen One around. With his powers, he'd know in a heartbeat if she was lying. Still and all, she wasn't going to give in and admit it. Her pride wouldn't allow it.

"Maybe."

"I still want that dance with you at the ball when we get back," Ash said softly. "You promised me you would and I'm gonna hold you to it."

"Whatev," Jenn attempted to be nonchalant but secretly inside her heart was thudding wildly. Maybe that kiss wasn't an illusion created by all the magic in the air around them. Maybe he really did have feelings for her. _Stay cool, J-girl_.

He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. "I'm not going to pressure you into something you don't want to do, Jenn. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up on you either." He walked away to talk to Drake, and Jenn sighed.

"They're called breath-mints!" Jenn shot after him, "Try 'em!"

Ash looked back and shook his head. His expression was of a person seriously amused.

Jenn sighed again when she saw her best friend head toward her way, a knowing grin on her face. _Here we go again_, she sighed inwardly. _When T-vizzie makes up her mind about something, she really latches on it. She's like a puppy with a chew toy._

This last thought gave her a bit of the giggles as she realized that Trish _did_ own an Australian Silky Terrier, and that the hyperactive puppy almost never stopped playing with its chew toys. Not unless it was sleeping.

"Find something amusing?"

"Uh," Jenn shrugged, "Not really. What do you want?"

"Me? Want something?" Trish pouted. "Do I look like someone who would come over just to bother you?"

"Yeah," Jenn said, "Especially after Ash just walked away."

Trish grinned, "Spill it!"

"Huh?"

"I know he said something to you about when we all get back," Trish was in full investigative reporter mode. "So tell me all the juicy details."

"He said that he was sorry if I was interested in him, but we simply couldn't continue it once we got back to the real world," Jenn looked hurt. "I…I understand though. I can deal with it."

"Liar!" Trish looked triumphant. "He's going to pursue you, isn't he?"

"Yes, Trish," Jenn nodded, "That is exactly what 'I can't see you anymore' means."

"Ahh, normally it would, my dear Watson," Trish wagged a finger at her friend, "But I know Ash and he is a man seriously in luuuuuurrrrve with you."

"Well, I'm seriously not in luuuuuuurrrve with him," the blonde snorted. "So you can forget about teasing me about him. There's absolutely nothing going on between us."

"Liar," Trish grinned even wider. "You forget, I _know_ you even better than I know Ash. And no you are not seriously in luurrve with Ash. You are completely and utterly in love with him, but you just won't admit it. You're in denial."

A glint came into Jenn's eyes, but before she could open her mouth, her friend put a hand up to stop her. "And no I _don't_ mean the river. But you are Queen of Denial, definitely."

Jenn shrugged, "Well I don't disagree with that."

"Why are you putting up such a fight about this?" A slight look of exasperation crossed Trish's face. "I mean, I understand some of why you are in constant denial, but I don't get why you're insisting on lying to the rest about what's going on. If you were Pinocchio your nose would be a huge tree by now."

"Nothing I can say will convince you that what I say is the truth, will it?" Jenn frowned.

"Nope," Trish smiled smugly. "Because we both know that it _isn't_ the truth, and that's a fact. You can't fool me."

"You know what? I should just hold a conference about this," Jenn said it to no one in particular. "I have to explain it to Ash, to you, to the ground..."

"What a lovely idea!" Trish clapped her hands together. "Then everyone will know at once! I'll go tell Drake!"

Jenn's eyes widened, but she couldn't get a word out before Trish got to Drake. She could see her friend whispering to him, but couldn't even move before another voice chimed out.

"All Mortals ready to go back to their realm, please step forward!"

_Oh yeah_, Jenn thought, _I'm so there_.

ooo

The group that had gathered to see them off consisted of the King and Queen, Fiore, Savin, Helena and Demetrius.

"Take care of yourself, Puck," Oberon said with fond smile. "Don't forget to invite us to the wedding…"

Both Puck and Mia blushed scarlet.

"Whenever that may be," the King finished with a grin.

"Oh we certainly will, Your Majesty," Puck said, exchanging looks with Mia. "We owe our happiness all to you."

Meanwhile Trish walked up to Fiore with Drake in tow and held out her hand. "Thank you for having us here, Fiore."

"It's been a pleasure," Fiore bowed slightly before Trish then heard his voice telepathically in her head.

:_You_ _take care, and remember to not tell anyone of what I did.:_

_:Is_ _this a secure link?:_ Trish sent back cautiously.

_:Of_ _course it is!:_

_:Just_ _making sure! Okay I promise.:_

_:Thank_ _you.:_

_:You're_ _welcome.:_

ooo

Jenn was not aware of any of these things happening around her. All the blonde could think about was what Trish could have possibly have said to Drake a few minutes ago.

Jenn was starting to regret her flippant quip about a conference, and was very much afraid it could come back to haunt her. Surely Trish knew better than to force her friend to hold a press conference when she knew how much Jenn hated public speaking.

Plus there was another, secret reason she didn't want to do it. She really didn't want to say out loud that she didn't care about Ash….because she really did. And her public dissing of him would certainly drive Ash away and she didn't want that to happen.

Then again, if she admitted it in public that she wanted Ash, then she'd be opening a huge can of worms. Misty would put pressure on Ash that he was involved with Jenn before their divorce. Fans would send the blonde death threats. _Misty_ would send death threats. Everyone would have their eyes on any serious relationship she had with Ash.

Of course, her parents would be thrilled…

Jenn made a mental note to talk with Trish as soon as she could get her alone when they got back.

ooo

Finally it was time to go and the departing travellers were gathered together in a small circle.

"You need to stay together or else Callie and I won't be around to surround you effectively with our magic to take you back to your world," Puck instructed the group.

Jaime blinked. "…_Your_ magic? How can you have magic, Puck? I thought the King said that you would be human! Humans don't have any magic."

"Everyone has magic deep inside," Callie said sagely. "You just have to find it."

"Yes, and some people have a bit more than others," Jenn said, with a smirk towards Ash. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Hey, I can't help it if some great powerful force decided before I was born that I would be the Chosen One with matching powers," he grinned.

"You weren't listening properly, Jaime," Puck said, bringing everyone back on conversational track. "The King said he wouldn't take away my magic, he said he'd just give Mia a fail-safe way of controlling me."

Jenn glanced over at Puck with an innocent expression, "Oh, so he meant something other than marriage?"

"Hah hah," Puck gave Mia a quick hug, "Despite what you would evidently believe, I think that marriage is nothing more than spending a lifetime with someone you love."

Since there was no time for a witty retort, as the Faes gathered the mortals into a close group, no one noticed that Jenn had fallen silent very quickly. She had a tote bag over one shoulder and stood between Jaime and Shannon. Trish stood by Drake's side, with Mia on the other.

Puck and Callie stood opposite of each other, with the group of huddled humans between them.

"Ready, sis?"

Callie's eyes twinkled, "You bet, brother."

The two raised their arms as magic flowed around them. The energy from the two Faes blended smoothly, not that the mortals – save for Ash – could even tell.

"Those of you prone to nausea may want to close your eyes for the next few moments," Callie warned.

Jaime and Shannon instantly did so, as did Jenn though in her case it was more of not wanting to look at Ash, who was standing somewhere off to her side.

Trish leaned in against Drake and grinned widely as their surroundings began to blur and fog. Faster and faster things seemed to course by them, almost as if they were all caught up in a river, with only Callie and Puck to guard them.

Then, as soon as it came upon them, the blurring and fogging sensations began to slow and re-form. Gradually, the familiar sounds and scents of Pummelo began to surround them. Warmth from the sun, as it had been spring-like cool in the Fae world, touched them and a gentle breeze brought the scent of the ocean.

"And we're here," Puck said. "You may open your eyes."

Jaime opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as she found herself back in the landscaped lawns and manicured gardens at the back of Drake's villa. She wouldn't have put it past Puck to have transported them all to another dimension, even if Callie had been there. Those Faes could be really sneaky at times.

"Thanks for that Puck," Trish grinned as she pulled up the retractable handle on her small suitcase. "Now I think that we all need to go and unpack and meet again in time for some lunch."

Jenn managed to grab her friend's arm before she walked right past. "I need to talk to you about something after we finish packing."

The Australian nodded. "Sure, is it important?"

"Yeah," the blonde said grimly. _Important enough to ward off possible public humiliation and hostility by having a press conference forced on me..._

"Drop by my room after you finish then."

Jenn nodded, unable to help feeling like she'd just talked to her boss, and scooted off to her room to unpack. Suddenly her cute little Louis Vuitton carry all felt really heavy.

ooo

An hour later Jenn knocked on her best friend's bedroom door, ready for the little talk she asked for. She hoped that Trish was alone, because she wanted to nip this situation in the bud before it could escalate any further by more people being in the know.

"Come in," the Australian voice floated through the door.

The blonde opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Trish was indeed alone and flat on her stomach on her bed flipping through a magazine.

"Hey Jenn," Trish greeted cheerily. "So what's this important matter we need to speak about?"

Just like her friend to cut to the chase and get right down to the matter. Jenn sat down in the oversized stuffed chair at the foot of the bed and sighed.

"Before we left, I was joking around and told you that I should just hold a conference about my feelings for Ash. Then bam, you went and said something to Drake. Please tell me that you didn't organize a press conference for me! If you did, I don't wanna hear about it."

"Relax, Jenn," Trish grinned easily. "There is no press conference organised, I know how much you hate speaking in public. I wouldn't do that to you…."

"Sometimes I'm not so sure about that," Jenn gave a wry smile. "You are not the complete Mizz Innocent you like to make yourself out to be."

"Why, I never!" Trish feigned offence.

"Whatever," the blonde rolled her eyes. "So what _did _you say?"

"Oh I just thought it would be nice for you to talk about it with Drake, myself and Ash," Trish grinned evilly. "The truth will come out."

"_What?_" Jenn gasped.

"It's not as if I'm forcing you to say it in public public," her friend said. "I just thought if you could admit it to yourself and to Ash then maybe we can work out how to get the happy ending that you want. And don't try to say that it isn't, because I _know_ you."

"But the public and Misty will _slay_ me!!!" Jenn was wild-eyed. "The media will be all over it and make it look like I was the one who broke up the marriage."

"Yeah, but don't forget that Misty was the one who cheated on Ash, Brock can testify to that. And Misty was the one who walked out on the marriage and moved in with Gary. It's not as if the public sympathy will be with her. Different if Ash cheated on her and she was all sad and miserable and alone."

"And that's a sweet of her and all, but I can't fight the press!" Jenn protested. "Once they hear something like that, it's curtains for me. _Curtains_!"

"You really think so?" Trish asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Duh," Jenn rolled her eyes. "If I just go on out and say how much I like him and wouldn't mind being the next one down the aisle, then I'm totally toast. At least to everyone but my parents, who want to see me married off."

"So you're saying you wouldn't mind telling Ash how much you love him and wouldn't mind marrying him?"

"Need I repeat it? Duh," Jenn shook her head. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder about you." The blonde stood up. "Anyway, I need to go unpack. I pretty much just tossed my bag on my bed."

Trish watched as her friend left and shut the door behind her. "Did you hear all of that?"

"Sure did," Ash grinned as he and Drake once again came into physical view. The Grand Master had used his powers to make them invisible so they could listen to Jenn express herself freely and without any inhibitions.

Trish had suggested that approach to get the truth from her, because she knew that, had Ash been there, Jenn would have clammed up or lied to hide what she was really feeling.

Ash readily went along with the plan because he knew Trish was right. He had been on the receiving end of many a Jenn insult lately; the most recent one just a few hours ago about Ash needing breath mints.

Not only was that completely out of left field but it was just absolutely not true. Muk had bad breath, Snorlax had bad breath – but not Ash himself.

_Of course_, Ash thought with a grin, _I could've turned that back on her and mentioned doggie breath. I might have gotten myself slapped, but I've dealt with worse. _

"What's with the smile?" Trish asked.

"Oh nothing," Ash said, still grinning, "Just thinking of witty retorts long after the initial insult."

"You know, I _hate_ it when that happens," Drake said sourly. "It's usually when Jenn's around."

"Yes, it usually is," Trish mused thoughtfully, "And speaking of the little devil, we have things to do."

"We do?" Drake asked. "What? We get to send her back to Pennsylvania? I'd love that idea."

"I bet you would," Trish said with a little glare, "But that's not the plan."

"Darn."

ooo

Mia laughed as Puck spun her out then back into his arms as the music blared from the stereo in the great room. She had not come down from the euphoric heights she had scaled since the Fae King had granted her dearest wish.

She was so ecstatic that she was almost giddy, and that made her giggly. Which was most un-Mia like.

"So where would you like to go for dinner tonight?" Puck asked. "Just you and me, my sweet."

Mia didn't take long to think about it at all. "_Le Chateau Pidgeot_. Drake says it's one of the top restaurants in the Archipelago."

Puck raised an eyebrow. "Uh…that would also mean that it's very very expensive. How do you propose we're going to pay for this?"

His girlfriend merely giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "You've got magic. Use it."

The chestnut-haired Fae brightened. "But of course, now why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you're not fast enough," Mia teased him.

"Any further plans?"

"Yes," Mia smiled. "When we finally leave here, you're going to come home and meet my parents."

Puck gulped, "Don't…don't you think it's a little soon for that?"

"Aww, you're not scared are you?" Mia teased him gently. "Such a brave, powerful, sexy creature such as yourself shouldn't be scared of anything. You did defeat Lu."

"I had help," Puck said dryly. "And given the choice, I think I'd rather face Lu again."

"That's not fair," Mia said. "My parents are not that scary and anyway you've never met them before."

"That's what makes it so scary!!"

"Well you won't know until you've met them," Mia smirked.

"But what do you mortals do when it comes to courtship?" Puck asked, a little nervous. "Is it very different to the Fae Realms?"

"Depends on what you do."

"Well if two Faes fall in love they just get married straight away, no permission necessary."

"Yeah, see, we're going to have to work on that," Mia shook her head. "I've definitely got my work cut out for me."

"Huh?"

"Puck, sweetie, that's not how it happens in the mortal world."

"So how does the mortal world do courtship?"

"We date for a while…"

"We've done that."

"We get engaged…"

"That ring I gave counts, right?"

"Not really," Mia loved the ring he gave her, but it didn't come with the fanfare an engagement ring came with. "An engagement ring usually has a diamond with it."

"Oh, well that's easy enough," Puck looked relieved.

"You have to propose to me though," Mia looked thoughtful. "It has to be done in a romantic setting, you get down on one knee, Trish and Jenn and Shannon and Jaime will squeal and get sappy about it after we tell them, then we plan our wedding."

"That's a lot of stuff to do," Puck's relief had long turned to dismay. "Can't we just do it the Fae way?"

"No way!!" Mia stated firmly. "I may be a bit of a tomboy, but I'm a firm believer in tradition when it comes to romance and marriage. I want the whole proper wedding thing, frills and all."

"Frills?" Puck blinked. "But I thought you didn't like frills and…"

"It's a saying, sweetie. It means that I want the whole works that come with a wedding – the proposal, the engagement ring, the engagement party, the wedding, the wedding reception, _and_ the honeymoon."

"You want all that?"

"Of course I do!" Mia grinned. "Plus if I don't get it, my father will most likely come after you with a loaded rifle."

Puck gulped. Humans were so very complicated.

"It's not as difficult as you might be thinking it is."

"Actually, I'm thinking that it _is_ just that difficult," Puck sighed. "Mia…How do we do all of this?"

"Simple," Mia grinned, "We call in the reinforcements!"

"And that would be what?"

"More like who," Mia hugged Puck, "A whole lotta who."

ooo

Drake sank into his leather executive chair behind his desk with a grateful sigh. Ash, who had accompanied him to the office, looked over from his seat opposite, and grinned.

"That sounded heartfelt."

"It was," the Orange Crew Leader said. "A sigh of relief that this whole thing with Lu is finally and completely over."

"It is," Ash smiled. "He'll never be able to harm anyone ever again."

"Which is a relief," Drake folded his arms behind his head. "We were lucky enough to escape with relatively minor damage to the island as it was."

"How is the clean up going?"

"It's going along pretty well," the Orange Crew Leader said as he consulted a sheet of paper. "The only hold up is the fact that some of the building materials need to be shipped out from the mainland."

"As well as getting rid of all the debris that's lying around," Ash added.

"Yeah, and since the garbage only gets collected once a week, there's only so much you can put in the trash cans before they're full."

"I think you're doing a fantastic job of leading the whole operation," the Grand Master told his friend and colleague. "After all the celebrations are over, why don't you take a long vacation? You deserve it."

"After all that you've done here, I think you do too," Drake grinned. "The idea of a long vacation sounds seriously tempting."

"So why don't you? Take Trish along with you."

"I'd have to see if she can take the time off work first, or if she already has some madcap plans made with Jenn and Shannon," Drake shrugged. "But I'll ask her anyway."

"Surely Trish wouldn't say no."

"You wouldn't think so, but she just might," Drake said. "Especially if Jenn's around. Secret women's business and talk."

Ash shook his head. "Women…we'll never understand them."

"No," Drake agreed. "And speaking of not understanding women, I had a plea for help from a certain chestnut-haired Fae that we all know and love. Puck came to me looking a little distressed over a talk he had with Mia a few moments ago."

"Oh?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me they're arguing and having troubles already."

"Nothing like that," Drake reassured the Grand Master. "Mia mentioned the 'M' word and Puck has no idea how he's supposed to do it all."

"The M word?" Ash looked a little confused.

The Orange Crew Leader sighed. "Marriage. Geeze, Ash did you never hear it mentioned as the 'm' word before?"

"Probably," Ash looked a little sheepish. "But I can't say that I ever took much notice. I was too preoccupied with Pokémon training."

"I didn't take much notice either, however I have sisters who often use that phrase when it comes to commitment shy boyfriends."

"So he wants us to help?"

"You got it. However I told him that you would probably be more helpful than me; and sorry if this causes you pain….but you're the only one who's been married."

"Don't worry about it," Ash shrugged, "If I let it cause me pain just by being mentioned, then I'd say I need therapy. Besides, the only pain anyone is feeling is Misty."

Drake looked confused, "Why's that?"

"Because," Ash grinned. "She's the one that signed the prenup."

"Uh…I don't think Puck and Mia are going to need that."

"Probably not."

"So you're cool to help?"

"Sure," the Grand Master smiled. "Anything to help a friend."

"Hard to imagine Puck being married and settled down…" Drake mused. "He's always been such a free spirit and now he's submitting to the ball and chain."

"You're one to talk," Ash gave the Orange Crew Leader a wry look. "Or have you forgotten so soon that you're doing the same thing?"

"That's different," Drake shrugged. "Just that I would think it would be harder for a Fae who's been coming and going as he pleases to just stay in the one place and play happy families."

"Well, I don't think Mia will leash him in that far," Ash rolled his shoulders, "I'm sure she'll let him come and go as he pleases. If she tried to cage him, he'd be seriously unhappy."

"That's an understatement," Drake mused. "Just as long as we keep all alcohol away from him. I guess thing's will be just fine."

"Yep," Ash nodded. "That means no open bar at the reception."

"Just at their wedding reception or all functions?" Drake raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit tough on everyone else, and Chris is sure to throw a fit."

"Or maybe the bar can be open to all but Puck," the Grand Master amended.

"Puck would then say that it was unfair to _him_. Perhaps we should just get Callie to cast a spell to make him hate the taste of alcohol," Drake suggested. "At least then we wouldn't have to worry about him going anywhere _near_ a bar."

"Good idea," Ash grinned. "But we still have to tell Mia that their wedding reception has to be alcohol free. Think of all the Faes that will be attending."

"Oh yeah," the Orange Crew Leader grimaced slightly. "I'm sure Mia won't argue with that, unless she _wants_ her wedding to be remembered for all the _wrong_ reasons."

"I don't think any girl wants that."

"I don't think any guy does either."

ooo

Trish ushered Shannon, Jaime and Mia into her room before peering out into the corridor and then closing the door behind her.

"What's going on?" Jaime demanded. "Why all the secrecy and why's Jenn not here?"

"Because Jenn is the reason for this meeting," Trish informed them.

"Why, what's she done?"

"Nothing," Trish grinned. "More like what she's _not_ done."

"Which is?" Shannon was clearly puzzled.

"She's yet to admit in public that she's in love with Ash," the Australian grinned. "And since she won't do it herself, we will have to do it for her."

"But maybe she's not really in love with Ash so that's why she's not admitting it," Jaime spoke up. "Ever thought of that?"

"To be quite frank, no." Trish smirked. "And not because I don't want to see the truth, but because I know that it's not the truth. Jenn admitted her feelings about Ash to me just yesterday."

"So if she can tell you, why can't she tell the rest of us?" Shannon looked a bit hurt. "Aren't we her friends as well?"

"Sure you are," Trish quickly reassured the girl. "But don't forget that she thinks that more than one person is a crowd and she is a bit shy."

"For the front _she_ puts up, you'd never think that," Shannon said.

"Yeah," Jaime nodded. "She's as wild as they come."

"She is," Trish agreed, "But ever notice that she's only like that in public? She's rather quiet in private.."

"I never thought of it like that," Shannon said.

"Me neither," Jaime shrugged. "I guess I never thought of her as anything but loud."

"I guess that proves just how good an actress Jenn really is," Trish chuckled. "She likes to say that she could win a Best Actress Oscar and I agree. She manages to fool most people except for a select few, such as psychics."

"But you're not psychic," Mia pointed out. "So how do you know the _real_ Jenn?"

"Jenn would say I'm psycho," the Australian grinned. "But nah, I'm just really persistent and bug the hell out of her until she caves in and tells me."

"It must work!" Jaime laughed. "I mean you're the only one who knows more about Jenn than anyone else."

"I wouldn't say I know the real Jenn…"

"Huh?"

"How can I know the real Jenn when she probably doesn't even know herself?"

"You have a point," Shannon said thoughtfully.

"I don't get it," Jaime said. "How could you not know yourself? I know me."

"Some people can be intuitive about everything but themselves," Trish said sagely. "It happens to the best of us."

"Like you?" Jaime asked.

"No, no," Trish said with a laugh, "Not me."

"So how do you propose to do this public confession?" Mia wanted to know. "Dupe her into thinking she's going to some event when it's really a press conference?"

"Heavens, no!" the Australian shook her head. "She'd just freeze and clam up. I wouldn't do that to her, I'm not that cruel."

"Sure you're not," Jaime smirked.

Trish just grinned at the Canadian. "I still wouldn't force Jenn to have a press conference. I'm thinking more of an unforced public confession. Perhaps at the upcoming festival or celebration dance?"

"So subtle moves?"

"Exactly."

ooo

_To be continued…_

_Author's Note: _ _I'm not dead! Nor have I given up on writing. However real life took priority for a while and procrastination set in. So apologies to any loyal readers I have. _


	36. Chapter 35: All These Mixed Emotions

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish_

_Disclaimer: _Of course Pokémon does not belong to me. Nor does Puck belong to me, he belongs to William Shakespeare. But the storyline does and any original characters. The lyrics from the chapter title come from "Tears of Pearls' by Savage Garden

_Chapter Thirty-Five:_ _All These Mixed Emotions_

After lunch, Ash returned to his villa to unpack his suitcase and settle in before the next round of meetings began. Jessie, James, Meowth and Brock were due to come over in two hours time to work out Ash's calendar and publicity strategies for the next few months.

He turned the key fully and found himself hesitating slightly before he pushed open the front door. What would it be like to enter an empty house without Misty there? Knowing that she would never be there again?

Ash was not used to such a scenario. Throughout his entire life, he had always come home to someone. His mom, and then Misty. Never to an empty house.

Sure he had his Pokémon there, but it just wasn't the same as _human_ contact. There is only so much mileage to made in conversations with creatures whose primary interests were food, affection and battling. Even though he was fluent in all Pokémon languages, even Pikachu found some human topics boring and would tune right out.

However, this was just something he would have to get used to from now on.

The Grand Master pushed open the door and pulled his luggage in before closing the door behind him. A few seconds later there was a skittering of claws and the flapping of wings before a river of Pokémon, headed by Pikachu, came to greet him.

'_Pikapi, you're home!!_' was all Ash heard before being swamped by a mass of wriggling furry and feathery critters.

"Hey, you guys," he laughed as he fended off various attempts to lick him. "I'm glad to see you too, but some air would be nice."

The Pokémon ceased their affectionate attack and let their Trainer pick himself up off the marble floor and move to somewhere more comfortable, such as the lounge room.

'_So how was the Fae Realm?'_ Bulbasaur asked after Ash had sat down on the leather lounge, with Pikachu taking her accustomed place on his lap.

"Good," Ash smiled. "Elysium was very nice and very interesting. Funny thing was, it wasn't that much different from our world with the exception of magical beings and plants the colour of the rainbow."

'_Oh it must have been __**so**__ pretty,'_ Meganium sighed wistfully. '_Wish I could go there.'_

'_Were there any Pokémon there, Ash?'_ Charizard wanted to know.

"None at all," the Grand Master shook his head. "Puck told me that Pokémon don't exist in the Fae Realms."

'_Well then, you wouldn't want to go there, Meg,_' the orange lizard rumbled to his herbivore friend.

Meganium blinked. '_Whyever not?'_

'_Because any place that doesn't have us Pokémon has gotta suck! We make the world special just by being in it.'_

'_Just a little full of yourself?_' Pikachu questioned smugly.

'_No. I'm just telling the truth,'_ Charizard shrugged nonchalantly.

"The only Pokémon that happened to be there was me," Ash sighed. "Some Fae decided to turn me into a Pikachu."

'_What! __**Again**__??'_ Pikachu blinked. '_What was the reason for it __**this**__ time? Did they get drunk?'_

"No, seems this Fae, Cormac wanted me out of the way so that he could have his way with Jenn, disguised as me," the Grand Master explained.

'_What?!_ _He didn't succeed did he?'_

"No, luckily I managed to convince Trish and the others of who I was, and managed to rescue Jenn just as Cormac was about to rape her."

'_Ooooh that strange Mightyena of hers won't be too happy when it hears this_,' Meganium shook her head, the movement releasing the sweet scent from the huge flower around her neck.

'_Speaking of which, has anyone actually spoken to it yet to find out what it's doing here?'_ Bulbasaur asked. '_It's not your usual Mightyena.'_

There was a collection of no's from the pokémon. Pikachu sighed and looked thoughtful. '_Someone will have to confront it.'_

The others nodded and looked pointedly at the Pokémon in charge.

Pikachu sighed again, '_Maybe someone who __**isn't**__ me. For a change, I mean. I'm thinking about nominating Charizard.'_

'_What?!'_ Charizard looked shocked. '_Why me?'_

'_Why not you?_' Pikachu said calmly. '_You're as good a pokémon as any of us.'_

'_Gee, I dunno,'_ Charizard said sarcastically. '_Why not send the Chosen_ _One?'_

'_Because the Mightyena might be more comfortable talking to a fellow Pokémon than a human,'_ Bulbasaur said. '_Even if that human is the Chosen_ _One.'_

'_And if the Mightyena is here because of something to do with Ash, then it's not likely to fess up if he was there, would it?' _Typhlosion added.

'_I still don't see why I should have to be the one to talk to it,'_ the orange lizard grumbled. '_I'm not very good at the talkin' thing.'_

'_Sure you're not,'_ Pikachu rolled her eyes. '_I remember that pep talk you gave Jenn when she was an Absol during the battle with Gary. Now that worked a treat!'_

'_That was a one off.'_

'_Awww come on Charizard, you should do it,' _Feraligator spoke up. '_After all you're all with the intimidating look and can stare it down if it tries any funny business.'_

'_Why don't YOU do it? You've got some pretty fearsome choppers on you.'_

'_Because I wouldn't be convincing enough,'_Feraligator shook his head. '_You know me, I'd probably end up playing or dancing around.'_

'_If you weren't such a fool, then maybe you could do this,'_ Charizard growled. When the huge alligator took a step forward, Charizard snorted a bit of flame. '_Don't get your scales twisted. I'll take care of the mutt.'_

'_Thank you, Charizard,'_ Pikachu said gratefully. '_As it is, I have many duties to attend to.' _

'_Yeah, yeah,'_ the orange dragon said, '_Whatever you say, rodent. If I'm not back in an hour, send someone out to see what's going on.'_

'_Of course,'_ Pikachu said. She and the others watched as Charizard leapt into the air and flew in the direction of Drake's villa. When the dragon was a speck in the sky, she turned towards her best friend. '_So, Ash, anything else happen in that strange dimension, or do we have to assume?'_

Ash chuckled weakly. Oh, they weren't going to let him get away with _anything._

ooo

As Charizard neared the Orange Crew Leader's Villa he sent a telepathic message to Dragonite to alert him of his coming to speak to the Mightyena so that he wouldn't be attacked for trespassing.

The Dragon Pokémon immediately sent back that Charizard was quite okay to land as long as he didn't cause any trouble.

_As long as that mutt doesn't cause trouble, I won't either,_ Charizard thought to himself as he spied the Mightyena dozing in a shady corner of the villa's garden. _**Just**_ _like a Dark Pokémon to avoid the sunlight if at all possible. _Charizard never understood Dark Pokémon's aversion to the sun. He _loved_ being in the sun; it made him feel stronger and it also felt good on his leathery wings.

He landed gently on the other side of the vast lawns and was met by Dragonite.

'_Nice to see you around,'_ the huge Pokémon greeted.

'_You too,_' Charizard said cordially. He inclined his head towards the sleeping Mightyena. '_I'm here to talk to Sleepy over there. You know his story at all?'_

Dragonite shook his head. '_Not at all._ _He keeps mostly to himself and doesn't associate much with any of the Pokémon here. But he hasn't tried anything funny yet otherwise I'd have kicked him straight out on his furry butt, sunlight or not.'_

'_And people say __**I'm **__irrational.'_

'_You are,'_ Dragonite grinned toothily. '_I'm just a little more rational than you are.'_

'_That makes no sense.'_

'_Nonsense!_ _I always make perfect sense.'_

Charizard eyed him and shook his head_, 'I'll deal with that later. For now, there's a fuzzy mutt I need to talk to.'_

'_Best of luck there.'_

'_Don't make me flame you.'_

'_Don't make __**me**__ laugh!'_ Dragonite countered. '_Unlike you, I'm not limited to basic attacks.'_

'_Blah, blah._ _You're such a bragger_.'

'_Just telling the truth,'_ Dragonite shrugged.

Charizard ignored the big Pokémon as he approached the sleeping Mightyena. The canine's sensitive ears twitched and pricked at his footsteps and it stretched to a sitting position.

'_You want somethin?'_

'_I want to know what you're doing here,'_ Charizard said, '_And to warn you that if you're here to hurt the Chosen_ _One that you'd better think again.'_

The Mightyena snorted and shook its head, '_I doubt words alone will get you to realize I ain't here to hurt anyone.'_

'_I'm not assured. It's gonna take a lot more than fancy words to assure me.'_

'_I bet.'_

'_What's that supposed to mean?'_

'_Back down, dragon,_' The Mightyena stood up and stretched casually. '_I ain't gonna attack. Not without a good reason to.'_

'_Then why not start things off by telling me your name?'_

'_Name's Chance.'_

'_You've got to be kidding me! What kind of a lame name is that?'_

'_Least I __**have**__ a name.'_ Chance eyed Charizard. '_What kind of a name's Charizard?'_

'_It's a time honoured tradition within my species and…_' Charizard broke off with a grumbled curse. '_I didn't come here to dispute names. Why did you come here? Why were you so glued to that brainless blonde's side?'_

'_Careful where you tread on __**that**__,'_ Chance suddenly dropped his tone to a warning level. A low growl accompanied the canine's words. '_I've given my word t'guard her with my life and I won't have some flames for brains insult her_.'

Charizard took a step back. This Pokémon was very strange and surprising. How could a Pokémon who only just met the blonde human hold such an attachment to her? Things weren't adding up at all.

Chance must've realized that he'd said more than he intended. The Dark Pokémon stepped back into the shadows and settled against the base of the tree. He almost seemed to melt into the tree.

'_If you just met her after the hurricane, why would you talk as if you've known her for years?'_

'_Don't be stupid,' _Chance snorted. '_I owe her my life. She saved me and I'm just stickin' by her side to repay the favour.'_

'_If you say so,'_ Charizard shrugged. '_Listen, if you want I can shield you with my wings. You can go inside the villa and get out of the sun.' _

'_I'm not a vampire. I can walk in sunlight,"_ Chance said smoothly. '_And I'm not some stupid pup. I know ways of getting out of the sun if I need to.'_

'_Fine, I'll remember to not try to be nice to you next time,'_ Charizard snapped and turned to walk back to the villa. '_Ungrateful snobby little…._'

'_Thank you…'_ Came floating on the wind to him.

Charizard looked over his shoulder and saw the Mightyena looking at him with a smug expression. The dragon snorted a derisive blast of flames, then walked over to the villa. Oh, he was going to have such a talk with Dragonite about this rude Pokémon Jenn had picked up. Trust _her_ to find an ignorant type of Pokémon.

ooo

'_You and Jenn did WHAT?!'_ Meganium squeaked, eyes wide

"We kissed," Ash said with a weak grin. "But she's back to acting all funny around me again."

'_Ohh how romantic,'_ the giant Herb Pokémon sighed, hearts in her eyes. '_I __**knew**__ you two were destined…it was written in the stars…'_

The Grand Master managed to resist rolling his eyes and sighed. After Bayleef had evolved into her final form, James had introduced the Pokémon to astrology and she had taken to it in a big way. Meganium was into anything to do with the mind, body and spirit. Perhaps not surprisingly, aromatherapy was her favourite, and she often used her Sweet Scent (and convinced Bulbasaur to do the same) to relax and calm the nerves of the Pokémon when they were stressed or tired.

'_I think she's just afraid, Pikapi_,' Pikachu grinned. '_After all you're the biggest celebrity around, and you just got divorced. Misty fans would be after her with knives out.'_

"Even though _Misty_ was the one who left _me _and hooked up with Gary?" Ash raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

'_I'm afraid so_,' the mouse confirmed. '_The loyalty of a fan knows no bounds, no reason and is often blind.'_

"Well if they're taking Misty's side even though she's the one who had the affair, then they need more than an eye operation," the Grand Master muttered. "They need a _mind _operation."

'_You could probably get Espeon to help you with that,'_ Meganium said helpfully.

"Um, I guess," Ash shook his head, "No! That's not a good idea."

'_Pikapi, you're just going to have to help her along,'_ Pikachu said kindly. '_If you're ready for another relationship, then you're going to have to work at it as gently as you can.'_

"I guess you're right, but it's so hard to read Jenn," Ash sighed. "One minute she's all over me and then the next it's as if she hates my guts. It's really frustrating. I kind of feel like she cares more about her badass image than anything else."

'_She __**thinks**__ she's a badass,'_ Bulbasaur grinned. '_But she really isn't and everyone knows it but her. Not sure why she would want that kind of reputation.'_

'_As I said, I think Jenn's just afraid,'_ Pikachu patted her Trainer's hand. '_She has been rather unceremoniously dumped by Gary, duped by Lu, and nearly raped by a Fae. She's bound to have her defences up. Have you tried talking to Trish about it?'_

Ash grinned deviously, "That's how I found out from Jenn that she does care. I pretty much hid out in Trish's room, while Trish nailed Jenn with questions about how she felt about me."

'_So you got it right from the Rapidash's mouth?' _Bulbasaur looked impressed. '_Very sneaky, Ash.'_

'_That's about the only way you can get that one to talk,'_ Pikachu said, '_Other than peeking into her thoughts.'_

"That was tempting," Ash admitted, "But I didn't want to pry like that. If I did something like that, I'd get my answer, but I doubt she'd appreciate it."

'_Sure she'd appreciate it,'_ Donphan grinned. '_Jenn would be so appreciative that she'd be likely to sue you for every last dollar you have. That is after all, the American way.'_

The Grand Master gulped nervously.

ooo

'_And I have never met such an __**infuriating**__ Pokémon before in my life….oh wait…there was that Togepi of Misty's. But __**anyway**__, that stupid fur ball out there needs to be taught a lesson in manners.' _

Charizard had come to the end of his complaint to Dragonite. The two Pokémon were sitting in the sun on the other side of the villa sharing pieces of fruit and Pokémon snacks.

'_Like Trainer, like Pokémon?' _Dragonite grinned. '_I know that Drake often says that Jenn is infuriating and needs to be taught some manners. He also sometimes complains that he doesn't know what Trish sees in Jenn.'_

'_I have to confess that I don't understand either,'_ Charizard grumbled. '_I think Trish has a few screws loose.'_

'_Watch it, flame brain,_' Dragonite warned. '_That's my trainer's future mate.'_

'_I just meant about how she could be friends with an airhead like Jenn_,' Charizard said quickly. '_Geeze, there's just fruit here? Don't you have any meat?'_

'_Nice try at changing subjects_,' Dragonite said wryly. '_Yes, we do have meat. And maybe a little snack could convince that Mightyena to talk a little more openly.'_

'_Who cares about him? I'm starving.'_

ooo

"I wonder what Charizard is doing here?" Jenn mused as she peered out from the second storey window in Trish's room.

"Probably visiting Dragonite," her friend offered as she flipped through a magazine as she waited for the curling iron to heat up. "Those two are pretty good pals."

"Probably up to no good is my bet," the blonde grinned as she kept an eye on the two Pokémon. "They're bad enough on their own, but once those two get together, they're nothing but trouble."

"And there'll be trouble if you don't come away from that window and sit down and let me try this new hairstyle you want to wear for the dance," Trish warned as she picked up the curling iron and waved it around in the air.

Jenn eyed the window, and then her friend before deciding that sitting down would be the wisest move. A crazy Australian and a long hot instrument made for a potentially harmful –to-Jenn combination.

"Now, I know you normally like to wear your hair straight," the Aussie said as she took up a portion of blonde hair. "But you can trust me to curl it right. There's nothing a man loves more than ringlets just brushing a girl's shoulders."

"Make them loose," Jenn said, "I hate tight curls. They look kinda dumb."

"What? You don't want to look like Shirley Temple?" Trish asked with an evil twinkle in her eyes.

"No!!" Jenn started to snap then thought better of it as her friend had the curling iron in her hand. "I'd look ridiculous."

"Relax, Jenn," Trish laughed. "I'm not going to do tight curls, which I rather dislike myself. I was thinking more soft cascading curls like Callie's."

The blonde visibly relaxed. "Oh, that's okay then. Because I'd hate to have to hurt you afterwards."

ooo

Meanwhile Ash was also talking about his appearance with Jessie, James, Brock and Meowth. Specifically the delicate question of how he should handle his public appearances as a newly single Grand Master.

"The most important thing is that you must always dress your best. If you always look like a million dollars when you step out the door, then that's one in the face for Misty," Jessie declared with a flick of her crimson hair. "She mustn't get the satisfaction of seeing you look like crap in the papers or television and knowing that it's because of her."

"It wouldn't be because of her," Ash protested. "I'm just not the best at putting together an outfit."

"More than ten years of those clothes you always wore can prove that," James said with a shudder. "I won't even begin to comment on the hat."

"Hey!" Ash said. "I loved that hat!"

"Loved it so much that you got a new one when you were travelling with May?"

"I liked _that_ hat, too."

"The point James is trying to get across," Jessie broke in. "Is that he's agreeing with you. When it comes to dressing by yourself, you suck."

"Nothing like getting right in his face," Brock muttered.

"What's that?!"

"Ain't nothin, Jess," Meowth interjected. "Squinty ova here is just agreein' wit you, dat's all."

"Oh, yeah," Brock said, "Because you're so good with fashion."

When Jessie turned her back to Brock, the squinty eyed gym leader made a long flowing motion with his hands, mimicking long hair. Ash saw and couldn't resist laughing.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY!!!!!"

"Nothing, Jessie, I swear," Ash objected. "I just thought of how Misty will be really angry that I've got you and James to make sure I look good. Because she only has herself."

"Well, you're right," Jessie settled down. "But zip it until I figure something out."

"Plus you have to be careful about who you're seen with," James spoke up. "Any girl that is seen to be accompanying you to events will be jumped on by the media as your new love interest. So for now, you're better off attending solo."

"But what good will that do?" the Grand Master demanded. "As soon as I get inside, every single female will be throwing themselves at me. And if the paparazzi are lurking, they're still going to think the same thing."

"I didn't think of that," the lilac haired man admitted.

"Seems to me that the only female that I can safely appear in public with is my mom."

"Nuh uh, not even your mom," Jessie shook her head.

"Why not?"

"You want to get a reputation as a bit of a mommy's boy?" the redhead asked. "You'd end up like James."

"I am NOT a mommy's boy!" James squealed in protest. "How can you think that, Jessie?!"

Jessie rolled her eyes. "The wounded look on your face says it all."

"Not to mention that high pitched squeal," Brock agreed. "Mariah Carey would be envious if she'd have heard that."

"You people are so mean!!" James huffed and crossed his arms. "If I hadn't left him at home, I'd send Growly after you. He would defend me against such accusations." James was of course referring to his beloved Growlithe whom he had since a child and had left with his eccentric parents when he had run away to join Team Rocket. After a brief reunion which Ash, Brock, Jessie and Meowth well remembered, he had left the faithful canine behind. However, a few years later, James had changed his mind and gone back for the Pokémon.

"Awww come on James, we're just having a little fun," Ash attempted to soothe his assistant's ruffled feathers. "They don't really mean it."

"Yes, they do," James sniffed. "They're _always_ mean to me."

"Well if you promise to settle down, I'll let you have that surprise I've been saving up for you."

"Ooooh, something for me?" The former Team Rocket member's tears dried instantly.

"The complete set of the Legendary Birds bottle caps. Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos, Lugia and Ho-oh," Ash grinned. "Specially mounted and framed on a velvet backdrop."

James squealed again, forcing all to cover their ears to prevent damage. "I'll take them!!" he cried before sinking back down on the couch with a blissful look in his eyes. "I can die happy now, my life is complete."

The rest exchanged glances.

"His life is complete because of some bottle caps. How pathetic," Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," Meowth agreed. "He could at least go for someting more sophisticated, like sparkly diamonds. Aaaaaaaaaaaah…" Stars appeared in the Scratch Cat's eyes.

"You are just as pathetic," Jessie groaned.

ooo

Trish had finally finished with the curling iron and stood back to survey her work with satisfaction. Jenn's blonde locks were now a mass of soft loose curls, cascading gently to just below the shoulders.

"Now we just have to pin it up in the style you want with some curls just falling free, and you will look sophisticated and sexy," she declared. "Ash will be unable to resist you."

"Who says I want to impress Ash?" Jenn snorted, shaking her head just a bit.

Trish sighed in exasperation. "Let's not go through that again. You already admitted it to me, so you can drop the act."

"I already faced death only a lot so far," Jenn huffed. "I don't feel like facing a horde of Misty supporters."

"And you think they're going to…what? Kill you for dating him?" Trish sighed patiently. "They won't kill you, Jenn. They might be jealous, but they won't kill you."

"I'll just hold you to that then," Jenn said and stood up. She looked to be about to say something else, when suddenly there was a frantic scrabbling at the wooden room door. "What the heck is that?"

Trish shrugged and went to open the door. She'd barely opened the door a crack when a slender white blur burst into the room.

Kigali, the little Absol puppy, had grown a little while they'd been gone. Where she'd once been the size of a house cat, she'd now grown about half larger than that. The puppy leapt up at Jenn, and the blonde had no option but to try to grab the canine.

"Whoa there!" Jenn hugged the little pokémon, trying to avoid a tongue frantically licking her face. "Geeze, Kigali! Try leaving a little skin there."

"I think someone missed you," Trish remarked wryly.

"None of my other pokémon missed me this much!" Jenn was surprised. "Why did she miss me like this?"

"I'd base _that _on how you two first met."

"And?"

"You looked just like her, only bigger." Trish said sagely. "Get it?"

Jenn looked confused, "No."

"She might, ah, think you're her mom. Or at least the closest thing she's gonna get."

"Her _what_?!" Jenn looked down at the puppy. "Is that true? Is that how you see me?"

The little Absol just beamed up at her and licked her under the chin.

"Honestly, that's as close to a yes as you're going to get," Trish said. "Until you can talk to her through Meowth."

Jenn sighed. "That's an option I'm keeping open."

"Though I'm pretty sure I'm right," her best friend grinned. "Little Kigali here has adopted you as part of her pack and as the mother figure."

"But neither Mac, Beth, or Willa have adopted me as part of their pack and they're canine Pokémon, too," Jenn was confused and sat down, settling Kigali on her lap.

"Yes, but Mac and Beth are siblings, and grew up with my two Growlithe, and you didn't get Willa as a puppy," Trish explained. "Kigali came to you as a very young puppy, and probably had not long been taken from her mother. And she first saw you as an adult Absol, so naturally she would think of you as a mother Absol."

"Wouldn't her knowing that I'd changed back into human have cured her of that?" the blonde wrinkled her nose as she stroked the Pokémon's silky fur.

"Nope," Trish grinned. "Kigali's adopted you and you are her pack mother. Don't argue with me, after all who has a dog for a pet?"

"Trish!" Jenn looked shocked. "I _never _thought I'd hear you talk about Drake that way!"

"There is _no_ that way when it comes to Drake," Trish levelled a mildly annoyed look at her friend. "He's not a dog _or _a pet."

Jenn sighed. "You know me too well."

"At any rate, this little one is going to look up to you more than any other pokémon you've ever had. I think you'll have to adjust how you do things with her." Trish regarded the puppy, who was very much unaware of Trish. "Nothing will be normal with this one."

"Like Pokémon like trainer," Jenn shrugged with amusement. "Now let's get on with this dance readiness thing. I want to get this torture session over with as soon as possible."

ooo

Mia looked at her reflection and felt a twinge of nervousness. It wasn't like her to be nervous about how she looked. Normally, she'd sooner flip someone off than to worry about how she looked.

Tonight was different though. She was different. The difference wasn't from facing down Lu or even getting shot…_shot_…all in the name of love.

Mia was an engaged woman. Or a soon-to-be-engaged woman. Even though Puck hadn't proposed to her or given her an engagement ring, she was pretty sure he would over dinner tonight. Puck had been mysteriously absent all day, having gone out with Drake, Ben and Chris in the morning; on 'men's business' he said.

The thought of a proposal from the man she loved made butterflies dance in her stomach and increased her nervousness. Her life would change forever. Though why she should be so nervous when, as Trish said, she had been in a de facto engagement with Puck ever since she accepted his ring and promised to wait for him two years ago. She just didn't have the bling to go with it.

She gulped down her fear, took a deep breath and let it out, and then smoothed her hair. Nothing would be solved, fears wouldn't be conquered, if she stayed in this room. She'd face them with the same old determination she faced everything else with. And she'd kick it's butt if it tried to bring her down.

The brunette took one last look at herself in the mirror and decided that her appearance did meet with her approval and probably Puck's as well.

Mia was wearing a simple emerald green silk dress shot through with gold thread so that it shimmered with every movement. Mia hated wearing dresses, but Trish would not hear of her wearing pants to dinner.

"You don't go to _Chateau Pidgeot_ in pants," she had declared. "And you certainly don't get proposed to over dinner in pants!"

Even though Jenn had muttered something about being proposed to in jeans if she damned well felt like it, Mia had to agree with Trish. _Chateau Pidgeot _was a famously ritzy restaurant and there was only one reason Puck would take her there on a date.

Drake or Ash had arranged it. It wasn't like Puck couldn't magically get them a table there, but Drake definitely had local strings to pull. And Ash, well he was the Grand Master. His face alone was a ticket to the best tables globally.

Excitement shivered along her spine. She was ready. She was done getting ready and if she stalled any longer, she'd probably be sick all over her lovely gown.

She grabbed her silver mesh evening purse and looked at her Delcatty who was playing with a small ball of yarn on the floor. "Wish me luck for tonight, Sheba, cause if things go how I think they will, I'm going to come back an engaged woman. Our lives will never be the same!"

Sheba watched the door close behind her human and sighed. Life for her had already changed since Mia's reunion with Puck. Sure the Pokémon was happy that her beloved human was happy; but that didn't mean that she had to like everything about it.

For one thing, Mia didn't have as much time for her anymore. When she wasn't with Puck, she was hanging out with her friends. And Sheba really didn't like being anything less than the centre of her mistress's attention at all times. A Delcatty's purpose in life was to be admired and adored like a queen.

The second thing, and what really annoyed her was Puck's bad habit of appearing and disappearing at will. Many times, Sheba had been peacefully lying in the sun or minding her own business when the Fae would appear out of nowhere, scaring the daylights out of her. The Pokémon only hoped that she had not lost too many of her nine lives through this. Sheba stretched luxuriously and hopped off the bed. Perhaps she'd feel better about after talking to some of the other Pokémon.

ooo

"Do you think that Puck's really going to propose to Mia tonight?" Jaime asked as the group gathered around the table for dinner.

"Of course he is!" Trish grinned. "Why else would Puck take her to one of the ritziest and most expensive restaurants in the Archipelago? It has to be for some special reason."

"That and he told Ash and myself that he wanted our help in booking the restaurant so that he could give Mia the romantic proposal that she wanted," Drake added.

"Romantic schromantic," Jenn rolled her eyes. "Romance sucks."

"So says the girl who was dumped and duped," Drake grinned.

Jenn glared at him. "You're so getting coal next Christmas."

"Like that scares me," Drake snorted. "You're not that great at giving presents."

"I am too!"

"You are not!" Drake said, "You sent Trish a Christmas present once in June!"

"Oh, Drake, there's nothing wrong with being early," Shannon said.

"The June following Christmas," Trish said teasingly.

"Oh."

"It's the thought that counts!" Jenn said defensively.

"Jenn, you sent her a calendar!" Drake laughed. "Half the year was gone."

"Whatever. You're still getting coal."

Whatever Drake was going to say was interrupted by the arrival of Ash. The Grand Master was escorted up by the maître d'.

"Sorry, I'm late," he apologised. "I had to make good on my promise of exclusive botte caps for James and I couldn't remember exactly where I had put them."

"You're not that late," Trish smiled. "We've only been here a few minutes and we've yet to order. Come, take a seat."

Ash sat down next to Jaime, with Jenn feeling pretty pleased with herself that she had managed to engineer it so that she wouldn't have to face him at all through dinner. The blonde had made sure to sit herself opposite Trish and in between Shannon and Chris so that Ash would have to sit elsewhere.

Even though she admitted to herself that she was probably fooling no one with her "avoiding Ash" antics, she still felt she had to put up a front. At least so she could enjoy her dinner, rather than fretting and being scared stiff with Ash right next to her.

It wasn't so much that he was anywhere near her. That's what her friends thought. But being close enough to smell his cologne was enough to put her into a mindset of worrying about getting food caught between her teeth or even the act of eating. It was easy enough for Trish or Mia to not worry about scaring off their guys; they were already ball and chained.

The blonde sucked down some of the icy cold water that was in a tall glass. She'd much rather face Lu right about now. Oh yeah. Most definitely.

But she squashed that thought quickly when she could practically hear Trish saying, "Be careful for what you wish for." Yes, she _knew_ that Lu had been made human and was banished to Florida (hopefully to the Everglades where he would make a nice snack for an alligator), but it couldn't be failsafe. Oh, especially if the King was anything like Puck at casting spells; then they'd better watch out for whenever it backfired on them.

Jenn definitely did not want to be whisked away magically to face Lu again, just because of some foolish wish. Things were finally starting to look up for her again. And a happy human only made Lu hell bent to not leave her alive if he came across her again. Then _she'd_ be the one ending up as alligator dinner and that was so not the ending she visualised for herself.

So she resolved to think about other things. Nice things. Safe things. Like her Pokémon. At least she knew that her Pokémon would never want to kill her.

ooo

Mia gave a satisfied sigh as she finished her main course, and laid her knife and fork neatly on the plate. The _Chateau Pidgeot_ was everything she imagined a first class restaurant to be. The furnishings were elegant and sumptuous, silk curtains hung over the floor to ceiling windows and the seats were covered with the smoothest velvet. The waiters were smartly attired in white shirt, bow tie and white tuxedo jacket with black pants and white gloves.

Mia had been secretly thrilled when their personal waiter addressed her as 'Madam' and used a silver brush and pan to sweep away the crumbs left over from the bread. She had never been here before, and probably never would again, so she was treasuring every moment.

The food was simply _divine_, the meat, potatoes and beans cooked to perfection and Mia made sure that she ate slowly and savoured every mouthful. At the prices they were charging per dish, who wouldn't!!

Puck, on the other hand, wasn't enjoying himself quite as much as his girlfriend. Not only was he nervous about what he was about to do, but he nearly had a heart attack when he first opened the menu and observed the prices. Even though he was a Fae with the ability to pull money out of thin air, the fees charged for the food were _obscene!_

The Fae had almost stood up from his seat to protest loudly that this was outrageous when Mia swiftly pulled him back down again. She silenced his protests by explaining that this was normal for exclusive and world class restaurants in the human world and that she was enjoying every moment; so she'd rather not end it by being thrown out, thank you very much.

Puck got the message that he'd better behave and so settled down, but not without a little internal grumbling. He'd thought about playing a prank on the establishment, but thought better of it. Mia would _not_ approve.

The desserts came and went before Puck felt a gentle tap at his mind. It was Ash, of course, reminding him about the ring. It wasn't as if Puck had forgotten – how _could_ he? – but Puck had asked Ash to gently give him a clue as to the perfect time for 'popping the question' to his lady love_. It's now or never_. Puck took a deep breath to calm his nerves and rose from his chair.

Mia looked at him with questioning eyes, only to widen them when he got down on bended knee beside her chair. The Fae took a deep breath, and taking her left hand in his and looked into her eyes.

"Mia, from the moment I saw you two years ago at the Indigo Plateau, I knew you would be the most beautiful, wonderful woman I will ever know. And the last two years have only reinforced that you are the only one for me." He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a small black velvet box. Mia held her breath as the box was opened to reveal a diamond ring, the precious stone sparkling with all the colours of the rainbow in the soft light.

"Will you make me the happiest Fae in all the worlds, and be my wife?"

His answer came in the form of an all engulfing embrace and an ecstatic whisper of "Of _**course**_, I will!"

Puck grinned giddily as the realisation hit him that he was now officially engaged to the girl he loved, and hugged back. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that."

Mia let go of him and grinned, bouncing lightly on her cushioned seat. "Aww, there was no need to be nervous. There was absolutely no way that I would have said no. Not after I've waited for you to come back these past two years."

"Yeah, I knew that, but I was still nervous!" the Fae said. "I mean, I've never proposed to anyone before!"

"You better not have," Mia warned playfully before giggling. "Then again, I haven't been proposed to before either!"

Puck smirked and threw her words right back at her. "You better not have!"

ooo

Jenn threw herself across her friend's bed with a soft whump. The blonde had showered and got ready for bed when she decided that she wanted to have a good chat with Trish before she turned in for the night.

Trish raised an eyebrow at the figure of her best friend sprawled across a once neat bed. "Comfortable are we?"

"Awwwyeah," Jenn flashed a cheeky grin. "It was so very kind of you to offer your bed for the Goddess to relax on."

"Even though I didn't offer in the first place, I'll still take your thanks," Trish shook her head good-naturedly as she sat in the stuffed chair at the foot of the bed and drew her legs up under her. "So what's up?"

"Nuthin' much," the blonde shrugged. "So, when do you think Mia and Puck will get back from their ritzy dinner?"

"Oh, I don't expect we'll see them until much later tomorrow."

"Geeze! I think I'm gonna make myself scarce when they do reappear," Jenn decided. "I don't want to be around when they get all mushy and sappy. It'll make me want to puke."

Her friend sighed and shook her head. "Just because you're not dating, doesn't mean that you have to be a grump and killjoy about it."

"I'm not being grumpy!" Jenn protested.

"You are," Trish said patiently. "And the thing is, you could have all of this too, if you really want to."

"You make it sound ever so easy."

"It is!" Trish said defensively. "You just have to be open, especially when the right guy is right in front of you."

Jenn looked at the 'guy' right in front of her and sighed in a romantic fashion, "Oh, Mister Fuzzy, you _are_ the one for me!"

Mister Fuzzy, one of Trish's large stuffed bears, said nothing.

Trish, on the other hand, glared at her friend. "I was talking about Ash!"

"I don't see him here!" Jenn looked around with mock surprise. "Are you saying he's invisible?"

Trish's glare deepened. "If you make me get glare lines, Drake will be most cross."

"So Ash isn't here, in your room, all invisible?"

"No," Trish rolled her eyes, "What would make you think that?"

"I saw something like it on TV once," Jenn said in a low conspiring voice. "It was _tricky_."

"You don't believe everything you see just because it's on TV," the Australian chuckled. "It could have been an illusionist's trick."

"I wouldn't put it past Ash actually being able to become invisible, especially now since he has all those freaky Chosen One powers," Jenn sat up and pushed the fringe of her bangs away from her eyes. "Any magical or freaky thing you name, I bet you that Ash could do it."

"Well I can assure you that he's not here now," her friend said. "Nor did I arrange for him to be here either, if that's what you're thinking. I didn't even know you were going to pop in."

"He might have popped in without either of us knowing," Jenn said. "After all he is psychic and omnipheasant."

"First of all, it's omni_present_…"

"Whatever."

"And secondly, with all the popping, wouldn't that make you two the perfect couple?"

"Say _what_?"

Trish affected an innocent look, "Well if he pops in and out of places, whilst you pop in and out unannounced, then wouldn't that make the two of you the perfect couple?"

"That would be like me saying you and Drake are perfect together because you're a palaeontologist and he's a dinosaur fossil."

"That makes no sense!"

Jenn nodded sagely, "Exactly."

"Jenn…you're really weird."

"If I had a dollar for every time someone said that, I'd be really rich," Jenn sighed enviously. "Really rich."

"And you sound so pleased about it."

The blonde gave her a look that clearly said 'duh.'

"Anyway I think you need to be more open with Ash about your true feelings for him," Trish said, with a decisive nod. "Starting with the celebration dance."

"What about the dance?"

"You're going to tell him, flat out and without pretence, exactly how much you care for him."

A horrified look passed over Jenn's features. "No way! I'm not doing _that_!"

"I don't see why not."

"You _never _see why not," Jenn grumbled good-naturedly. "And to repeat myself for the billionth time, it will be CURTAINS for me if I did that! Misty has millions of fans all over the world! She's not only Ash's ex, Trish, she's his baby's momma! And she's a gym leader. She has fans like people like Mariah Carey and Jessica Alba do! I don't doubt that there'll be some of them there at the dance and if I make a big announcement like that, they _will_ kill me, and then Misty'll find a way to bring me back to life just so _she_ can kill me!"

"You keep thinking that and you'll never do it," Trish said with a patient shake of her head. "Twenty or so years down the track you'll still think that Misty's gonna kill you and by then it will be far too late."

"Huh? Too late for what?"

"If you don't make a move on Ash now, then some other girl certainly will!" the Australian wagged a finger at her friend. "He's loaded with money, he's handsome, he's newly single. Of _course_ every gold digger out there will want to get their dirty mitts on him and every cent he has."

Jenn didn't like the sound of that but said nothing.

"The dance will be a great opportunity for you. It's not open to the general public, it's by invitation only, and you and I drew up the guest list which was approved by Drake. So Misty will not be there nor will Misty supporters."

"And how many people are coming to this little shindig of yours anyway?"

"It's not just my little shindig," Trish smirked. "It's yours too since you helped plan it. But to answer your question, I say about three hundred."

The blonde almost had a fit. "Three hundred! That's not little! That's humungous!"

"Actually, it _is_ little," Trish said with an evil grin. "Orange Islands little."

Jenn groaned and buried her head in her hands. "Oh don't you start…"

"Start what?"

"You know _what_," Jenn sent a mock glare her friend's way. "Just because you're going to be living here, it doesn't mean that you have to make like the locals."

"But I will be a local…"

"You know what I mean!!"

"I know," Trish chuckled, "It's just so much fun teasing you."

"I knew I should've shredded Drake's vest when I had the chance," Jenn growled. "And now I can't even flame it."

"You wouldn't hurt Drake's vest."

"Well now I can't! It would've made a great threat though."

Trish just shook her head, but at the same time, she had a great idea. Now if only Ash might go along with it…

ooo

If Charizard had hoped that his fellow Pokémon would forget his unsuccessful mission to get the strange Mightyena to talk, he was about to be sorely disappointed.

Over a hearty breakfast of Brock's special gourmet Pokémon chow, Pikachu fixed her little brown eyes on him and asked, "_So, Charizard, you haven't yet told us about how your talk with that strange Mightyena of Pikapichu's went."_

Charizard suppressed a internal groan by swallowing a big mouthful of chow. The proud orange lizard didn't want to have to admit failure to anyone, let alone a fellow Pokémon. "_Oh it went okay_," he said nonchalantly. "_The freak's name is Chance_."

"_Chance?"_ Bulbasaur wrinkled his nose. "_What kind of strange name is that for a Pokémon?"_

"_I said he was a freak, didn't I?"_ Charizard growled low. "_Do you need any other kind of explanation?"_

"_Now, boys, settle down,"_ Pikachu sparked her cheeks warningly. "_I __**will **__shock the two of you regardless of how things go."_

The two stared each other down, but visibly calmed down. Pikachu was satisfied and went back to eating. "_Has he told you anything other than his name_?"

"_Not really_," Charizard admitted. "_He's a typical Dark though and stayed in the shade right through the whole talk. He seemed to be really amused by the blonde's Absol. I can't blame him for that, though. The little runt is something else."_

"_You used to be a little runt, too, if I recall properly,"_ Pikachu twitched an ear. "_Soaking wet and lying on a boulder, all abandoned in the rain."_

"_I grew out of it, didn't I?"_ Charizard glared from the corner of his eye at Bulbasaur and Squirtle, who were smirking at him. "_Unlike a couple of other runts I know."_

"_Unlike some bigmouthed lizards __**we**__ know,"_ Squirtle said smoothly. "_We don't need to evolve to prove how strong we are."_

"_Ash likes us how we are,"_ Bulbasaur said with a lazy yawn. "_And it takes a strong pokémon to resist the pulls of evolution. So I think that makes us leagues stronger than you."_

"_Want me to __**flame **__you to a wilted leaf?"_ Charizard challenged the Grass Pokémon angrily.

"_Not if I use Stun Spore on __**you**__ first."_

There was a sudden ominous crackling sound and both looked to see a frowning Pikachu standing with her forepaws crossed and sparking cheeks_. "How about I SHOCK the lot of you to a nice blackened crisp?"_

"_They'll be good!"_ Squirtle said quickly, for out of them all, he would be the one to suffer most from the Electric Pokémon's wrath being a Water Type. He shot a glare at Charizard and Bulbasaur. "_Won't you."_

Charizard wanted to see Squirtle suffer in the worst way possible, especially after that comment. However, he knew he'd get a tongue lashing from Ash later, and he didn't want to deal with that. "_I'll behave,"_ Charizard rumbled haltingly.

"_That's __**exactly**__ what I wanted to hear,"_ Pikachu huffed before settling back down to her breakfast. "_Imagine if I had to tell Pikapi what happened. He would say that it all served you right."_

"_So you were saying about this Mightyena?"_ Typhlosion spoke up, hoping to steer the conversation back on track.

"_He was __**really **__freaking weird"_ Charizard answered after he took another gulp of chow_. "He talked as if he'd known that blonde all his life, when all of us know that she just found him after the hurricane."_

"_That is odd,"_ Pikachu said thoughtfully. "_Was there anything else that stood out as peculiar?"_

"_Other than his horrible grammar?_ _Not really_." Charizard stood up and walked away from the group. "_I know you'll miss me, but I gotta stretch my wings."_

As he took off, Charizard could've sworn he felt the tickle of a razor leaf along the underside of his tail.

ooo

The humans were also having breakfast over at the Orange Crew Leader's Villa, although some of them were just finishing when Mia and Puck finally made an appearance.

"Well, look who's here," Jaime grinned as she poured herself another glass of juice. "So how'd it go?"

In answer, a grinning Mia held up her left hand which sported a glittering diamond ring set in a gold band.

"Congratulations!" Trish smiled before giving the younger girl a quick hug. "I knew this would happen eventually!"

Jenn smiled at the newly engaged couple and nodded. She didn't really feel like joining in the congratulations but thought she'd ought to keep up some sort of façade. What she really wanted to do was to get away from all the romantic mushiness which she couldn't share.

The blonde was trying to think of some excuse to escape when, to her surprise, Trish made it for her.

"Now we hate to cut and run from all this happiness, but Jenn and I really have to go," the Australian quipped. "We've got an appointment to meet with the fun fair organisers and to go over the menu for the dance with the caterers."

The fun fair was the brainchild of the two friends, so that families with young children, and all those who weren't invited to the exclusive dance, could join in the post-hurricane celebrations.

Jenn had teasingly termed it the "po folks pity party" but Trish had glared at her a bit scathingly. It was thusly renamed fun fair.

The blonde followed her friend, keeping up a steadily cheery expression until they rounded a corner. Then she let out a sigh and relaxed her face. "Man, it's hard to smile that long when you really don't mean it!"

"Then find some way to mean it," Trish looked back with an evil glance. "Or I'll call Ash."

"What for?!"

Trish said in a singsong tone, "Blackmail…"

"You've got nothing on me!"

"I've got pictures," Trish said with a smug look. "And I have a diamond collar…"

"That's _mine_!"

"And she admits it!"

"Well…" Jenn bit at her lip. "They're diamonds. Who wouldn't?"

"It's still a _dog_ collar," her friend gave an evil smirk.

"So?" Jenn tossed her head. "No one else but you, me, and Ash knows that I wore it. I can always pass it off as a collar for Beth, Willa, or Kigali."

"I didn't think of that," Trish admitted.

"Hah!" It was the blonde's turn for a triumphant smirk. "I've got you this time!"

Trish stuck out her tongue. "For once. It doesn't happen very often."

"Which makes it all the more sweeter when it does," Jenn grinned.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Trish said, ignoring the last comment. "You'd better smile like you mean it when we're meeting with these people. You can't properly organise a successful celebration shindig if you're not in the mood."

"Will we get to taste some of the food that's going to be served?"

"Of course! I wouldn't allow for food to be served which doesn't taste as good as it looks!"

"Will there be chocolate involved somewhere in the desserts?"

"Duh! There is _always_ going to be chocolate in the desserts menu," Trish grinned. "You are talking to _me,_ the proud owner of a chocolate dyed t-shirt or two."

"In that case, I am so there with the sincerely happy face," Jenn beamed. "Free food and chocolate, what more could a girl want?"

The Australian shook her head good-naturedly. "And you wonder why everyone keeps on saying that you and Ash would make the perfect couple. You're too much like Ash."

"Okay, yeah, with some things I guess we are alike," Jenn shrugged nonchalantly. "Doesn't mean we should get married."

"How about if you don't then some gold digger will?" Trish said, just as nonchalantly. "Someone who won't care about Ash at all, and just about his money and prestige?"

"Well that's just stupid," Jenn snorted. "Ash's much more interesting than his money."

"But you'd be okay to see him marry someone who cared more about his money than him?"

"Course not!"

"So…"

"I can't just rescue him like he's some puppy off the streets, Trish."

"He did for you."

Jenn stopped in her tracks. "Oh, _that's_ low."

"It's true."

"Things were just a little different then."

"How so?"

Jenn levelled a look at her best friend, "_He's_ not exactly running around on all fours."

"He had been when he was a Pikachu…"

"Hey! Ixnay on the Ikachu pay!" Jenn looked around the empty area. "Anyone could be listening!"

"Aww, you're concerned about him!"

"I'm not concerned about _him_," the blonde sniffed haughtily. "I'm just concerned about his reputation if people overhear he was a cute little rat."

"Still means that you're concerned about him," Trish smirked as she led the way to the front door. "You shouldn't let anything stop you from going after Ash, Jenn. Think of it as repayment for what he's done for you."

"He only took me in as an Absol out of pity. And as payback for when I looked after him when he was a pint-sized rodent," Jenn shook her head. "It doesn't mean he loves me, let alone that he even _likes_ me."

"Sure he doesn't love you,' Trish rolled her eyes. "How many times has Ash come to your rescue over the past few months, the _human_ you. And each time he hasn't been obligated to save you, but he's done it each time. Jenn, if he didn't care about you, if he didn't even _like_ you, then he would have left you to die."

"Well, he can't love me," Jenn looked at the ground. "You thinking a famous guy like him could be interested in me? It's not even remotely possible."

"Gary was famous…"

"Yeah well obviously he didn't love me," the blonde muttered. "If he did, he'd still be here instead of with the freak of the week."

"That would be Misty," Trish reminded Jenn.

"Oh yeah," Realization dawned on her. "Still, freak fits her."

"Anyway, getting back to my point," Trish said as they stepped out of the villa and into the brilliant sunshine. "Just because Ash is famous, doesn't mean that he _can't_ love you."

"Despite the fact that we went out for two years, Gary didn't."

"Gary was and forever will be a Class A Wanker," Trish declared firmly as they walked down the paved pathway to the front gate. "Put him right out of your mind and out of your life. He's a freak and a putz and deserves nothing less."

"Well I can't argue with that," Jenn grinned.

"Just don't take Gary's behaviour toward you and apply it to Ash because it would be unfair to Ash and simply not true," the Australian warned. "Ash is _nothing_ like Gary Oak. Never has and never will be. You can't even begin to compare them, they're like chalk and cheese."

"Loves it," the blonde murmured absently.

"Then think of Ash like melted cheese then," her friend said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Hot, tasty and melts in your mouth."

"Trish!" Jenn hissed, turning bright red. "Someone could be listening to every word we say!"

"What?" Trish affected an innocent look. "I was talking about melted cheese…What did _you_ think I was talking about?"

"Yeah right," the blonde rolled her eyes. "Acting innocent just does not suit you."

"Like it does you?"

"Course it does," Jenn said with an innocent bat of her eyes. "Who couldn't think I was innocent?"

"How fast can I raise my hand?" Trish wondered out loud. "Maybe one…two seconds tops."

"You don't count."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

ooo

'_Look Mom! Look Dad! No hands!'_

Pikachu grinned as she watched one of her little sons do a cartwheel using his two pointy ears for traction. Today was family day for the electric mouse.

Katrina had brought over Pikachu's mate, Raichu, so that the little family of mice could spend some time together.

While Raichu was busy chasing after and herding back one or two of the more rambunctious offspring, Pikachu was relaxing under the shade of a tree.

She was musing over Charizard's report of his attempted talk with that strange Mightyena of Jenn's. What was he doing here? And why was he talking like he'd known the human all her life? Things were just very strange.

"Hey, Pik," Ash sat down next to his dearest friend. "How are things?"

'_Interesting, Pikapi, very interesting_.'

"How so?" He rubbed her between her ears, and was rewarded when she leaned into it with a happy sigh. "Don't tell me I missed another fight between those three again."

Between Ash and Pikachu there were normally no need for words with certain subjects. The ongoing arguments between Squirtle, Charizard, and Bulbasaur happened to be one of those.

'_That was part of it, yes. However there's something strange about that Mightyena that Jenn found. It speaks in weird tones.'_

"Considering that Jenn found it?" Ash said teasingly. "I'm not too worried, Pik."

'_Even though he talked to Charizard as if he'd known her for all of his life and not a few weeks?'_

Ash's brows furrowed together. "What?"

Pikachu shrugged. '_That's what Charizard said to us after he'd talked with the dark canine. Ash…this pokémon concerns me.'_

That she'd used his human name was evidence enough of how worried she was. Ash rubbed behind her ears, trying to sooth down the static that was building up. "You want me to talk to him?"

'_No, I want you to talk to Jenn and get a final answer out of her,_' Pikachu sighed with annoyance. '_She'd be a great mate for you, Pikapi. If only she'd realize it._'

Ash snorted, "I don't think there's much she _does _realize."

'_I worry she'll lose you from being stupid enough to let you slide through her paws.'_

"_Don't give up yet, mommachu,"_ Ash chuckled, "_If it's okay for Misty to have someone in her life, then it's damned well okay for me to have someone in mine."_

Pikachu glanced up at her friend with a twinkle in her dark eyes. '_That's exactly what I wanted to hear from you, Pikapi. And it's more than damned well okay for you to have someone in your life, it's a Mew given right. You deserve as much happiness in your life as anyone else, if not more.'_

"Thanks, Pik," the dark-haired Grand Master smiled as he gently scratched her behind the ears as she liked best. "You're a true friend."

'_Anytime, Pikapi._ _So…do I take it that you're not going to give up on Jenn without a fight?'_

"Well…if not Jenn, then some other woman…"

'_You can't fool me, Pikapi_,' the electric mouse said knowingly. '_You're in love with Jenn, aren't you? Why else would you always rescue her?'_

"Cuz my timing just happens to be right?"

'_No, because you care about her_,' Pikachu grinned. '_I've heard you talking in your sleep, and I've heard you say Jenn's name more than once.'_

Ash flushed a bright red. "I…have?"

'_You have,_' Pikachu grinned and idly raised a hind leg to scratch an itchy spot on her back. '_Therefore I say that Jenn is the only mate for you. So go for it, Pikapi.'_

"Yeah, but Jenn is also the problem. How do I get her to realise her true feelings, let alone get her to even admit them to _me_, when she obviously doesn't want to?"

'_I wouldn't say that she doesn't __**want **__to, rather that she's scared and __**chooses **__not to.'_

"Why would you choose to not have something that would make you happy?"

Pikachu shrugged. '_Maybe someone who is masochistic?_ _But if you think about it, Jenn's been through some tough times recently. Dumped by Gary_ _after two years of dating, nearly killed by Lu a number of times and nearly raped by a Fae. Naturally she'd be a bit scared of another relationship.'_

"But I would never hurt her!" Ash protested. "I'd never hurt anyone!"

'_We know that, Pikapi,_' the electric mouse patted him with her tiny paw. '_I think that Jenn knows that too. But as I said, she's scared and maybe she also thinks that she is not good enough for you.'_

Ash sighed wearily and laid his head back against the tree, "She is such a twit sometimes."

'_But one you love. Right?'_

Ash sighed again, but smiled. "Yeah, I'm beginning to think I do."

ooo

_Pallet_

Misty sighed and carefully sat up. She looked at the nightstand alarm clock and groaned out in irritation. It was only 2:45 in the morning. "Why me?"

The very pregnant redhead lumbered to her feet and pulled on a thin silk robe. Gary still wasn't home. Though she'd like to say that it wasn't like him, Misty had warily noticed that more and more often that it was becoming more like Gary to not come home until very early in the morning. It might be something good if he worked the midnight shift, but Misty was pretty sure he had normal working hours.

_If that ass has a job at all,_ Misty thought sourly. _More than likely, he's partying off of whatever he gets from his inheritance. _

Though Professor Oak was very upset with the calamity brought on by Misty and Ash's divorce, there were certain legal repercussions to Gary's inheritance that couldn't be halted due to an angry grandparent. So, Gary still got a certain amount of money each year. He didn't have free rein, but did get money.

Misty padded down the stairs to the kitchen. Though she'd been intent on heating up a small mug of milk, she eyed the cordless phone. In the end, how could she not call him? While the milk was heating on the stove, there was something comforting about doing certain things the old fashioned way, she dialled the number of Gary's cell phone.

She held her breath for a heartbeat, right until she got a busy tone. Frowning, she hung up and tried again a few minutes later. Same thing. Well, maybe he was busy. Misty chided herself at the weak excuse, but she didn't want to think of what horrible things could be going on this very second.

After the milk warmed, Misty carefully poured it into the thick beige mug. She sat down at the centre island and wrapped her chilled hands around it. Off handedly, she wondered what Ash was doing. What would _she_ be doing if she was still with him? Anger simmered momentarily at the thought of Jenn simpering on his every word. Then the anger died as quickly as it arrived. What were the chances of any problems coming from that blonde?

The milk was half finished when she tried Gary's cell phone again.

Again the line was busy.

The ex-Cerulean City gym leader leaned against the counter top, pillowed her head in her arms, and cried. What had she _done_?

ooo

_Pummelo_

Jenn woke to the sounds of her clock radio and the distant sound of the surf breaking onto the private beach just down from the villa.

Stretching her long limbs, she thought back to the previous day's activities. The planning session for the fair had gone very well with all things looking to be contracted and on track. The meeting with the caterers had been equally good with Jenn gorging herself on so much food that Trish wondered how on earth did she manage to put it all away without a distended stomach.

'Just as well we didn't have Ash here too,' the Australian had quipped. 'Otherwise the entire place would have been cleaned out.'

The thought of the darkly handsome Grand Master sent delicious shivers down her spine. He was so damn hot and sexy. _And single_, a little voice sounded in her head. Funny how that little voice sounded a bit like Trish.

But since her best friend was not psychic, Jenn dismissed the thought instantly. Trish was psycho, yes, but she couldn't get into Jenn's head. Perhaps it was just her own mind conspiring to get her hooked up with Ash.

Jenn sighed as she got out of bed and stood in front of her full length mirror. Everyone made it sound so easy, as if they were destined to be together. But was it as simple as that? Did Ash really notice her in a romantic way? Or did he only notice her because he thought she was a dumb blonde?

She studied her reflection in the mirror with a critical frown. While once she had enjoyed being a blonde, now it was a nuisance. Jenn was tired of being the butt of so many dumb blonde jokes told by her friends and strangers.

Maybe if she dyed her hair auburn, the jokes would stop and perhaps Ash would notice her as a woman worthy of his affections. "Auburn, or," Jenn lifted a lock of gleaming gold. "Or maybe black. Black as night. Black as sin. Ooh, it's all so dramatic! Who loves it? I do!"

It was time to make an appointment with the hairdresser.

ooo

Puck was walking from the beach area back to the villa when he noticed Jenn sneaking out the back door. He frowned as he watched the blonde slink not so stealthily towards the garage.

"Looks like she's up to trouble," the Fae muttered to himself. "Again. And who to get her out of it?" He looked around, but saw not a soul in sight. He sighed. "Me. Why? Because if I don't, then I'll never hear the end of it from Mia or Trish."

Taking matters into his own hands, he slipped through time and space to reappear at the side garage door Jenn had just closed. Nothing like keeping some of his powers. He put his hand on the knob, but was interrupted by a low growl coming from the bushes to the right.

Puck sighed, "Now what?"

The growler stepped from the bushes. It was the strange Mightyena that Puck had heard everyone talking about. '_Don't interrupt, Puck._'

"And you know my name how?"

'_That's not important. This, however, is really important.'_

"She's sneaking off, again. The last time she did that, she ended up on all fours and yapping 'Absol' for a couple of months." Puck could hear the garage door opening up, heard the soft purr of one of the sedans rumbling to life. "If you don't mind, I'd rather stop something like that from happening again."

'_Nothing bad'll happen to her this time, I promise.'_ The Pokémon grinned and a long tongue lolled out. '_Actually, somethin' good'll come from it._'

"Since when are Dark pokémon Psychic?"

The canine grinned again. '_Since I ate one for breakfast._ _Tastes like chikin.'_

Puck shuddered, "You're among the most revolting creatures I know."

The Mightyena shrugged, '_At_ _least I'm fair about it. I ain't lyin about who I am or what I'm doin here.'_

"No, but you're not exactly being forthwith about it, either," Puck growled out in dismay when he heard the vehicle pull out of the garage. "Foolish canine!" Aggravated more about being in trouble with Mia or Trish than being worried about canine teeth being dragged through his legs, Puck shoved past the pokémon and flung open the garage door.

He was just in time to see that Jenn had taken Drake's black BMW SUV. The big one. "Oh, that's just great. Now I'll have Drake after me as well."

The Mightyena sat next to Puck, '_She always did have expensive taste.'_

"What do you mean by that?!"

Snarling a little, the Pokémon stood up. '_Oh great._ _Now I have car oil on my butt'_ He looked up and shrugged. '_I'd love to stay and talk, but I gotta go. Later, loser.'_

Puck stared after the Pokémon, feeling a little as if he'd been through another hurricane. Something about that Pokémon wasn't right. Puck laughed a little. It _had_ sat in oil.

ooo

_Pallet_

Tracey was busy sweeping the front porch of the Professor's laboratory when he saw a familiar figure come puffing up the long driveway.

He put the broom to one side and rushed down to greet her. "Misty! Long time no see. You should have called up earlier and I would have had Scyther or one of the Tauros to carry you up! You shouldn't be walking up steep slopes in your condition!"

Misty gave a wry smile. "You make it sound like I've got some terminal disease rather than just being almost nine months pregnant."

"Sorry, anyway come in, in," the Pokémon Watcher ushered her up the remainder of the driveway and into the living room.

"Is the Professor in?" the redhead enquired as she gratefully sat down on the sofa. Neither Misty or Gary had much to do with the elderly professor since the divorce. It seemed that Gary had brought on more disgrace to the Oak family name than the Professor could tolerate. First the Pokémon abuse, then this. And Professor Samuel Oak hailed from a generation where extra-marital affairs were greatly frowned upon. The fact that Misty was pregnant was even more disgraceful.

So the Professor decreed that he would not see either of them unless it was absolutely necessary, or only if it was on a professional basis to do with Pokémon. But since Gary was banned from Training and Misty had given up her Gym leadership years ago, that wasn't to be.

"No, he's currently over at Professor Hale's house. Professor Hale wanted to consult him on some research project he was conducting," Tracey said, breathing an internal sigh of relief.

Ever since the news of the affair had broken out, things had been rather tough for the Pokémon Watcher. He was friends with both Ash and Misty, and because he had not been there, he didn't know which side to take. In the end, he decided that since he was employed by Gary's grandfather, he should probably take Gary and Misty's side.

Which did not go down well with Ash or Brock.

"So what brings you here?" Tracey asked, getting his mind back to the task at hand.

Misty sighed and fiddled with her hands. "I need your advice, Tracey."

"Sure, go ahead."

The redhead stared at her hands some more before finally raising her head to look at him, her blue eyes filled with tears. "I think that Gary may be cheating on me. I'm afraid that I may have made the biggest mistake of my life by leaving Ash."

Tracey felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. "What? Misty, are you sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure!" She snapped angrily before calming down again. "He's never home at night and only ever comes back in the early hours of the morning if at all. He never answers his cell phone and yet he seems to be getting a lot of calls and sending text messages. He said he loved no one but me, Trace. He should be home with me, getting ready for this baby to be born!"

"I…don't know what to say…"

"I thought that I might go and talk to Ash if possible," Misty said miserably. "Do you think that he'll listen to me?"

Tracey ran a hand through his dark hair. "I really couldn't answer that, Misty. But to be honest, if what you say is true….and you've made a mistake. I'm not so sure that Ash will take you back if that's what you're hoping for. And I don't think many people would blame him if he didn't."

ooo

"Has anyone seen Jenn?"

Puck was brought of his daydream with a start by this question of Trish's. The dark-haired Australian was puzzled by her best friend's non appearance at breakfast, which the blonde rarely missed, if ever.

_Oh what to do_, Puck thought quickly. _Tell them no or tell them yes. I'm in trouble either way. _

"Do you mean lately?" was all he asked weakly.

"Of course lately!" Trish looked exasperated. "What else? I don't mean yesterday!"

"She looked like she was going out for an early morning, um, drive."

"What?"

"She…" Puck was interrupted by the Mightyena, who had grabbed his pants leg in his teeth. "What do you want?!"

"_Do you really want to say this? You could get into trouble."_

"Well of course I'll get in trouble! I didn't exactly get a chance to stop her. No thanks to you."

"Stop her?" Trish looked puzzled. Then she looked alarmed. "Stop Jenn? Stop her from what? What's going on?!"

"Thanks a lot, mutt," Puck glared at the Mightyena, who shrugged in an 'I told you so' manner. "I should turn you into a stuffed animal for that."

"If you don't answer _me_ soon, I'm going to tell Mia, and she's going to turn you into chopped liver!" Trish warned. "Now what's going on?!"

"The last I saw of her was," Puck looked at his watch, "About three hours ago."

"_Three hours?!"_ Trish's jaw dropped. "PUCK!"

"Well, c'mon, Trish," Puck said, "Three hours to me is the blink of an eye. I've had all the time in the world already. Three hours isn't much to get worked up over."

"_Oh, that's puttin' your foot in it, bub_."

"Not much to get worked up over?!" Trish sat down. "Puck, she's just gotten over an insane Fae, a hurricane, a disastrous time loop, and a near rape, and you think it's no big deal to not get worked up over three hours?"

"Not really," Puck was confused. "I mean, three hours, that's what…"

It was then that Puck was realizing that the face off with Lu was nothing compared to facing off an enraged Trish. No one was coming to his rescue, nothing could save him, there wasn't a spell in the world to help him, and worst of all, there was no alcohol to buzz this drama down to nothing.

"Oh, wow, three hours is about the time it takes to drive to the salon, get your hair did, and drive back," a new voice chimed in. "What's up with the what, guys?"

Puck couldn't see anything, but he could hear Trish gasp out, "Jenn…_What _did you do to your hair?"

"Like it? I call it Christina Aguilera Black." The former blonde did a little spin. "Cute, huh?"

Trish shook her head and blinked to get over her shock. "Wow, though I must admit that dark hair really does suit you better than blonde."

Jenn looked pleased. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm not sure whether to be jealous that your hair is blacker than mine, and I'm a natural raven hair," the Australian grinned.

"I've always wanted to dye it black," Jenn grinned as she sat down next to Trish. "To have hair as black as midnight, as black as sin. Awwwyeah."

The two friends were interrupted by Puck clearing his throat with a slight 'ahem.'

"Yes, Pucky Wucky?" Jenn greeted the Fae. "You want somethin'?"

Puck winced slightly at the nickname but continued. "Ah…is it safe for me to go now, seeing as Jenn is back safe and sound?"

"Of course it's safe for you to go," the American grinned. "Why wouldn't it be?"

The Fae merely pointed to the Australian sitting next to her. "Trish was about to go all feral and tigery on me because you had been gone three hours and I hadn't told her."

"And you were scared?" Jenn laughed. "C'mon, Puck, Trish is the _least_ scariest person on the planet. She wouldn't hurt a fly. How could you possibly be scared?"

"Yeah, well, it's nice to see you're back to your old ditzy self," Puck gave a little half bow, "Ladies, I take my leave of thee."

The Fae vanished before either could say a word.

"You know, that colour really does make your eyes bluer," Trish said.

"You think so?" Jenn asked. "I was thinking that, too."

From their feet, the weary Mightyena sighed. It was gonna be a _long _day.

ooo

The first inkling that any of their friends had of Jenn's dramatic change in appearance came at lunchtime. Shannon, Mia and Jaime were helping to set the table in the conservatory for lunch when Trish walked in, followed by an unfamiliar dark-haired young woman.

"Hey, Trish, you didn't tell us you were inviting a new person for lunch," Mia quipped as she set glasses out in front of each place setting. "We're going to have put one extra place out or else we won't have enough."

"Yeah, who's your new friend?' Chris piped up from where he was flaked out on one of the lounges with a magazine.

"Awww, don't you guys recognize me?" Jenn's familiar voice sounded. "I know I changed my hair colour but it's still me, the Goddess you all know and love!"

Shannon blinked then peered closer at the 'stranger' before gasping and nearly dropping the basket of bread rolls she was carrying. "Jenn, it really _is_ you!! What did you do to your hair?!"

"I decided it was time for a change, so I went and got my hair done," Jenn flicked the ends of her hair with her fingers. "Like it?"

"It looks good!!" Mia grinned, being the first to recover. "It really suits you!"

"Thank you," the former blonde beamed. "I know I loves it." She then noticed that Jaime was looking at both her and Trish with an amused grin. "What?"

"Are you two trying to look like twins?" the Canadian chuckled. "You do realise you now have exactly the same hair colour as your best friend."

"Hey, _I've_ had black hair since the day I was _born_," Trish grinned. "And mine is an all natural black which doesn't come out of a bottle."

"And mine is Christina Aguilera black," Jenn sniffed. "Which didn't come out of a bottle."

"Then what _did _it come out of?" Jaime asked.

"A bowl. They painted it on."

"Still comes out of a bottle, Jenn," Mia chuckled. "They squeeze the colour out of the bottle and into the bowl so they can mix it and apply it better."

"Oh," Jenn blinked. "I thought it just came in the bowl…"

"Obviously the change in your hair colour has done nothing to improve your intelligence," Chris smirked as he sat up and sauntered over.

"And yours will be lowered once I finish pummelling you," Jenn glared at the Scot.

"I'm so scared."

"Duh."

Just then Drake walked in, talking with Ben, when both saw Jenn and stopped dead in their tracks.

"Your Beemer seriously needs some gas, Drake," Jenn said nonchalantly. "It's borderline empty."

Ben was wisely silent, but Drake was far from that.

"Jenn?" He looked confused. "What's with the bad wig?"

"Wig?" Jenn's eyes widened in annoyance. "Oh no you did not!"

"Didn't what?"

"You did not just go there!"

"Go where?"

"This _isn't _a wig, genius! I got my hair dyed. Thanks for noticing," Jenn stalked over to him and slapped the BMW's keys into his hand. "I borrowed your SUV, FYI. It's a shame I'm not short, because I'd have loved to have seen your tall butt get back into the driver's seat when it's pulled all the way forward." Then she stalked out of the kitchen with her head held high.

"Ooh, smooth move, Drake," Chris snickered, "Even _I_ didn't make fun of her hair that much. And I could've. I had the chance but I didn't take it."

"Yeah well she didn't go and borrow your car without asking," the Orange Crew Leader grumbled. "Not my fault if Jenn is overly sensitive when it comes to her appearance. That girl can dish out criticism but she can't take it."

"Shouldn't you go after her and apologise?" Shannon asked, frowning slightly. "What if she doesn't come back?"

"Jenn'll be back in a few minutes," Trish said confidently. "And she'll have forgotten all about Drake's gaffe too."

"What makes _you_ so sure?"

"Because I know Jenn," Trish grinned. "And she always goes stalking off in a huff and then comes back later having forgotten all about it."

"Always?"

"Always," the Australian nodded. "Besides she went off this morning without having had breakfast. If nothing else, her stomach will always bring her around."

So they went ahead with lunch, and sure enough a few minutes later, Jenn came walking back in and pulled up a chair next to Trish. "Trish, can you pass me a roll?" She visibly ignored Drake.

Drake was about to say something when an elbow in his side from Trish persuaded him not to.

"We were all just saying how great your hair looks," her friend said though her gaze clearly was on Drake, daring him to say differently.

"I'm glad most of you are smarter than Drake," Jenn grinned evilly.

"Did you get James to do it?" Shannon asked. "James' reputation as a hairdresser is really taking off."

"Uh…no. I didn't know he did hair."

"Where did you go?" Mia asked curiously. "_Viva la Vulpix?_"

"There was only one place open when I called last night, so I pencilled myself in for a salon called _Sparks_," Jenn explained. "He was really, um, well he reminded me of James, only a little more muscular."

"Flamboyant?" Trish offered.

"Showy?" Shannon said.

"Actually…I was going to go with gay," Jenn brushed back her hair, "But whatever works. Oh, come on people. The man does clothes, hair, and collects bottle caps. What else should I think?" She frowned. "Come to think of it, he does have the best hair I've ever seen on a guy."

"That's true," Jaime agreed. "His hair is always so smooth looking and shiny."

Brock nodded. "James has always taken great care with his appearance. Always has to look his absolute best. Meowth said he was like that even before he teamed up with Jess and himself in Team Rocket. James even took pride in the fact that he looked better than Jessie, whenever he cross dressed," Brock reminisced.

"See? He's gotta be gay," Jenn insisted. "Cross dressing, hair, clothes, collecting bottle caps and he used to carry around the rose all the time. No straight guy would ever do all those things."

Brock shrugged. "I wouldn't say for sure whether James is gay or not. I can't ever remember James being interested in either gender during our journeys. He's never said anything and I've never asked – it's none of my business anyway. The main thing is that James is a great guy and friend."

"I've got nothing against him being gay," Jenn shrugged. "I just think that he acts like it."

"_Sparks_ _Salon_?" Ben was puzzled. "I've never heard of it around here. Whereabouts is it?"

"Downtown near the main beach."

"Still never heard of it."

"Duh, you're a guy. I don't doubt that you haven't heard of it."

ooo

A few hours later, Jenn and the rest of the girls were relaxing by the indoor pool with ice cold sodas when James came rushing up to her.

"Jenn!!! Brock told me you got your hair done!" the lilac-haired man gasped. "I'm hurt that you never asked _me_ to do it!"

"I didn't even know until a few moments ago that you did hair!" Jenn said defensively as she sat up on the lounge chair. "So how could I have asked you? I swear I will next time."

James ran a practiced eye over her hair and fingered the ends delicately. "Your ends are fried, which ends up making the whole thing looking more than a bit fake," he sniffed disdainfully. "Just which back alley salon did you go to for this do?"

"It wasn't in a back alley," Jenn glowered, "It was a place near the beach called _Sparks_ ."

"_SPARKS?_!!" James shrieked like a wildcat. "You went to _Sparks_?!!!"

"Yeah, that's what I said," Jenn scowled. "What's with the drama queen reaction?"

"I have every right to over-react. It's in my contract," James folded his arms across his chest and scowled right back at her. "Sparks just happens to be my rival in hair design and he's always trying to steal _my_ clients."

"What part of 'I didn't know' didn't you get?" Jenn grumbled. "Lay off."

"Of course not," the former Team Rocket member said as he examined her hair a bit more. "How much did he charge you?"

"Um…$200."

"Sucker. He missed a whole section in the back," James smirked.

"He what?!!" Jenn nearly leapt off the chair. "Please tell me you're kidding!"

"Nope."

Jenn turned to her best friend with a with desperate look. "Trish, tell me that James is being a twisted jerk."

The Australian got up from her lounge chair and came over and looked at the back of Jenn's head. "Um…unfortunately he's not kidding, Jenn. There's a whole section of blonde still showing."

Jenn's shriek of rage echoed throughout the villa.

"I'm gonna KILL that freak!" she ground out through clenched teeth. "I know I did _not_ just go and pay all that money for a shit job!"

"That's Sparks for you," James snorted. "Promises the world and delivers dirt. Whereas _I_ would have done a proper job and done it for _free_ as well."

"Well in my complete defence, this was a total spur of the moment kind of thing. Why no one _here_ told me about the blonde spot, I don't know," Jenn said. The former blonde twisted her thick hair into a ponytail and sighed. "I didn't think I'd have to kill someone before breakfast."

"You could always eat first and say it's a killing someone before lunch kind of thing."

"Oh no," A new voice broke in, "Now who's Jenn killing?"

"First it's gonna be the lackwit hairdresser who screwed up my hair," Jenn smiled charmingly at Drake, who had been the one to walk into the room. "Then it'll be you if you think about cracking any more jokes about my hair."

Drake gulped and wisely said nothing.

"Surely you're not gonna entrust Sparks with fixing up your hair, are you?" Mia quipped. "He botched it once, what's to say he won't botch it again."

"I'm not letting him near it," Jenn grouched. "I'm gonna show him what a shit job he did, then I'm gonna demand my money back. After that I'll get it fixed by a _proper_ stylist."

"That would be me," James preened. "I'll fix up your hair as it should be and, just to show how generous I am, I'll do it for free. But if you would care to donate some bottle caps it would be much appreciated as well."

"What if Sparks won't give the money back?" Trish questioned. "If he is as dodgy a business as James says, then I don't think he will."

"Ain't no thang," Jenn declared confidently. "There won't be any problemos getting my money back."

"You're not going to threaten him are you?" Shannon asked, a suspicious frown creasing her forehead.

"I could, but I don't feel like it," the former blonde waved off her concern. "Drake's gonna threaten to run him out of town and make sure that he'll never work in the Archipelago again."

"I am?" Drake blinked before receiving a sharp jab in the stomach from Trish's elbow.

"You are," Jenn gave the Orange Crew Leader an evil smile. "That way I get my money back and everyone's happy."

"Um…what's my incentive for doing this?"

"I'd have to say that there aren't going to be any murders so soon after Hurricane Lu," Jenn offered. "Not that I'd kill you. I'd kill Sparks. Cuz if I had to kill you, then Trish wouldn't be happy at you. She'd find out a way to bring you back to life so _she_ could kill you."

"Continued living sounds just fine to me," Drake said quickly.

"That's what I figured," Jenn said. She turned to James, "Ready to go, James my boy?"

"Whatever you say, tiger," James smirked, "Growl."

"If it looks tigerlicious, then I'm almost tempted not to fix it," Jenn grinned.

"Oh, please, fix it," James said quickly. "If not for you, then for me. As a high ranking stylist, it's painful to look at."

"Tell me about it," Drake snorted. Luckily, the Boss of the Archipelago was safely on the other side of the room.

ooo

Jenn came back two hours later, all smiles and black hair that shone and bounced as she walked.

"Did you get your money back?" Trish demanded the instant her friend walked into the great room.

"Yep," Jenn grinned. "Dude was a real coward. All I did was scowl at him and he was begging for mercy."

"James fixed up your hair?" Shannon asked.

"Awwyeah," the former blonde beamed. "He's a really great stylist. You guys should try him sometime. My hair feels so sinfully silky and smooth. And look how straight it is! I haven't had it this smooth after a hot iron in ages."

Trish examined the ends of her own tresses, "Hmm….I just might make an appointment. My hair could do with some TLC and there is some grey starting to show."

"Your hair looks a more natural black now, Jenn," Mia smiled. "It's hard to get black done just right, it has to look more natural like Trish's or else it looks too black."

"Black like sin?"

"No, Jenn," Mia patted Jenn's shoulder, "Black like fake."

"Oooh," Jenn shrugged, "Works for me. What now, guys?"

"Now we get to work," Trish said with an evil grin, "And you have something to prepare for."

"What?" Jenn looked instantly wary.

The evil grin got a little bigger. "Oh, let's just say he's got black hair and a tan, too."

Jenn blanched, "Oh, _crap_."

"Good, I thought you'd like it."

ooo

Finally, it was time for the celebration dance to be held. The start of week long festivities to celebrate the island's survival of the worst hurricane to have hit it in centuries.

The morning was fresh and dewy and promised to be another warm tropical summer's day and a gorgeous and balmy night. '_We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather,'_ Trish thought to herself happily as she walked down the corridor to Jenn's room.

Colourful fairy lights and Japanese lanterns had been strung up along the perimeter of the wide sandstone balconies that surrounded the Grand Ballroom of the Pummelo Island Convention Centre where the dance was to be held. Guests would be able to spill out onto the balcony and chairs and tables were set up as well as speakers linked to the main PA.

The Australian knocked sharply on the bedroom door. "Jenn, are you ready? We've got heaps to do before tonight!"

When Jenn swung the door open, Trish was shocked to see that her friend was still in her sleepwear, with her previously perfect hair completely messy and unkempt.

"Jenn, did you sleep in or something? You need to get dressed quick."

"I'm not gonna go to the dance," the former blonde muttered as she turned and padded back to sit on her bed.

"WHAT?! Why not??" Trish's jaw dropped. "After all the hard work you did on your hair!"

"Actually, that was James' doing."

"Irregardless," Trish said, "You can't just not do this!"

"No, I _can't _do what you want me to do," Jenn looked miserable. "I _can't_ bring myself to tell Ash how I really feel."

"You can't even admit it to me!"

Jenn looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You just said that you can't tell him how you really feel," Trish said, "You couldn't even say that you like him, much less that you love him."

"So," Jenn glowered and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

"So, he only rescued you when you were at your lowest," Trish reminded her gently, "You owe him at least that."

Jenn rolled her eyes and sighed, "I'll go get dressed."

Trish cheered and left the room. Success was hers.

ooo

'_So tonight is the big celebration dance,'_ Pikachu chirped as she ate breakfast alongside Ash, Brock and the other Pokémon.

"Oh yeah, it's gonna be great!" Brock enthused. "Imagine all the beautiful women and girls that will be there, all wanting a piece of Brock the Rock!"

Bulbasaur looked at the Pokémon breeder and then at Ash. '_He hasn't changed at all, has he.'_

'_Nope,'_ Charizard snorted before taking a gulp of his Pokémon chow. '_Still as deluded as ever.'_

'_Totally_.'

Since Brock couldn't understand the Pokémon, he blissfully ignored the two creatures and continued. "And this time you get to have part of the action too, Ash. It's your first public function as a newly single man. Every single female, at least those who aren't after _me_, will be after _you._ You can think of it as a Cinderella ball. Only for a guy who's not really looking for a girl."

"Oh, that's great. Thanks, Brock," Ash smiled weakly and tried to not think about all of the female eyes that would be on him as soon as he walked into the room. While that wasn't a new thing for him, he'd never been so publicly advertised as being single as now. Thanks to the media, everyone knew about the divorce and that Ash was back on the market. The last time he was single was before he was the Grand Master and before he was so very famous.

"James rang a few minutes ago to inform you that he will come by to personally cut your hair and Jessie will be by later to drop off the Armani suit she wants you to wear."

'_Is Jenn going to be there tonight?_' Meganium asked.

"She should be," Ash said. "After all, Jenn did help with organizing the dance."

"Somehow I don't think that Trish would let Jenn stay home even if she wanted to," Brock chuckled. "Trish can be pretty persuasive and forceful when she wants."

'_You going to dance with Jenn at all?'_ the Herb Pokémon asked. '_It would be so nice and romantic…'_

"Well, Jenn did promise me she would." Ash said with a small shrug, "But who knows with that girl. I hope she does, though. It would really help to hold off the other masses of females if someone was already by my side."

"I'll help out, for sure," Brock said confidently, "I have absolutely no issues with helping to take some of the pressure from your shoulders, Ash."

"I just bet you don't, Brock," Ash chuckled. "But you'd better go get ready."

"You're right, I almost forgot to see if my suit got pressed or not," Brock looked a little pale. "I can't turn up in a wrinkled suit!"

"Don't worry, I know Jessie wouldn't let you turn up looking like a mess," Ash shook his head and gave a little laugh. "If she's dropping off the Armani for me, she's probably got something for you. Ring her and make sure."

Brock sighed, "Damn, Ash, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Go call Jessie," Ash shoved his friend towards the hallway. "I'll clean up here and catch up with the whole getting ready thing."

"Don't you have housekeeping for that?"

"Some things you just need to do for yourself," Ash sighed. "Besides, I need to do this to keep sane. Preparations for dances and functions like this always make me reach for an antacid or be glad I'm going."

"So what's today?"

"Antacid."

Brock nodded. "Me too."

Ash watched his friend walk off and then looked around at his Pokémon friends. "What?"

'_That was a bad excuse for not wanting to get ready right away,_' Meganium said sagely.

'_I gotta agree with the tree,'_ Charizard rumbled and ignored the angry glares from Meganium. '_What's with the hesitation, Ash?' _

"I don't know," Ash hedged, then shrugged. "Okay, I'm nervous about all of the people staring and whispering. Everyone knows about the divorce. It's world wide news now."

'_So, what's the worst part of it?'_ Bulbasaur asked, '_Is it the fact that everyone knows or that you think you'll be embarrassed that the divorce happened at all?'_

Ash sat on the floor. "I'm not sure."

Pikachu abandoned her food and sat by Ash's side. She patted his knee with a paw, '_Don't worry, Pikapi. One of us can go with you, if you want.'_

"Hmm, somehow, I think it'd be best if I went alone," Ash sighed. "I know that I'm the Grand Master and that I can understand all Pokémon and that it looks strange for me to not be seen without one of you, but for tonight, I think I'd better be alone."

The Pokémon exchanged looks, but they all nodded agreement.

"You guys!" Ash hugged those closest, which was all but a too proud to be hugged Charizard, "I can't tell you how much all of you mean to me."

'_Good old, Ash,'_ Charizard snorted a little flame, '_Still_ _as sappy as ever.'_

The hug ended abruptly, but Ash still smiled. Charizard's words could never hurt him, because he could see into the dragon's heart. It was part of his gift as the Chosen One. He could see the inherent good or evil of a Pokémon. While it was rare, so very rare, to find an evil Pokémon, it was always good to tell when a Pokémon that seemed to be bad was actually good.

'_Say, Pikapi,_' Pikachu said and her tone suddenly changed to sly, '_I heard on the Pokémon grapevine that someone got her hair done very specially for the dance.'_

"Really? Who?"

Charizard growled a little. '_Ash, I'm trying very, very hard __**not**__ to flame you.'_

ooo

"I can't believe you're making me go," Jenn grumbled to Trish as the two girls walked back to the villa after a busy morning. She pulled the brim of her baseball cap lower towards her eyes, which were covered by a pair of Dior sunglasses.

"I can't believe you're still complaining," Trish ignored her friend's glare. "You're the one who helped organize this dance."

"I know," Jenn said, "Quit reminding me. I must've been sleep deprived or something."

The first order of the day was to meet with the event organiser and catering manager for a last minute check that everything was in place, and a final run down through the dinner and the evening's program. Then they made sure that all of the girls had been booked in to style their hair and to have their nails done.

"I'm only making you go for your own good," Trish said patiently. "You told me that you had promised Ash that you would dance with him at this celebration. A promise made is a promise kept."

"Promises are made to be broken."

"Not this one," Trish warned. "You don't go and you'll be sorry. Besides, you'll have fun if nothing else."

Jenn rolled her eyes.

"And what's with the hat and sunglasses routine, anyway?" Trish asked. "I meant to ask you earlier."

"Well, at least they're not the ugly oversized LinLo version sunglasses. I just don't want to be recognized by anyone," Jenn said, "Paparazzi are _everywhere."_

"They're not after you," Trish grinned wryly. "At least, not yet. And not ever if you don't go through with your promise to Ash."

"One dance with him won't make me famous."

Trish kept on grinning. "It could!"

Jenn paused at the front entryway. "Trish, what if it does?"

Trish sighed, "Is _that_ what you're worried about?"

"Kind of," Jenn shrugged, "I guess it's a mix of things. That's just the one thing that keeps surfacing."

"Well, get on in the villa, Christina," Trish motioned her friend inside, "Before the paparazzi get you."

"I also don't want to be teased from here to eternity," Jenn said as she walked in. "I can't stand that."

"Then you shouldn't be teasing me about Drake all the time if you can't take it yourself," Trish said slyly as she closed the door behind them.

"That's different."

"How so?"

"It's more fun when you're the one actually doing the teasing."

ooo

Ash sighed and kept still as Jessie fussed over him.

"You look every inch a million dollars and just like a Grand Master should," she enthused as she fixed his bow tie. "Armani tuxedoes are always so stylish and classic. You can't go wrong with having one on."

"I _do_ like that label," he admitted.

"And ya do have a million bucks, Twerp," Meowth said from Jessie's side. "Okay, foine, he looks like more den a million bucks. Happy dere, Jess?"

"I'd be happier if you'd have learned how to make money the Meowth way," the redhead muttered under her breath. "But you gotta make do with what you have. I guess."

"What was dat!?!"

"If you two can't finish this without fighting, then I'm outta here," Ash said, "And I won't have any problems with showing up at this dance wearing jeans and a t-shirt."

"YOU ARE NOT RUINING ALL OF MY HARD WORK!" Jessie shrieked.

Ash's eyes widened and some of it was genuine fear.

"If you so much as _think_ of showing up at this dance with even one eyebrow hair out of place," Jessie leaned low and growled, "You'll wish you were never born."

"I think…I already am," Ash whispered and gulped. "Jessie…Can you just finish with my hair?"

"Why of course, boss!" Jessie stepped back and clutched the comb and scissors to her chest. She grinned broadly. "I'll have you looking so hot, all of those girls will be fainting at the mere sight of you!"

"That's one of the things I'm afraid of," Ash muttered.

"Why?"

Ash shrugged, "I guess I still feel like it's too soon after Misty to even consider dating. Yet all of these women are going to be at the dance with one thing on their mind."

"Free food?"

Jessie spun on Meowth, "That was the most idiotic thing I've ever heard! No, not food! They want _him_!"

Ash nodded wearily, "They also want the money I come with, the private jets that fly me around, the press that dogs my every step, the cars I ride in, the stores I shop in, and," he motioned to Jessie and Meowth, "Pretty much any and _all_ of the special treatment I get because I'm the Grand Master."

"And the Chosen One," Jessie said.

"Oh yeah," Meowth nodded wisely. "Youise can't forget dat one. Dat's da most impoitant thing about ya."

"Well, yeah, but it's the one thing about me that nobody else knows about. No one except the small group of humans and Pokémon who know this about me," Ash said. "Besides, even if it was as well known a fact about me as being Grand Master, who would believe it? It's almost too much for me to understand and I've lived with it since I was ten."

"I bet da peoples in dis here Archipelago would," Meowth offered. "Dey do have dat centuries old legend and dis was where you found out dat you were da Chosen One."

"Remember that time?" Jessie reminisced fondly.

"Remember it? How could I possibly forget it?" Ash chuckled. "My life was never the same again. I was the Chosen One for _real_."

"Do you ever regret being the Chosen One?" Jessie was curious.

"Sometimes I do," Ash admitted. "But hey, there's nothing I can do about it. Fate chose me to be the Chosen One and until another one comes along, I'm it. _If _another one comes along."

"I don't think this is quite like Buffy being chosen to be a vampire slayer," Jessie shuddered, "And if your being Chosen is like her being chosen, you don't want to be unchosen."

"Huh?"

"The only way a new slayer is chosen, and that's what she was, was for her to die," Jessie narrowed her glittering blue eyes, "Damn you, James, for making me watch that show."

"You know that I saw Ho-oh the day I left Pallet, don't you?" Ash asked it quietly. "I should've known from that step forward that my life wouldn't ever be the same. I guess it took coming here to make it real."

"Enough reminiscing," Jessie said suddenly, startling the other two, "Time to get you all cologned up and ready to fend off all those starving women!"

ooo

"Oy," Trish said softly, leaning against the door she'd just closed. For a second, she leaned against it, then walked away. Her best friend was quickly becoming a huge pain and she was just about to develop a huge headache. She needed to get out and get some fresh air!

She left the villa, and a pacing Jenn ("It's from worry, I tell ya! Worry!" The former blonde had said.) behind, along with Shannon and Jaime who were having fun getting ready. Though she'd forbade Jaime from torturing any Pokémon, the Aussie had no doubt that she'd see at least one small pokémon at the dance, in some sort of formal wear.

With the day only partially gone, and with about five hours left until the dance commenced, Trish decided to take a quick walk down to the small shopping plaza that edged the area where the villa was. The ocean was in a pleasant mood today, as Trish noted the lazy surf that lapped the soft ivory sand.

Seagulls from the mainland swooped and soared with Wingulls, and she noticed a Seel swimming around with a dolphin. The mix of life was incredible, even in the sea itself.

Her tummy rumbled, reminding Trish that she'd walked out on lunch, or what would've been lunch had she not been "talking" with Jenn about what dress to wear and the importance of going to get her nails done.

A _Starmiebucks _beckoned and who was she to ignore this siren's call? On entering the shop, which had its doors open to the beachfront beyond, she found herself immersed in a familiar homey environment. Coffee mingled with the scent of food and the sound of music and people. It hadn't been too long since the hurricane, but already – thanks to the help that Ash and the mainland, the Fae, and the Pokémon had provided – the Archipelago was back to about 95 full working order.

"Can I help you?" A young woman asked from behind the counter.

Five minutes, and a free coffee and biscuit later, Trish was seated in an overstuffed leather chair that would've been equally as comfortable in someone's living room as this establishment. "Thank you, honey," she murmured into her beverage. Being the fiancée of the Orange Crew Leader so had its perks.

She was in between meditating and staring at the ocean when a familiar person suddenly joined her. Emily, who was one of Drake's personal assistants, sat in the matching leather chair next to her.

"Trish, I thought that was you!"

"Emily," Trish smiled, "It's so nice to see you!"

Normally, Trish would've been worried. Emily was very cute, with long straight blonde hair and teal blue eyes. Though she was currently in between significant others, Emily would have no trouble getting another man in her life whenever she wanted. But while Emily was a tall, thin blonde, she had a disposition that was sweet and a loyalty streak that was a mile long. There'd never been any issues about Drake cheating with Emily.

But…

"Hey, Em," Trish looked over at the blonde, "You doing anything tonight?"

_To be continued…._

ooo

_Author's Note: __Perhaps they're going to see a chick flick! Maybe…maybe not._

_Please, if you are interested, I would appreciate it if you would read one of my other stories, 'Broken Wings.' I believe it is my best work._

_Also, please read my best friend Pikajenn's work. She is a fantastic writer, and especially take a look at 'Imaya's Story'._


	37. Chapter 36: Say It' True

_Midsummer Nights_

_By Trish._

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, nor Puck. I wish I did. All the original characters and storyline created by me, belong to me. The Chapter Title comes from the song "_Runaway" by the Corrs._

Dedication: To my most patient fan, Rin. I hereby appoint you as my Official Prodder!

ooo

_Say it's true_

_There's nothing like me and you._

_Runaway – The Corrs_

_Chapter Thirty-Six _– _Say It's True_

Jenn studied herself critically in front of her mirror. The dance was due to commence in about one and half hours and she had finally finished getting ready.

The dress she had chosen, after a second couture shopping trip, was an elegant halter neck in silver number which hugged her figure in all the right places, with a thigh high split on the right side. Her shoulder length black hair had been styled in soft curls that were pinned up at the back with one or two flowing free at the side. Jewellery was simple, consisting of diamond dusted silver hoop earrings.

The former blonde went to nibble at the side of her nails, but found her hand suddenly caught in mid air.

"Oh no you don't," Trish warned with a glare. "You are not about to ruin the wonderful manicure that you had done."

"I wasn't about to," Jenn snatched her hand back. "I had a hangnail thingie."

"I bet."

"Trish, chewing nails isn't my thing. I don't do it. You're thinking of Jaime or Mia," Jenn wrinkled her nose. "I know the value of a good mani pedi."

"A mani whati?"

"Mani pedi!" Jenn rolled her eyes, "A manicure and a pedicure." She wiggled her French manicured toes, which were in open toed black high heels, "Duh."

"Silly me, of course," Trish smirked. "Well let's get going then, shall we?"

"We shall?" Jenn turned a little pale. "Do we have to?"

"Yes, we do have to," Trish said firmly, "And if you don't, I'll have Puck turn you into a Magikarp with no chance of evolving."

"You wouldn't!"

"Don't even try daring me," Trish shoved Jenn out of her room. "Now move it!"

"Yessim."

ooo

"This is gonna be so great!" Brock enthused as he gazed out the window of the limousine.

Ash wished that he could be so sure as his friend. The Grand Master had invited his oldest friend to share his limo ride to the Convention Centre for two reasons. One for company and two for moral support.

Ash couldn't remember being so nervous about a function before. He had attended so many over the years as Grand Master that it was a regular part of his life. So why all the nerves now?

'_It's_ _because this time, I'm a very publicly single man and every female at the dance tonight will know it. Now I'm wishing I __**did**__ ask Pik to come along tonight. At least she could have shocked them if they all become too much.'_

His reverie was interrupted as the limousine glided to a halt outside the red carpeted entrance to the Convention centre. Ash could see that hundreds of people lined either side of the long walkway, with security guards posted at intervals to stop them from spilling onto the red carpet. Flashes went off sporadically from the crowd as the press tried to get the multimillion dollar shot.

"How did…all of these people get here?" Ash murmured. "There must be a million out there."

"Close to that, but I'd bet it's closer to thousands," Brock straightened his jacket. "James told me that someone had told _him _that every ticket sold out within twenty minutes."

Ash whistled his appreciation. Those tickets had been priced at a range of $100 to $8000 a ticket. The higher the price, the better chance of getting closer to Ash. All proceeds were going to the hurricane relief, but still, it was a surprise to see how fast all of the tickets had gone.

"But how did they all get here?" Ash gestured to the people. "The airport isn't that big, even though it _is_ international. Neither are the ports."

"Airplane, boat, pokémon," Brock grinned at Ash. "You name it, they used it. They want to see _you_, Ash."

"That's what I was afraid of," he groaned good-naturedly. "I'm single, rich, and powerful."

"Wow," Brock blinked, "I mean, wow."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Brock said, "Just, you know. That's a way to really plump up your ego."

Ash smiled thinly. "Trust me, I need it."

The door to the limo opened then and, in the midst of a barrage of camera flashes going off, Ash took a deep breath. He really, _really_ needed a big ego.

And a pair of sunglasses.

ooo

The Grand Ballroom of the Pummelo Convention Centre looked absolutely amazing. The event organiser and his team had done a fantastic job of decorating the room just as girls had envisioned. Large ornamental flower arrangements in tall vases stood in the four corners of the room with smaller arrangements of flowers on each table. The tablecloths were cream with gold ribbon around the edges. The chairs had cream covers with alternating gold and silver bows around the back.

The gold and silver theme carried through to the dance floor where hundreds of gold and silver helium balloons hung around the ceiling.

Jenn would have been pleased to see that all their hard work had come off, had she not been too nervous to even notice.

The former blonde was a bundle of nerves, and had been ever since they had left the villa. Trish had made sure that Jenn travelled with her and Drake so that Jenn couldn't turn tail and run the other way. Though Trish's plan for Jenn to accompany them down the red carpet t quickly became unstuck as the press clamoured for photographs of the Orange Crew Leader and his fiancée.

But Shannon and Jaime soon came to the rescue and dragged Jenn down the rest of the way with them to join Ben and Chris, who were looking bored and probably were.

Now Jenn was standing with the rest of her friends, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Luckily for her, Trish did not notice; for she was leaning against Drake, trying to blink away the bright spots before her eyes as a result of all those flashes.

Suddenly loud and excited screaming could be heard from outside the Convention Centre.

"What the heck is that??" Jaime asked.

"I'm guessing the man of the moment has arrived," Trish grinned. "Grand Master and Now Eligible Bachelor Ash Ketchum."

The Aussie looked over at her friend, but her grin didn't cease. Jenn was silent and looked rather reserved, but Trish knew Jenn was thinking about Ash. Most likely she was wondering if Ash had arrived with anyone.

Jenn was indeed thinking about Ash, though her thoughts had drifted back to teenage memories of being at boy band concerts. The decibel level was around the same, and the press had delivered the same media circus that she'd felt back then. Of course, she had to remind herself that this was no Floridian Five that had just arrived. It was Ash and he was way more powerful than the Backstreet Boys could ever be.

She looked at her friends and picked on Chris. "Hey kilty, you wanna go get something to drink?"

And so it began.

ooo

"Man, now I know why so many celebrities wear sunglasses all the time," Ash groaned as he and Brock managed to get inside the Convention Centre without walking into any walls or doors. "Those flashes can really blind you."

"Yeah, I'm still seeing bright spots in front of my eyes," Brock admitted.

"Hey, Ash, Brock," a familiar voice greeted them. "Glad to see you managed to survive the media circus out there." Drake had come up to greet them along with Trish.

"Yeah, me too," the Grand Master sighed. "I think I still need to recover from all those flashes. But it's all for a good cause so I can't really complain."

"Nope and all that money raised will really be appreciated by the islanders," Drake smiled. "I should know. I'm not just the Orange Crew Leader, I'm an islander myself. Help them get back on their feet and back to a normal life."

Ash groaned at the bad pun, only to see Brock acting as goofy as ever.

Brock was smiling goofily at Trish. "Did anyone ever tell you how beautiful you look tonight?"

The Australian merely grinned at the Pokémon Breeder and wrapped her arm around Drake's waist. "Yes, Drake did before we left, didn't you, honey?"

"I sure did," the Orange Crew Leader smiled.

Brock visibly deflated and Ash patted his friend's arm soothingly. "Cheer up, Brock-o. Just think of all those single women here tonight. And they'll be all after you."

"Actually, I think that they'll be all after _you,_ Ash," Trish chuckled. "Once that screaming started outside, some girls in here starting screaming in excitement too."

"Oh, great," Ash smiled weakly.

"You're really looking every inch the lady killer tonight," the Australian noted. "You certainly won't be short of willing dance partners all evening."

"Speaking of dance partners," Ash said, looking beyond Trish for a sign of a certain blonde best friend. "Where's Jenn?"

"Oh she's gone to get a drink with Chris," she informed him. "Jenn was feeling a little thirsty."

"So she _is_ here."

"Oh yes," Drake chuckled. "Trish made sure of it."

"So where is our favourite blonde?" Brock asked.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to say that anymore," Trish said with a grin.

"What do you mean?" Ash paled a little. "Did something happen to her? She's not an Absol again, is she?"

"You'll see."

"You know, Pikachu said something similar earlier. I have a feeling like I should be really worried," Ash shook his head. "I didn't get it then and I don't get it now."

"Like I said," Trish grinned. "You will."

"Something about that grin is very scary," Ash said, then frowned. "Wait. Didn't you say that Jenn went to get something to drink? And with Chris?"

"That's what she said," Drake said, holding Trish in a cosy hug as a group of giggling girls rushed by. "Why not go find the bimbo…Ow!!!"

"She went to get a drink," Trish said, ignoring Drake – who was rubbing a very tender stomach – and trying not to gasp from a poke from a pointed elbow, "And yes it is non-alcoholic. Even Chris knows better than to even try to slip her something with bubbly in it."

"Yes, yes," Ash nodded. "Jenn and alcohol…not good bedfellows."

"Did someone say bedfellows?" Brock, who had been eyeing the girls all around them, suddenly picked up on their conversation.

"This isn't a meet and mate, Brock," Shannon said, walking up with Jaime in tow. "Why not find out what table you're going to be at before you start trying to hit on girls?"

"Oh _please_ tell me I'm sitting with beautiful women on all sides of me!"

Trish stifled a laugh. This _was _Brock, after all, who was just about as bad as Chris. No…Maybe Brock was the one who'd taught Chris. Or maybe had given him some pointers.

"Don't worry, B," Ash said reassuringly, "I'm sure Trish, and whoever else planned the party, has seated everyone accordingly. Right, Trish?"

"Right," the Aussie confirmed. "However we weren't able to seat you on the table with the Pummelo Island Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy. They specifically requested not to."

Brock looked crestfallen. "Why? I would have been the most perfect gentleman. Oh why, oh why have they forsaken me??"

"Cheer up, Brock. You'll have some girls on your table. Like Drake's two sisters Becca and Liana, as well as a few others."

"Just don't try anything that you'll regret with my sisters," Drake warned the Pokémon Breeder. "Otherwise you'll be answering to _me_ outside."

Brock gulped slightly and nodded. While Brock had always considered himself to be fit and muscular, he was no match for Ash, let alone Drake. The Orange Crew Leader had a toned physique of a top athlete and the strength to match.

"So what table am I at?" Ash asked the Australian.

"You're on the main table of course," Trish informed him. "Along with Drake, myself, Jenn, Chris, Shannon, Ben, Jaime and Danny."

"Great," Ash smiled and gave an inward sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't have to spend the evening on a table full of total strangers who would be gawking at him the entire time and perhaps too afraid to say even 'boo' to him.

The mention of Jenn's name again brought the blonde to mind. Ash wondered how long it would be before he found out what Trish and Pikachu meant by their cryptic comments.

ooo

Chris and Jenn made their way through the crowds to the bar and lounge areas just outside of the Grand Ballroom and to one of the high tables and bar stools that were dotted around the room.

"How about you wait here and I'll get our drinks," the Scot told his friend. "Don't want to lose our spot with all this crowd."

"Okay," Jenn nodded and tapped her fingers against the steel surface. "Can I just have a soda please?"

"Sure," Chris dug out his wallet from his pockets. "One soda coming right up."

However, as he made his way to the bar, an idea wormed its way into his mind. Chris had noticed that Jenn had seemed jittery all day and especially since they had arrived at the function. She needed to relax otherwise she would never enjoy herself at all, and the whole idea of the evening was to let one's hair down and have some fun. He thought he knew what would get the former blonde to relax and not be so uptight.

"Can I help you sir?" The bartender at the counter asked him.

"Yes, could I have a In Bru and a soda please, but put a shot of vodka into the soda."

"Certainly, sir."

Once the drinks were in hand and he was walking back, Chris congratulated himself on a job well done. Vodka had no taste or smell to it and would really help Jenn unwind. Whether or not she'd ever drink another beloved Pepsi again if this backfired, well…that remained to be seen. Besides, there was nothing that could go wrong. There were no drunk fairies, no evil magic users, and absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

It was just a dance with nothing but people all around him.

"Here you go, Jenn," Chris put the drink down in front of her.

"Thanks," she said and picked it up.

He sat down and held his breath a moment when she first drank the soda. Then, to not look completely suspicious, he drank his beverage.

"This tastes a little off," Jenn made a face.

"Oh, uh, well, I think the same tap was used for the diet as well. You know how these bars are." Chris said it nonchalantly, but inside he was wild. _Oh, come __**on**__! Your taste buds can't be __**that**__ good! I'm toast if she figures this out. She'll string me up and…_

"Hmm, not really," Jenn shrugged and took another sip. "You know I don't do the bar scene. I'll have to take your word for it."

"I'm the bar master," Chris said smugly. He chugged down his drink, watched as she took deeper gulps of hers, and felt satisfied. _Someone __**finally**__ pulled one over on her. Hah! Score one for Chris. Zero for Jenn! This almost covers all that trash talk on my poor kilt. Almost._

ooo

Trish was talking to Mia, Puck, Callie, and Shannon, when Jenn returned from the bar with Chris. She was pleased to note that her best friend now seemed a lot more relaxed and open, smiling and talking animatedly to Chris. The Scot had a big grin on his face, though whether it was from Jenn's jokes or the fact that he saw Callie was wearing a tight little black dress that showed off her long legs, Trish couldn't be sure.

"Well look who's in a much happier mood now," the Australian said to Jenn who sauntered over.

"Yeah, guess I just needed that soda to settle my nerves," Jenn grinned. "And it's a party to celebrate our survival of Hurricane Lulu, so I thought I might as well have a _little_ fun."

"That's the right attitude!" Trish was pleased.

Jenn looked around the room before turning back to her friend. "So where's Ashy Boy?"

"He's right over there," the Australian grinned, pointing to where the Grand Master was busy talking to Cissie, Prima, and the President of the Orange League.

"Ohmigod, he is the picture of ultimate hotness!" Jenn breathed, not caring that she was openly gawking at him, like most of the other girls in the room. "Trish, you were here from the get go. Did he walk in with anyone?"

"Only Brock."

Jenn made a face. "I thought Ash was straight."

All around her, jaws almost hit the floor. Trish was the first to recover. "Jenn, he is _very_ straight!"

"You sure? I mean, if he came to a dance with Brock, it just leaves a lot to be questioned."

"Are you for real?" Mia snapped, "How can you possibly think that Ash, who practically sweats manliness, is gay?"

"Uh, Mia, way to hurt my lil bro's ego," Callie fanned Puck, who was looking faint.

"Sorry, babe," Mia said soothingly, "It's just that Jenn is being more blonde than usual."

"And considering she just got her hair done, that's saying something," Shannon joked.

"She got her hair done?" Puck asked in a vaguely clueless manner.

"Yes, Puck," Mia shook her head. "She used to be blonde, but now her hair is black."

Puck frowned. "Females."

"Careful, brother," Callie teased, "You're surrounded by them."

"Okay, enough with the banter!" Jenn said exasperatedly. "I want another Pepsi."

"Uh, Jenn, I don't know if you should have any more caffeine," Chris said, "You look kinda peaked."

"I think I can handle Pepsi, Chris," Jenn rolled her eyes.

"Shan, how about you and me go get her one?" Trish said. "I'm kind of thirsty myself."

"Sure," Shannon said, getting up to follow the other girl. "I'm good for it."

Ten minutes later, Jenn had her Pepsi, Trish had a Fluffy Duck, and Shannon was trying out a Strawberry Daiquiri.

Jenn took a sip and made a face. She pushed the soda away and shook her head. "No, no, this isn't right." She looked up. "You sure you went to the right place?"

"There's only one bar area," Shannon said slowly, "So, yep, we went to the right place."

"Well this sucks. It tastes like diet."

_Oh, here comes the biting me in the ass part,_ Chris thought wearily. He stood up and grabbed the soda. "I'll get you another one."

Jenn beamed at him, "Thanks, Chrissy! That's sweet of you!"

Chris winced at the name, both at the looks people closest to them gave him and at the memories it conjured up. He threaded through the people and got to the bar in record time. He managed to get the attention of the same bartender, as there were four others, and nodded to him.

"Hey, this soda needed a little shot of Vodka in it," Chris said and handed over the drink. He was sure that Shannon and Trish had gotten the right drink. It just lacked the magic touch that he'd had put into it.

Seconds later, the drink was back in his hand, along with a second one for himself, and he was on his way back to their table. There were a bloody huge amount of people around and he considered himself very lucky he hadn't bumped into anyone.

"Hey, Chris!"

The Scot slowed down with a wince. It was Ash.

"Chris, where's your table?" Ash caught up with him. "I've been looking for it all evening, but I've been caught every five seconds by someone who wants to talk."

"Didn't Trish tell you where the table was?"

"Yeah, but I got all turned around," Ash gave a little laugh. "I barely know where my own table is!"

"Why not use your freaky Chosen One powers?"

"Well, I was trying to keep things from being weird," Ash sighed. "So I didn't want to use them."

"Uh huh."

"Who's the other drink for? Callie?"

"I thought you were psychic."

Ash shook his head, "Only when I want to be. I don't want to be right now."

"It's for Jenn," Chris said tentatively. "She was thirsty."

"Mind if I follow you back?" Ash asked, "Everyone keeps saying she looks different or did something.

Chris sighed, but shrugged, "Sure, whatever."

ooo

Ash couldn't put his finger on it, but something felt a little off tonight. Chris was acting weird whenever he had been talking about Jenn. Trish and the others had acted weird about Jenn earlier. Pikachu shocked him earlier and Charizard almost roasted him.

What was going on?

As Chris threaded through the crowds, most of which looked as if they wanted to stop Ash but didn't, the Grand Master was relieved to find out that there wasn't long of a way to go before reaching the table everyone else was at.

The girls were all talking among themselves, and Ash was glad to see that everyone looked happy and chatty, but he didn't see Jenn at all. One girl got his attention in particular. He barely saw her in profile, but her long black hair was piled up high in soft curls, a few cascading free down to her shoulders. It complemented the tan she had, and both of those complemented the dress she was wearing.

For a second, Ash wondered if he could juggle having two girlfriends, then berated himself. He hadn't even thought about asking Jenn to go out with him, and yet here he was thinking about having two girlfriends at once.

He was really hanging around Brock _way _too much.

Chris walked around behind the new girl and Ash followed. The closer they got, the more he thought he could smell one of Jenn's many favourite perfumes, _Vera Wang Princess,_ and then thought he could hear her voice.

When Chris set the drink down in front of the new girl, he was _really_ confused. The girl drank almost half of it in one gulp, put it down, and looked up. Her eyes widened and she laughed. "Ash!"

"Yes, yes, that's me," Ash said with much confusion. Then the girl got up and had him in a hug faster than a quick attack Pikachu could've used.

She stepped back and looked him over, "My, my, you are looking fine tonight! I bet you're getting hit on by all the ladies."

It only took Ash a second longer, then realization dawned on him. "Jenn?!"

"Don't wear it out, Ashy boy," Jenn tsked. "A girl might not feel welcomed."

Trish was watching this exchange with interest as she knew that Ash had not seen Jenn's new look yet. She only hoped that the Grand Master wouldn't botch things up by making fun of Jenn's hair.

"I didn't recognise you at first!" Ash was amazed as he looked Jenn up and down. "When did you have this done?"

"Just the other day," Jenn beamed. "What do you think? Cute, huh?"

"It's more than cute, you look really beautiful!" Ash grinned. He meant it, and if this was the change that Trish and Pikachu were referring to, then he approved of it whole-heartedly.

"Really?" Jenn breathed, looking at him with wide blue-grey eyes that seemed bluer against her dark locks.

"Really."

Jenn threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Oh thank you, thank you for that," she whispered fiercely in his ears. "You have no idea what it means to me that you've said that."

The Grand Master hugged her back, enjoying the closeness. Jenn normally didn't go in for such public displays of affection, especially towards him, so it made for a nice change. "I meant it."

"So did I," she grinned and stepped back. She patted the empty seat next to her. "I saved this spot _especially_ for you."

"Uh…okay," Ash smiled, but as he went to comply with the former blonde's request, he paused by Trish's chair and leant over to whisper in her ear. "Jenn's quite relaxed and friendly tonight. This is really not like her."

The Australian grinned. "Hey, don't question it. Maybe she's finally learned to relax around you. About time too."

"Yeah, it is," Ash said, but as he looked over, he felt a swift stab of unease. There was something wrong about Jenn that tickled at his gut. Her eyes were a little wider than usual as she talked animatedly with Jaime and Shannon, and she looked a whole lot perkier than a couple of days ago. Could it be his reaction to her hair?

Ash let out a low sigh. He'd never understand women. Not his mom, to Misty, Pikachu, and even Jenn. Women were far more mysterious than anything he could possibly think of.

ooo

As the night wore on, the eating commenced and talking increased. The numbers of teenaged girls and their mothers, along with single women his age and even some as old as his own mother, walked by in ever growing numbers. So many that Ash eventually called for security to ring a small, yet invisible Psychic barrier around them, thanks to an Abra and an Espeon.

"Chris," Jenn laughed out, "Will you pwease Pepsi me another get? I mean, get me another Pepsi?"

"Don't you think you've had enough caffeine?" Chris sounded a little irritated.

"There's no such a thing," Jenn flicked her fingernails against the crystal and it chimed. "Please."

Chris sighed, but grabbed the glass and stood up. Ash got up and followed.

Once they got to the bar, Chris shoved the glass at a bartender.

"Same as before?" The bartender asked. "Or is the lady getting bored yet?"

"Bored?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Chris, is there something you forgot to tell Jenn?"

"Uh, better make that a watered down Pepsi," Chris said, "And nothing else."

"Whatever you say," The bartender complied and handed back a watered back Pepsi. "Anything for you?"

Ash shook his head, grateful that someone hadn't noticed who he was. Instead he mentally pinned Chris to the bar.

"Hey! I can't move!"

"Just for a second," Ash said quietly. "What's been going on with her Pepsi?"

"I swear, Ash, I just had the bartender put a splash of vodka in it to relax her," Chris said, "I didn't think she'd get hooked on it."

Ash sighed, "I figured something weird was going on with her." The Grand Master shrugged and let Chris go. "C'mon, let's get back before they think something's up."

"Like they'd notice we were gone longer than we shoulda been," Chris muttered.

ooo

When they returned to their table, everyone was still talking away, though it seemed Jenn was monopolising most of the conversation, gesturing every so often to emphasise her words.

Drake had his arm draped around Trish's shoulders and the two were listening to Jenn with slightly raised eyebrows.

Ash only hoped that Jenn, in her tipsy state, was not committing one of the three conversational taboos to get such a reaction. Never _ever _talk about sex, drugs or politics if you wanted a civil conversation. But then again, he had heard from Drake that Trish had talked about at least one of those subjects on their very first date.

Chris placed the Pepsi in front of Jenn and she paused in her monologue to beam up at him. "Thanksh, Chrissy Wissy!"

The Scot inwardly winced at the nickname and blocked out the snickering he heard from Jaime. If he _ever _needed a reason why he shouldn't get Jenn drunk, this was it. Of all their friends, only he seemed to get the short end of the stick when it came to nicknames when Jenn was not her usual self.

Chris then felt a tug on his sleeve, and saw that Trish was giving him a Look. The Scot gulped. He really hoped that it didn't mean what he was thinking – that Trish had figured out that he'd spiked Jenn's drink.

Public celebration or not, his life would end that very night if Trish found out the truth. While the Australian was very protective about all her friends, there were two people in particular with whom she was ten times worse than a momma bear with cubs. Drake of course, and Jenn.

'_Then again, with the amount of scrapes that Jenn gets into, can you really blame Trish?'_ Chris thought.

_:I_ _promise, I haven't told her anything.:_

The voice was Ash's and it startled Chris more than a bit, but to his credit he jumped only a little.

_:I_ _can take the alcohol from her system, gradually but within the next half hour or so.:_

Chris met Ash's eyes across the table, and the Grand Master looked at him sternly before looking over at Jenn, who was telling a very loud and not particularly funny story.

_:If_ _you give in to her pleading for any more special Pepsis, I'll personally make sure you think you're a Skitty for at least one week out of a month for the rest of your life.:_

_:You're_ _so cruel, man. Really.: _Chris saw Ash bite back a laugh. :_Just_ _do your thing, Ash. I swear I won't ever try to get Jenn to relax ever again.: _

Ash gave a barely perceptible nod and Chris sat back. For some reason, his own drink didn't seem particularly attractive at the moment.

"You doing okay there, Chris?" Callie's bell like voice shimmered over his skin and his arms tingled.

"I'm fine," Chris said, "I just feel a little tired." He shrugged, "It's nothing."

"Nothing?" Her pretty face narrowed in a frown. "This is a party and it's for a good cause. How could you, of all people, be tired?"

"Ah, it's nothing, Callie," Chris grinned, "Stop worrying about me and let's try to gloss over this boring table chit chat."

"Who said I was worried about you?" Callie said with much amusement. "Silly Chris!"

But he knew she was. He could see it in her eyes. Chris grinned to himself. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

Just then Jenn's voice pierced his internal musings. "Hey Chrishy!"

"What?"

"Would you pwease go an' get me anover Pepshi?" the former blonde giggled. "I'm really thursty."

Chris gulped as he saw the Grand Master glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. But before he could speak, Trish put a hand on her best friend's arm.

"Uh…Jenn, I don't think you should have another Pepsi," the Australian said gently. "You're on a Pepsi hyper."

"A Pespi what?" Jenn looked confused. "You are talking weirder than normal, and that's pretty darned diddly weird."

Chris considered himself a pretty fortunate guy in that he hadn't been drinking anything when Jenn had opened her yapper and said that line. He'd have either choked on anything he'd been drinking or he'd have spit it up all over Callie, since he'd been looking at her most generously displayed bosom at the time.

_:Ash, if you're thinking of doing your little whammy thing, now may be the time to start doing it.:_

:_What_ _d'you think I've been doing for the past twenty minutes?:_ Ash sounded irritated. _:I've_ _been cleaning up this little vodka mess all that time, but it's like she's getting worse.:_

:_Then_ _maybe you should try a little harder, Chosen One.: _This voice, female, was horribly familiar to both males, and this time Chris _did_ jump.

"Chris, what's wrong?" Trish asked with concern.

"N…nothing," Chris stuttered, looking over at Callie who had the most smug look on her face that he'd ever seen. "I just thought I felt a Pokémon run over my foot."

"That's real lame, Chris," Puck muttered, "Really lame. Can't even admit that you're playing footsie with my sister. Ugh."

Chris ignored the Fae and nodded to Trish. "I'm okay, Trish, really."

"If it was just footsie, that's all you had to say," she winked at him and turned back to Drake. Apparently, there was some sort of sale at _Starmiebucks_ and she wanted him to buy her something.

Chris sighed, bit back his irritation, and looked across the table, through the centrepiece at Jenn. The dark strands were escaping the carefully done updo and her eyes had the sparkle of someone seriously into her drink. How the heck was he supposed to know she couldn't hold her alcohol?

_:Because_ _she doesn't drink, Chris,: _Callie again, though her voice was tinged only with certainty and no ill humour. _:I_ _sense that she hasn't ever had a drink, with only a very, very light occasion during family occasions. And even then, I think she plays it off and pretends to drink.:_

_:Oh, great, a virgin drinker_,: Chris shook his head and rubbed at his temples. :_Ash, can you fix this? Preferably __**without**__ her knowing I was behind it?:_

_:Callie, can you help me out a little? I don't really know everything about stuff like this.:_

Callie gave that little chiming laugh of hers, :_Not_ _a problem, Ash.:_

It was both amusing and a relief for Chris to hear Ash admit something like that to Callie. He might be the Chosen One, but he didn't know everything and he didn't have all the magical power in the world. However, being on the non-magical end of this three way phone call was getting a little taxing.

He tried to tune out the babble around him, from Mia and Puck talking about wedded bliss even though they hadn't even figured out a wedding date, to Trish and Drake talking about **buying** a _Starmiebucks_, even Shannon and Jaime were talking about the benefits of torturing pokémon a la dressing them up in "the most _ca-utesiest_ little clothes you could _ever_ possibly think of!!!!"

It was enough to make a single guy want to puke, then go and get drunk enough to puke again.

Then he felt Callie take his hand in hers and squeeze it gently. He looked over at her and saw that her light amethyst eyes were looking over at him.

_Don't hold your breath, Chris. It's gotta be too good to be true. **Look** at her, man! _

Then she winked and he felt himself go weak in the knees and, quite frankly, didn't give a damn if it was too good to be true or not.

ooo

With Callie's help, Ash was finally able to fully take all the alcohol out of Jenn's system and breathed a sigh of relief. Now the former blonde wouldn't be able to do anything potentially embarrassing for the rest of the evening, nor would she suffer from a nasty hangover in the morning.

Trish and Drake had got up to dance, and Ash turned to Jenn with a smile. "Say, how about I go get you a water or soda, before taking you up on that dance you promised me?"

"Um, yeah. I'd love to dance with you," Jenn looked a little pale, but smiled back. "You're sure nothing happened earlier? I really feel like the night went by in a blur."

"Not a thing, Jenn." Ash said reassuringly. "Quit worrying."

"Okay, then, water please," Jenn gulped. "I'm a little thirsty."

"Think nothing of it," The Grand Master smiled as he rose from his seat. "I'll be back."

He was looking back at Jenn as he was walking about, and a result walked right into someone.

"Oh, sorry!" Ash apologised, completely embarrassed and hoping that he had not caused any drink or food to be spilled.

"Oh don't be sorry," a soft feminine voice purred. "Because _I'm _not sorry at all."

The Grand Master turned to see a tall, willowy blonde standing before him, in a classic little black dress which showed off her best assets, namely her chest and her long legs.

"Uh…hi there," Ash said weakly. There was no doubt in his mind that this was one of the many eager female fans that had been wanting to see him all night.

"Hi," she flashed brilliant pearly whites at him. "I'm Emily, and I've been one of your biggest fans for like forever!"

"Okay, well, that's great," Ash tried to step around her. He was dismayed when Emily dodged in step with him. "I'm sorry, I don't have a Sharpie or anything on me."

"That's a…shame that you haven't got a Sharpie on you," Her gaze flickered down for a second, then back up.

"I'm sorry, Emily, but I have to go and get something to drink."

"I'll buy it for you."

"No!" Ash said, a little sharper than he intended. He softened his tone, "Emily, I really have to get something to drink and I need to do it _alone_. Okay?"

She pouted lusciously, but nodded. "Okay."

It was a great relief to Ash when he walked away unimpeded, but he didn't see the wicked look that crossed the blonde's face.

ooo

Jenn scanned the crowds, which were still thronging even though dinner was almost over and dessert was being served at most of the tables. "Where is he?"

"Gosh, Jenn, you worried about him?" Trish teased her friend.

"Hah, hah, very funny," Jenn rolled her eyes, "No, I'm just thirsty."

"Well be patient," Shannon said. "He'll be back."

Jaime nodded. "Yeah, he said so, so just trust him."

Jenn bit at the inside of her lower lip in irritation. "C'mon, Drake, we're going to go find him."

"What?!" Drake choked out, "You can't just take me like I'm your favourite purse or something!"

"No, but you're big and muscular and the best thing to a bouncer I can find on short notice."

"Hello, what am I over here?" Chris sounded annoyed. "Chopped liver?"

"No, genius," Jenn said, "But for some reason I can't pinpoint, I just don't trust you."

Chris settled back down without a complaint.

Jenn looked over at Trish, "Can I please borrow Drake? I'll give him back."

"I'm not something you can borrow!"

Trish shrugged, "Sure, I don't see why not."

"Trish!" Drake's jaw dropped. "I…but…"

Jenn stood up and smoothed down her dress. She looked over at Drake, who was still sitting down, "Well? Come on."

Drake grumbled incoherent threats, but stood up and followed Jenn anyway. It didn't take them long to find out what was taking Ash so long to get back to the table. He was only about five tables away, between the bar and their table, drink in hand and talking to a model tall blonde.

His back was to them, but both Drake and Jenn could see the blonde woman. She was gorgeous, with a dress that hugged her every curve, and stiletto heels that made her look even more slender than she must've been without them on.

Jenn frowned and figured that whatever she'd gone through earlier that resulted in that big blank area in her memory must've made her a little stupid. _Ash had come here alone, then there was the blank area, then the not blank, then Ash asking me to dance with him, then the drinking, and now she's kissing him…_

"Oh, that's not right," Drake said.

"That's _so_ not right," Jenn gritted out. Waves of intense jealousy began to well up inside her as she watched the blonde bimbo kissing Ash. She never wanted to admit it, but she felt like it should be her kissing Ash and not some stranger.

Even though she couldn't see much of the girl's face, since it was currently (grr) mashed against Ash's, what little she had seen wasn't familiar at all. She didn't want to assume that the girl was a gold digger, but that was the only obvious thing to come up with. And quite personally, Jenn hated the thought of a gold digger getting her claws into Ash.

If someone asked her why she cared really deeply about Ash, she'd have to say that it was because of who he was, and not just because of what he was or how much money he had. There was no way in the world that she'd let a bimbo trap Ash into a loveless marriage, especially after what he had been through with Misty.

But first she needed a drink.

Jenn stalked out of the Ballroom and over to the bar area, with Drake trailing close behind. The Orange Crew Leader had a niggling feeling that the former blonde was up to something, so thought that he'd better keep an eye on the hot-headed American girl. Trish would never forgive him otherwise.

She waltzed up to the bar and banged a fist on the counter, gaining the attention of one of the bartenders. "I need one of those special Pepsis you've been serving all night." She frowned over in the direction of where the Grand Master was (talking and not kissing, but still too close to the blonde). "Actually make that two." Jenn looked over at Drake. "You want anything?"

Drake shook his head.

"Certainly, ma'am." In fact, this was the very same bartender who had taken care of Chris's orders, and so, dutifully put a shot of vodka into each glass of Pepsi before placing it in front of Jenn.

Since she'd been staring at Ash making small talk with the unfamiliar blonde, Jenn didn't notice the alcohol. Drake did, but was unaware of the earlier happenings and said nothing. She gulped down the first glass in two gulps, and the second followed in quick succession. "Man, that really hit the thirsty spot," she grinned at Drake. "Let's go back and save Ash."

To Jenn's dismay, Ash was still within the clutches of that blonde creature, with the girl's arms now wrapped possessively around him and her hands moving to rest on his toned behind.

Unfortunately Ash had his back to them, or Jenn might have seen that he was trying his best to get out of the blonde vixen's clutches.

"That filthy, skanky ho," Jenn seethed before grabbing Drake's arm and pulling him to her. "C'mon…you and me are going to get even."

"What?" Drake was really confused, and in such a state of confusion didn't realize that Jenn had manoeuvred him into a spot where they were right in Ash's line of sight. "Jenn, what the hell is going on?"

"You'll see," Jenn purred and trailed a finger down his chest. Her eyes flicked over towards Ash in a second before she did something that even a psychic couldn't foresee.

She kissed Drake.

ooo

Chris looked over into the crowds and immediately wished he hadn't. He looked away as casually as he could. He didn't want to draw attention to this at _**all.**_ _Oh god, oh god, please someone tell me I'm just in the middle of the most realistic nightmare ever._

But when he looked back, it was worse. She was still kissing Drake, even though he had gone pale and was trying his best to get out of it. Chris grabbed his glass of water and drank it, hoping fervently that no one would notice what he'd noticed.

"Hey, isn't Jenn back yet?" Jaime asked, and started scanning the crowds.

Chris feigned ignorance and stared at Callie's hair. It was really pretty, with chestnut strands merging into copper and gold. There was even a bit of sparkle in it, like glitter of some sort. He wondered if it was something that she'd gotten here or if it was magical.

"You really should just ask my sister out," Puck grumbled at the Scot. "Instead of staring at her like some lovesick puppy all the time. It's making me want to go puke."

"Puck!!" Mia slapped her fiancé on the arm. "Don't be so mean! You were like that once too, you know."

"Yeah but this is my _sister_ he's hitting on!" Puck defended himself. "When you have a sister looking like Callie does, of course you're extra protective and grumpy."

Mia's response was cut off by a horrified gasp from Jaime.

"Um…guys I think we have a major problem here."

Chris winced inwardly. He knew that Jaime had just seen Jenn with Drake. He quickly glanced over towards Trish and was relieved to see that she was turned the other way, talking to Danny and Cissie. Hopefully she would stay like that until everything was sorted out.

But alas, Trish had heard Jaime's statement, and if there was one word that was sure to grab the Australian's full attention, it was 'problem.'

"What major problem?" she asked with a slight frown as she turned to face the table once more.

"Oh it's nothing, really," Chris said quickly, hoping to avert what would be World War III if Trish ever found out.

"You sure?" Trish asked again as she scanned the crowds. Chris's heart plummeted to his stomach when those dark eyes suddenly came to rest on a kissing and groping Jenn and Drake. "Oh…"

_Oh god, here it comes_, Chris mentally braced himself. But to his utter astonishment, Trish merely grinned and took a sip of her wine.

"Nothing to worry about," was all she said.

Everyone around the table nearly choked on their drinks or dessert.

"Trish!!! Are you _insane_??" Mia gasped out. "Jenn is kissing your fiancé in public!!!"

"No, I'm quite sane," Trish said smoothly, "It's just that I had this set up. The thing that started all of that kissing was Jenn seeing Ash kissing another woman."

"You set her up to get her jealousy meter off the roof?" Jaime gaped. "That's awesome!"

"TRISH!" Chris sat back in his seat, "I can't believe you just put me through that!"

"Through what, Chris?" Trish sat forward, "Did you see or do something that no one noticed?"

"Fine," Chris sighed, "I saw Jenn kissing Drake and I didn't say anything. Satisfied?"

"A bit," Trish said, "I'm happier knowing that Jenn really does care enough about Ash to retaliate like that."

"Looks like Drake's winning," Mia pointed out. "He's fighting back."

They all looked over to see that Drake had indeed untangled himself and was running back to the table. The Orange Crew Leader had a look that was a mix of horror and terror.

"Trish, whatever you saw, it wasn't what it looked like!"

"Don't worry, honey," Trish patted his hand, "I know."

Drake sat there for a few seconds, breathing hard, "What?"

"Trish set Jenn up," Mia shrugged, "I guess you weren't the only one she didn't tell."

"Huh?" Drake wiped at red lipstick, which was smudged over his mouth. He looked down at his hand in disgust. "Oh, I hate lipstick."

"Yeah, man," Chris snickered, "That shade really isn't you."

Trish handed Drake a tissue and he wiped the offending lipstick off. "So what do you mean, Jenn was set up?" He looked down at the tissue. "Has she never heard of lipstick that doesn't move?"

"You know how Jenn will never admit to being madly in love with Ash?" Trish grinned. "Well, I thought I'd just give love a helping hand by making her so jealous that she _will _admit it."

"So who's the girl? She looks kind of familiar…" the Orange Crew Leader mused.

"So she should look familiar," Trish chuckled. "I was very ably assisted in my plans by Emily, one of your personal assistants."

"That was Em?" Drake grinned. "You've already got her working for you and we're not even married yet."

"The only thing I didn't expect was the fact that you would be dragged into it," Trish said with a grin. "I honestly thought all Jenn would do is stalk over to Ash, grab him from Em and start kissing him herself."

"Yeah you _really_ owe me for this," Drake mock grumbled. "I could be have been traumatised for life! I could _still _be traumatised for life."

"I'll make it all up to you later," Trish winked as she turned her attention back to the dance floor.

ooo

Jenn silently cursed Drake's escape when she heard a shocked voice behind her.

"Jenn, what the hell did you think you were doing?"

She turned around to face a visibly confused and concerned Grand Master. He frowned, "You can't kiss Drake! He's engaged to your best friend! Trish is gonna kill you!!"

"Not if I kill you first!" Jenn snapped back, "What did you think _you _were doing?"

"What?!"

"I saw you kissing that…that…"

"Emily," The blonde said helpfully.

"You're not helping!" Jenn said and glared at the blonde. "And as for you, why don't you leave before I do something irrational."

"Why? It's not like you're going out with him."

Jenn, who had her back to the area where her friends were at, didn't see Trish and just about all of her friends sneaking up behind her. She rubbed at her temple as if a headache was coming on. "I'm not, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to!"

"Oh really?" This from an amused sounding Ash.

"I mean, you seemed really wrapped up in kissing that other guy," Emily said smoothly, "So how could you be upset if I took my turn with Ash? I mean, face it, I could marry the guy and I'd be set for life!"

"That's _so _not going to happen," Jenn said, unconsciously moving so that she was between Ash and Emily. "See, if you're not far, _far_ away from him in about ten seconds, I'm gonna lay the hurt down on you so bad, your great grandchildren are gonna feel it."

"Whoa," Emily sounded pleased. "Sounds like someone's got the hots for him like I do."

"No, I don't," Jenn said flatly, "What I've got is something deeper than you'll ever have. Love goes way deeper than hots, and it lasts a lot longer, too."

"Like wedding longer?" Ash whispered in her ear from behind her.

"No shit, Sherlock," Jenn rolled her eyes, then blanched at the cheers from behind her. Slowly she turned around and paled a little further.

It wasn't just her friends from the table. It looked as if just about everyone in attendance had heard her admittance.

"Gotcha," Trish winked.

"What do you mean, 'gotcha,'" Jenn looked confused for a moment before it finally dawned. "You mean…this was all a set up?"

"Guilty as charged," her best friend grinned. "I knew there was no way in the world that you would ever voluntarily admit your real feelings for Ash, even if doing so would make you happy. So to save you from yourself I decide to give things a helping hand." She gestured towards the blonde. "Emily is one of Drake's personal assistants and agreed to assist me. She played her part _very_ well, you have to admit."

"Triiiiiiiisssssssh!!" Jenn groaned as waves of embarrassment washed over her. "I can't believe that you would do this to me!!!" She paused. "Actually I _can_, but you're not supposed to do something like this to your best friend!!"

"Aww but I did it _for_ you, not to you," the Australian was most gleefully unapologetic. "I think it worked out for the best, don't you?" By this she meant the fact that Ash had come up next to Jenn and slipped one strong arm around her waist.

"That's really not fair," Jenn sighed, and she didn't lean into Ash, but – to Trish's eagle eyes – she didn't pull away either.

_Progress_, the Australian thought to herself. _Now to get things back to normal. I wonder if either of the two Fae could help?_

Callie came a little closer to Trish and nodded to her. _:We_ _can cast a little mind muddling to the people. Have them think that this happened a few hours ago, instead of minutes.:_

:_Why?: _Ash broke into the conversation.

Trish and Callie looked over and saw he looked confused.

_:Because_ _Jenn will be more comfortable,: _Trish explained. :_If_ _she sees all of these people staring at her, she's going to freeze up faster than as if an arctic breeze had hit her. She doesn't like being in the centre of attention unless she's brought it on herself. This wasn't.:_

_:I_ _could just use my Grand Master powers and have them settle down.:_

:_Nice_ _try, Ash, but that will not work,: _Callie said gently, :_You humans are most single minded, especially when something in the media comes up. The magical way will be more convenient.:_

_:Okay, if you say so,: _the Grand Master conceded.

_:Trust_ _me, Ash when I say that it's the best way,: _Trish grinned. :_Jenn_ _doesn't like feeling pressured or trapped into anything. Everyone staring will make her feel trapped. Just don't rush her and take it slow and your relationship will flourish.:_

:_Callie, go right ahead then.:_

The female Fae closed her eyes for a few minutes, then opened them. "All done," she smiled.

Sure enough people were moving away back to their tables with a puzzled look or starting to dance. All the audience that Jenn and Ash had left was their small circle of close friends.

As the pulsating beat of Latin American music came over the speakers, Drake grinned and took Trish's hand. "How about we show everyone our smooth moves on the dance floor?"

"Sure," Trish grinned back, and the two moved off.

Ash looked at Jenn with a smile. "How about I take you up on that offer to dance right now? I promise that nobody's looking."

"That's easy for you to say," Jenn looked pained. "Everyone was staring at me a second ago, Ash! I haven't felt that uncomfortable since I was in high school."

"Well, I hate to say it," Ash said, walking closer to her and causing her to move backwards, "But if you're with me, you're going to have to get used to it."

"It would be really horrible to just fall into that. I don't know how you managed it."

"I had time," Ash shrugged, "I've been doing the limelight thing since I was ten."

"Yeah, that's right," Jenn mused, then gasped when someone bumped into her. She started to stumble over the long hem of her dress, but Ash dropped one hand around her waist and got her hand with the other one.

"Oopsie," He grinned, but held on.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks," Jenn looked at his hand interlaced with hers, but didn't move to snatch hers back.

Ash cheered to himself inwardly and continued walking her backwards, then to the side.

"I don't think I want to dance though," Jenn said, "I'm sorry, I know I said I would, but I'm not good at it. I've never really danced."

"Why not? I bet you'd be great at it."

"I'm too tall. Anyone I've ever tried to dance with was shorter than me. It ended up looking like I was the guy and he was the girl," Jenn made a face. "It was horrible."

"Well I'm taller than you," Ash said musingly, "And since we're dancing now, I'd say it couldn't be as horrible as you think it is."

"You son of a bitch!" Jenn gasped, "You tricked me! You knew I'd be too busy being worried to notice we were out here."

There was a twinkle in his mahogany eyes, "And you're doing fine."

ooo

The Grand Master was not the only one who thought that Jenn's dancing was just fine. Trish and Drake were surreptitiously spying on the two from a distance as they danced. "Jenn's dancing is pretty good," Trish smiled as she watched her best friend dance with Ash. "I don't know what she was so worried about. Maybe all she needed was the right partner."

"True, and Ash is a very good dancer," Drake agreed. "Hard to believe he used to be such a klutz. But Jessie made sure he got lessons from a champion ballroom dancer from the moment he became Grand Master."

"The lessons have paid off," Trish agreed. "He looks so comfortable out there."

"But Jenn doesn't look so comfortable," the Orange Crew Leader noted. "Do you think that you should have made her admit in such a public fashion?"

"If I hadn't, then she would never have admitted it and would have stayed miserable until her dying day, and you know it," Trish countered. "This was the only way, and anyway if anyone can get her to relax, it's Ash."

"Are you sure?" Drake grinned, "Maybe we should get Chris to slip her another Pepsi or two. That _really_ relaxed her!"

Trish slapped at Drake, but it was half-heartedly. She knew him well enough to know that he was kidding, yet speaking the truth. It was almost frightening to realize that it would take alcohol laced soda to get her best friend to unwind and relax from the tightly woven façade she felt she had to show to the world.

With a sigh, Trish leaned her head against his strong chest and took comfort in his presence. "She really does need to learn to relax."

"Yeah, she really does," Drake agreed.

ooo

Jenn was unaware of her friends' discussion however. All she was aware of was the close proximity of Ash, and the fear of making a fool of herself on the dance floor. She kept her eyes glued to the floor so that she wouldn't step on Ash's feet with her heels.

"Jenn," Ash said gently.

"Uh huh," Jenn said as she steadfastly looked at her feet.

"Jenn…" the Grand Master gently lifted up her chin so that she was looking into his dark eyes. "Relax…you're doing just fine."

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"

"No, I really mean it."

She looked into his eyes and narrowed hers. "I almost believe you."

"You should do that more often," He said patiently. "You might find that most people actually tell the truth instead of telling stories."

"I want to believe, it's just really hard." Jenn sighed. "After Gary totally dissed me at that club, I pretty much didn't trust anyone. Except for my closest friends, and even with them I didn't tell them everything I was feeling."

"Things'll be better. I promise."

Just then the current dance ended and the opening strains of a seductively slow song began to play.

"What is this?" Jenn looked around at all of the dancers. Women had begun swishing the hems of their dresses and the men were alternating their steps.

"Uh, I actually know this song," Ash said, looking a little sheepish. "It's called _Mongo_ _Bongo_. It's kind of salsa and tango-ish."

"Uh huh."

"You wanna dance it?"

"I'm not feeling that open with dancing, Ash," Jenn gave him a wry look.

He grinned and led her to the bar.

"What are we doing here?" Jenn looked around quizzically, but took a seat on one of the stools. "Hasn't this place caused enough damage?"

"Au contraire, Jenn," Ash said, sitting next to her. "I think it's given you a chance to open up and be a little more you."

"A little more me?" Jenn raised an eye brow. "When am I not me?"

"When you're hiding yourself from the world."

"Oh come on! I don't hide from the world!" she laughed at that. "I…I get out plenty."

"I'm talking about that little façade you have," Ash said and chucked her gently under her chin. "It's cute, but it can be taken as snobby by people."

"I'm just…being quiet," Jenn said. She sighed and bit at her lower lip. "Can we just get something to drink and save the therapy session for later?"

Ash nodded and motioned for the bartender.

ooo

Chris sighed as he watched the crowds enjoying themselves. He had been deserted by all of his friends who had either paired off with their love interests or had gone off by themselves.

Trish and Drake were dancing close together, talking and occasionally sharing a tender kiss. Chris was glad to see things had finally worked out for his eldest friend. He certainly planned to take her offer up of 'open house' after she was married. Any excuse to spend time in a tropical paradise with white sandy beaches and turquoise waters.

Nearby, he saw Mia and Puck dancing together. The two were laughing and having fun over their various missteps and near accidents. Chris chuckled. Those two were really a perfect match, both just as klutzy as the other.

The Scot was also glad to see things had worked out for Mia and Puck. While he didn't know about how Puck coped, he knew that the past two years had been extremely difficult for Mia. As Puck was not only not human, but also in a different world altogether, Mia had difficulty just trying to convince her family and other friends that he even existed, let alone, was coming back.

So much love around, and he wasn't able to share in it. Chris sighed and downed the last of his drink. Sometimes he wondered whether he was doomed to be single for the rest of his life. He had all these female friends, but they were just that. Friends.

'Why can't any girl see me as more than just a friend?' he thought miserably. 'Am I that repulsive as a potential lover?'

"Chris, are you okay?" a familiar female voice asked with concern.

The Scot turned around in his chair to see Callie had sat down in the next seat. She smiled at him and he almost melted inside.

"Why such a long face, Chris? Everyone else here is having fun and you are ruining the almost perfect atmosphere by being the only glum face in the entire place."

"Oh it's nothing really, Callie," Chris gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Just that it's no fun being single and dateless at a big function like this."

"But it troubles you that much?" She looked perplexed. "You huma…" Callie paused. "Chris, don't worry about it. I'm sure there's someone out there for you."

"Yeah? Where?" Chris snorted, then shook his head. "Never mind, Callie. I doubt you should worry about this."

"I'm not," Callie tilted her head to the side. "Why are you so concerned?"

"I…I'm not!"

"Yes, yes you are."

The Scot sighed. "Okay, okay, you got me there. It just seems that every girl out there just wants to be friends with me. Just friends, nothing more. And that really sucks, you know?"

Callie looked puzzled. "No I can't really see what sucking has to do with it."

Chris sighed. Callie may be an all powerful Fae, but she really had no clue when it came to humans.

ooo

Meanwhile Ash was staring at a giggling Jenn who was snuggled against him. She was not herself again and the Grand Master couldn't understand why.

'_She only had two Pepsis,'_ he thought to himself. '_Unless…unless someone slipped her two of those __**special**__ Pepsis again.'_

Ash inclined his head closer to Jenn and he could smell the rum on her breath. "Oh…boy." A different kind of alcohol but same effect as the vodka.

Slinging one arm around her waist, Ash supported Jenn on her feet as he looked for any sign of her friends. Unfortunately he couldn't seem to spot any of them in the massive crowds.

"Man, I'm getting _so_ sleepy," Jenn yawned as she leant her head against his broad shoulder.

"How about we get you home then," Ash suggested. "Then you can sleep in a nice warm bed."

"I'd rather sleep in yours."

Ash froze, then a thought most evil occurred to him. Could it be possible that she would tell him an honest answer to anything he asked her? He looked around, but didn't see anyone that he recognized from Jenn's group of close friends. He recognized several of the upper Gym Leaders, but no one from the Orange Gyms.

Unfortunately, there were also a lot of other people around as well. Luckily, Drake and Trish had most effectively banned paparazzi from the area in a ten mile radius, thanks to psychic and other pokémon. It was the people who had paid good money to be in the same room as him that bothered him the most.

While he knew he should, on good moral standing, get Jenn out of here as soon as possible, he knew it would be a horrible reflection on himself to leave so soon. It was only just shy of midnight. If he left now, he'd be a proverbial Cinderella, leaving before the clock struck twelve. Ash would also be letting down all those fans who had forked out money to be at this event with the Grand Master.

But he also didn't want to expose Jenn to any potential embarrassment while drunk and in his company. That would really shoot down any possibility of a relationship between them succeeding once she sobered and found out.

"How about we get some fresh air and go outside for a bit?" he suggested to the former blonde.

"Mmm, okay. I'd go anywhere, as long as it's with you," Jenn beamed and hung onto his arm even tighter.

From his previous experience with functions at this place, Ash knew where there was a small private balcony with a table for two, away from the rest of the crowds on the main balcony. He guided Jenn through the crowds until he found the particular French doors that opened onto the balcony in question. To his relief, no canoodling couples had taken up residence there yet.

He led Jenn to the wrought iron seat and she sat down. Ash then drew up his chair next to her.

"So, Jenn, are you enjoying yourself so far?"

"Awwwyeah," she smiled. "But especially now that you're here."

Ash smiled back and decided to test the 'truth'. "Jenn, did you really mean it when you said that you were in love with me?"

"Duh, I always mean what I say," she made a face, "Except for those times when I teased you. Then I was kidding."

Ash grinned, thoroughly enjoying this. Even so, he knew that he didn't dare take this too far, or else he would regret it. "Okay, Jenn, how are you feeling?"

"Uh, honestly? Like I want to puke and then go to sleep for weeks."

"I can arrange one part of that, but you're going to have to close your eyes."

"That's not hard," she murmured, "It's opening them again that'll be hard."

Ash sighed, hoped he was doing the right thing, looked around to make sure no one was around, and then teleported the two of them from the party.

ooo

Jenn slowly opened one eye, then the other. She could see cream curtains fluttering in a breeze from the open windows. Brilliant sunlight cast shadows on silken looking light yellow walls. Light yellow walls….Jenn sat straight up in bed in a panic. This was most definitely _not_ her lilac shaded room and she had no idea of where she was or how she got here.

Wherever here was.

It was then she realised that she was still dressed in her silver gown from the dance. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and noticed that someone had placed her high heels under a bedside chair, alongside a pair of sneakers. A pile of neatly folded clothes lay on the seat of the chair, which upon further inspection, turned out to her favourite lilac coloured shirt and jeans.

Just as she was pondering the latest pieces in this puzzle, a sharp knock sounded at the door.

"Uh…come in," she called out with some hesitation and looked around for a possible weapon she could use just in case Lu had made a miraculous return or it was just a random kidnapper.

The door swung open and Ash walked in, fully dressed and carrying a fluffy towel and robe over one arm. "Good Morning, Jenn. Did you sleep well?"

"Uh…yeah," Jenn managed to nod. "Ash, even though this goes beyond my normal behaviour, I really don't want to be rude when I ask why am I here and not back at Drake's villa?"

The Grand Master laid the towel and robe on the end of the bed. "Well, it turns out that the bartender gave you another two of those special alcohol laced Pepsis. You were fairly drunk and it was more than obvious that you were getting sleepy. I couldn't find any of the others to take you home, so I brought you here."

"Why didn't you just use your Chosen One powers and teleport me straight to my room?" Jenn raised an eyebrow.

"Jenn! I couldn't have done that!" Ash was aghast at the very suggestion. "That would have been trespassing!"

"No one said you had to go with me. Couldn't you have just snapped your fingers and teleported just me?"

"I would've had to been holding onto you," Ash said patiently. "I would've had to been in your room. I didn't want to invade the privacy of your room without your permission."

"So you brought me back here so because it was your place and you didn't need permission to invade?"

"Jenn!" Ash was once again gob smacked. "I would never, _ever _take advantage of a woman when she's drunk. That's beyond wrong. It's immoral."

"It's good to know there's still some decent guys around," Jenn smirked.

"Jenn, not all guys are like Gary," Ash said patiently. "Don't let him be the yardstick by which you measure all things in life. There are much better role models around."

Jenn's smug look faltered. "Yeah, well, try it sometime, then come back and let me know what you think. It's one of those things that fall under easier said than done."

Ash shook his head and motioned to the towel and robe, "There's a bathroom adjoining this room. There just weren't any towels or robes."

"Any chance that there's any shampoo or soap?"

"Uh…Yeah," Ash said with a slight smile, "Now there is."

"You just did the freaky Chosen One thing, didn't you?"

Ash grinned, "Yup."

Jenn grabbed the towel and robe on her way to the bathroom, but then paused just before entering. "How did my clothes get here? I mean, they are mine aren't they? They look like it."

"They're your clothes," Ash confirmed. "I rang Trish when I got up this morning and she sent some of your clothes over with her Espeon."

Jenn's eyes widened. "You're telling me that _Trish_ knows that I'm here?"

"I had to tell her," the Grand Master grinned. "Because you know that she'd be raising hell if she didn't know where you were."

"That's true," Jenn sighed. "Course I'm gonna get teased like no one's business when I get back. I hate being teased." She wrinkled her nose a little. "Couldn't you have told someone else?"

"She was the first to answer the phone," Ash shrugged. "And I don't think she'd be the only one out of your friends who would tease you."

"Shannon wouldn't," Jenn said knowingly. "She's shy and too afraid of making people mad at her to tease anyone."

"Well, the cat's out of the bag," Ash shrugged, "You go do your girlie thing and I'll go make some breakfast."

"You make breakfast?" Jenn's eyes widened. "Why did Misty let you go?!"

"Your guess is ever as good as mine," Ash left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Because she's an idiot, that's why," Jenn muttered as she walked into the bathroom.

ooo

Drake stared at the newspaper and sighed. "I still don't get it. What am I looking at and supposed to be getting all weirded out over?"

Trish pointed her finger at a small paragraph on the front page with the heading, '_**Grand Master Leaves With Mysterious New Lady.' **_

"That," she said. "_That's_ what you're supposed to get all weirded out about. That's about Ash and Jenn. We barred all press from the event and the surroundings, so how did news of this get out?"

"Somebody attending must have seen them leave," Drake shrugged as he read the article. "Don't worry about it, Trish. It was bound to happen sometime sooner or later. It's just that it happened sooner instead of later."

"That's not funny," Trish said.

"I didn't mean for it to be," Drake said, "Face it, Trish, you know that Jenn's got a huge hang up about admitting anything. It doesn't matter if it's a headache or something else. Something like admitting to possibly being in love with someone like Ash would take a situation like this to break the ice."

"It surprises me that there are times when you're uncannily perceptive," Trish finally said. "It's almost scary."

"Come on now," Drake said teasingly, "I'm not an airhead."

"No, but you're male which is nearly the same thing at times," Trish teased right back.

"Evil woman!"

"Yes, but you love me for it," Trish smirked.

"That I do," the Orange Crew Leader leaned over and kissed her on the lips. He then pointed to the article in question. "This might be just the thing Jenn needs to get her talking candidly to Ash about her feelings."

"I know but I don't like to push Jenn too far at once," Trish frowned. "If Jenn sees this, she might take fright and run."

"I know, but she does have to get used to the spotlight eventually. If she's dating the Grand Master, she'll be in the public eye for the rest of her life."

"Who's doing what for the rest of her life?"

"Hey, Shan," Trish pushed the paper in question across the counter towards the sleepy brunette. "Take a look at that."

"Trish, it's a little early for reading."

"Trust me, you'll get a kick out of this."

Shannon looked down, and what bleary look she had in her eyes vanished in a second. "I'm guessing by the lack of total chaos that Jenn hasn't seen this."

"You're guessing right," Trish said, from over the rim of her mug of coffee. "Care to notice something else?"

Shannon looked around and shrugged, "I give up."

Trish prompted her with, "It's quiet."

"So everyone's still sleeping."

"Since when does food stop someone like Jenn from sleeping in?"

"I guess she…" Shannon looked down at the paper, "…wouldn't…" She looked back down at the paper and then back up. "She's not here, is she?"

Trish looked over at Drake then back at Shannon. "Nope."

Shannon's jaw gaped. "She slept with Ash?!"

"Not precisely," Drake winced. "And gross for the visuals so early in the morning."

"Sorry," Shannon flushed, "But what else could I guess?"

"She slept at Ash's villa," Trish explained. "He told me that she'd accidentally been served a special Pepsi, or two, and when she started to pass out he teleported them to his place. Obviously someone saw them vanish and told the first reporter they could get their mitts on."

"That's not good at all," the young brunette clicked her tongue. "Jenn is gonna have a fit!"

"Maybe, maybe not," Trish said. "I mean it doesn't mention Jenn by name so obviously no one recognised her with her new do."

"But she'll still know that it's her."

"Easy enough to discredit the witness," Drake grinned. "It says there that they saw the Grand Master vanish. Now no one outside our group and the Shamouti Islanders knows that Ash is the Chosen One. But even the Shamouti Islanders don't know that Ash has his full Chosen One powers. I'll just get my media people to say that the witness had a bit too much alcohol to drink and was seeing things."

"Better get onto that right away," Trish warned. "I just hope that Ash keeps the paper from her."

ooo

Jenn came down the stairs to the wonderful smell of cooking wafting up from the kitchen. She followed the scents through the villa (which felt like a hella long way) until she reached the kitchen.

Ash was standing at the stove, watching something cook in a frying pan while Pikachu watched over the toast. The electric mouse's ears pricked up at Jenn's entrance and she turned with a happy chirp.

"Heya Pikachu," Jenn greeted the small Pokémon and scratched her gently behind the ears. Pikachu leaned into her touch and purred. "So what's for breakfast?"

"Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast," Ash answered. "Don't worry, Jenn. Trish gave me strict instructions over the phone on exactly how you like your scrambled eggs done. Finely shredded cheddar cheese was mixed in _before_ the eggs went into the frying pan and only real butter was used in the cooking."

"Not too much, I hope," Jenn said, "Too much butter isn't good for anyone."

"She's such a diva, right, Pik?" Ash teased both females.

"_Piiika,"_ the mouse sighed with a little annoyance. She'd heard all the bad jokes before, but learned to deal with it. She could always shock him later. Not now, not when he'd been working so hard over this breakfast thing.

Pikachu looked over at the used to be blonde but now wasn't female. She didn't know why Pikapi's wanting to be intended had dyed her hair like that, but human females were so fickle. She knew that Pikapi liked the hair in any colour, even the silvery colour it was when it was Absol colour. Not that Pikapi had liked her as an Absol, but he did like her heart and her fighting spirit.

At least, that's what Pikapi had told Pikachu.

"…and you can take a seat right over here. Just let me grab the paper and there you go…"

Jenn sat down and stared at the arrangement of food. Golden yellow scrambled eggs, lightly tinged orange with cheddar cheese, lightly toasted toast with butter, bacon that wasn't crispy but wasn't raw. She couldn't have gotten a meal this good if she'd have gone out and had it at a restaurant.

"Wow, Ash…This almost looks too good to eat."

"Please, eat it," Ash said, sitting down in a chair opposite of hers with a plate of food of his own, "Otherwise it wouldn't make any sense to make it, and then all that time watching Brock make food would just go to waste."

Jenn laughed at that, "Yeah, I guess so."

The first bite was heavenly.

The second was out of this world.

The third…found an eggshell.

"Oh well," Ash chuckled. "I guess you can't win 'em all!"

The rest of the meal, eggs included, was just as good as the first bite. Jenn wiped her face with her napkin and sighed. "That was divine, Ash. Thank you."

"You're welcome," the Grand Master said as he cleared their plates from the table.

"I never knew you were such a good cook," Jenn marvelled as she sipped her orange juice. "I knew that Brock did a lot of cooking but not that you did."

"Brock's a great teacher, but actually I have an even better teacher than even him."

"Who?"

"My mom, of course!" Ash grinned. "Mom's always been a fantastic cook, and I often helped her get the meals ready when I was little."

"How is your mom?"

"She's well," Ash poured himself a mug of coffee. "I spoke to her yesterday afternoon."

"So…what happens now?" Jenn drummed her fingers on the table. "You do your Freaky Chosen One thing and whisk me back to Drake's villa?"

"Nah, not yet," Ash rose from the table and moved towards the doorway. "I doubt that most of them would be up yet. I thought that we might just relax in the lounge room and talk a while."

"Okay…" Jenn said warily and followed the man from the room. She could hear Pikachu scampering at her feet, but didn't look back to confirm it.

"You sound nervous."

"The fact that you have a lounge is intimidating," Jenn said. "I'm expecting a piano and all sorts of sleazy things."

"I have nothing of the kind," Ash protested and led her into a room that had nothing of what she expected.

Where she expected heavy velvet curtains over every wall and window, she found three sage coloured walls and the fourth a wall of floor to ceiling windows facing the ocean. Where she expected a bar, she found a large entertainment centre with a huge plasma screen TV. And instead of a piano, she saw a very high tech computer system.

"Okay," Jenn said begrudgingly, "This isn't what I expected."

He led her to a khaki coloured leather sofa and sat on one end of it. Ash grinned as she sat down at the middle part and let Pikachu jump up to sit between them. "I won't bite you, Jenn."

"Duh," she snapped reflexively, then bit at her lip. "I mean, I know that. I'm not a moron."

"Can't we just talk?"

"Aren't we already?"

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

Jenn's eyes widened exponentially at the unexpected words. "I think I wish I had teleportation powers of my own."

"So you can just run away, huh?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Don't you like what you heard?"

"No…" Jenn's eyes widened. This was not going how she wanted it to. "I mean, no that I like what I just heard."

"Then why do you want to run away?"

"I don't…I…Ash, no guy, no man has ever said that he was falling in love with me," Jenn said. "Not even Gary."

Ash was incredulous. "Not once in two years of dating?"

"He came close," Jenn shrugged, "But nothing close enough to the real thing. That's why I never really let myself try to get too attached to him."

"You can attach yourself to me," Ash said with a wink. "I won't break your heart."

"I know you won't, Ash," Jenn bit at her lip. "You've given me so much already. A Pichu, a Rapidash…"

"I'd give you the world if I could."

Jenn grinned wryly, "I think that's already been done."

"Aww…yeah," Ash shook his head. "Puck and his magic beats out my natural finesse."

There was a beat of silence that Jenn broke. "So what happens next?"

Ash looked at her with that magnificent mahogany gaze of his, "Whatever you want."

ooo

"Jenn spent the night at Ash's place?" Jaime's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Ohmigod that is _so_ awesome!! Have you heard from her? What do you think she's doing?"

"No, I haven't heard from her, and no I don't know what she's doing," Trish laughed off the rapid fire questions.

"Do you think they've slept together?!" Jaime squeaked in excitement.

"Ewwww, gross, don't make me sick," Chris groaned from where he was nursing an icepack against his aching head.

"What I hope Jenn and Ash are doing is talking," Trish grinned at the unfortunate Scot. "And I hope that Jenn is being honest with him as to her real feelings for him."

"Why is it that all you girls want to do is talk?" Chris muttered, "It doesn't make any sense. There are better things to do."

"Normally you guys are fixated on sex talk," Trish said casually. "I don't know why the thought of any of your friends having sex would suddenly be taboo."

"Friends are like family," Chris said. "You just don't want to hear it."

"So it's okay if we don't want to hear about your next sexual conquest?" the Australian said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"No!" Chris sat up and winced at the movement.

"How so?"

"Because that's…different?"

"But you are my friend," Trish smirked. "And friends are like family, so I don't want to hear about it!"

"It's really unfair for you to throw my words back at me when I'm so fragile," the Scot groaned as he reapplied the ice pack to his throbbing skull. "Hangovers are no fun."

"If you know that, then you shouldn't drink so much," Shannon said as she brought over a glass of water and two aspirin.

"But I'm a Scot!!!" Chris protested. "And a true Scot loves his drink!"

"Who cares what a true Scot does or not," Jaime waved her hand dismissively. "I wanna know what Jenn and Ash are up to!!"

ooo

"Whatever I want?" Jenn repeated.

"Whatever you want," the Grand Master smiled. "I've been truthful in my feelings towards you, so now it's up to you to decide whether you want to make something of it. If you want to go out with me, then I'd be the happiest guy on the Islands. If you don't, then I won't say anything more about it and we just stay friends as always."

Jenn bit at her bottom lip. If it was one thing that she wasn't good at, it was making decisions. Especially momentous decisions like this that felt like they were on the spur of the moment, and especially when they'd impact on the next course her life was going to take.

The man that she been seriously crushing on, even possibly loved, had just admitted that he was falling in love with her. Her answer had to be easy, right? It should be, though a tiny part of Jenn was still doubtful as to whether Ash was telling the truth.

All those years she had thought Gary had loved her, even though he had never said to her those three important words. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that Gary never really loved her. It just took Jenn a little longer than that to realize it.

Another tiny part of Jenn was afraid that if a celebrity like Gary couldn't love her, then it would be nigh impossible for someone like Ash, who was ten times more famous, to notice and fall in love with a girl like her. Yet here he was, saying that he did notice and he did like her enough to say the love word.

It was times like these when Jenn wished Trish was here to give her advice and guidance, or at least for that little chibi voice of reason in her head (which sounded suspiciously like Trish) to make an appearance.

But then again, she knew what her friend would say. The Australian would shake her head with a smile and tell her that it was not her decision to make, but Jenn's. _Follow your heart, Jenn._

Pikachu was quietly watching the exchange between Pikapi and Pikapichu from her position in between them on the sofa. The electric mouse had her tiny claws crossed that this talk would result in only happiness.

She knew that Pikapi would be beyond crushed if Pikapichu knocked him back. Especially after what had happened with Pikachupi.

"You say that you care, right?" Jenn asked, and Pikachu could hear a nervous twinge in her voice. "How can I be sure?"

Ash looked over to Pikachu for a second and the little mouse nodded. "_Piika_."

"What'd she say?"

Ash gave a little sigh and grinned, "This. Just…hold still, okay? I promise that you won't be hurt, transformed, or teleported to the moon."

Jenn sighed, but sat still.

Pikachu could sense a rise in power as Ash activated a fraction of his powers. The hair at the back of her spine rose and her ears twitched. She watched as Ash placed his hands on top of Jenn's, and then Pikachu could sense a rush of power as it left Ash and surrounded Jenn. It flowed around her for a second before gently running through her.

Even though she held still, Pikachu could see that the former blonde wanted to get up and possibly run. It was a weird sensation, Pikachu was sure of it. But what Ash just did, was reveal his feelings for her, unhindered by possibilities of Jenn's uncertainty.

"Well?" Ash looked at Jenn with a fixed stare.

She looked shocked, then her face crumpled. "No one's ever done something like that for me before! Ash…you really _do_ care about me like you say you do!"

When she started to cry, Ash looked at Pikachu. This was not the intended reaction! Pikachu made little shooing motions.

"_Go on and hold her, Pikapi!"_

Ash did, taking her into a hug. She surprised him by grabbing onto him as if he was the only thing in the world. As if she was in danger of drowning in an ocean and he was the only thing floating on the surface.

"I can't believe no one's ever done something like that before," Ash said gently. "All I did was let you feel my emotions for you. How deeply I feel for you."

"No one ever has. My friends show me that they care, but there's a love that's different from friends than there is from loved ones like boyfriends or blood relatives," Jenn sighed into his shirt. "My family wasn't ever very open with me, emotional wise, after I turned 25."

"Feel better now?"

"Yeah," She turned eyes at him that lost all their grey and were pure turquoise, "But if you tell anyone I cried like a baby, I'll have to kill you."

"That's sweet," Ash grinned, "I promise, I'll let you try."

"We'd better be careful," Jenn shook her head. "Or else people are gonna call us Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

"What, don't you want to be compared to Angelina?" Ash asked with twinkle in his eye.

"Not if they think that I stole you away from Misty like people know that Angelina stole Brad away from Jen," Jenn shook her head again. "I'd be hunted down by rabid Misty fans."

"Then they're stupid," Ash said as he held her close. "It's a well known fact that Misty ruined the marriage all by herself by cheating on me with Gary. You're not the one to blame at all."

"I'm also not as hot as Angelina is," Jenn added somewhat absently, too focused on enjoying such closeness with Ash.

The Grand Master merely smiled then kissed her tenderly on the lips. "To me you are."

Jenn sat back and her eyes were wide with shock, "I can't believe you just did that!"

Ash grinned wider, "I can't believe I waited."

"I can't believe you did, either," Jenn muttered, and then looked horrified. "I can't believe I just said that!"

Ash just silenced her with another kiss.

ooo

Kigali yawned and stretched her little legs before crawling out of the small dog basket that Jenn had placed at the foot of her bed for the Pokémon to sleep in.

She trotted around to the head of the bed but her human mom wasn't there. In fact, it looked like the bed hadn't been slept in at all. A little whimper started to rise from Kigali's throat before she realised that perhaps Jenn was already downstairs having breakfast with the other humans. Perhaps it was just that Kigali was the last one up.

The little Absol ran down the stairs quickly and followed her sensitive nose towards the kitchen. However, when she got there, she was dismayed that she could see no sign of her beloved human mom.

Kigali felt a little distressed. Where was Jenn? Surely her human mom wouldn't have gone off and abandoned her. Would she?

Ophelia glanced up from her food dish to see the Absol puppy standing in the doorway looking more forlorn than usual. The Growlithe left her breakfast and trotted over to the youngster.

"_What's the matter, Kigali_?" she asked gently.

"_My human mom wasn't there when I woke up, and I can't find her anywhere!"_ Kigali whimpered. "_Do you know where she is?"_

Ophelia shook her head. "_Sorry, but I haven't seen her at all since last night when they all left for that human party."_

Kigali whimpered again and the Growlithe nuzzled her gently to calm the pup down.

"_I'm sure your human mom is okay,"_ she reassured the little Absol. "_If she wasn't then you could be sure that my human would be kicking up a real fuss until Jenn was found. But my human has been nice and calm all morning."_

Kigali looked over to where Trish was sitting, and saw that she was quite relaxed and drinking from a mug as usual.

"_I guess you're right."_ she looked down at her little paws. "_When do you think she's coming back?"_

"_I don't know,"_ Ophelia gave a Growlithe shrug. "_I guess when she's good and ready to come back."_

ooo

Jenn thought she must be dreaming. Here she was in Ash's strong arms and being kissed passionately by him. Not only that, Ash had said that he was falling in love with her without any prompting.

It all just had to be a dream. There couldn't be any other way to describe it. Things like this just didn't happen to her. And if they never happened to her before, why would they happen now?

Ash looked down at her with a questioning look. "What are you thinking about?"

"You're the psychic," Jenn said teasingly, "Can't you guess?"

"I could, but I'd rather hear it from you," he shrugged. "Besides, I'd guess it's the same old thing."

She arched an eyebrow, "The same old thing?"

"How on earth could someone like me possibly have romantic feelings for someone like you."

Jenn flushed, "See, you are psychic."

"It gives me a headache sometime," Ash gave her an encouraging smile. "Oh, open your heart to me, Jenn. I've already shared my feelings with you."

"Ash, geeze," Jenn sighed. "Use a line from one of my favourite movies, why don't you."

He grinned, "I know."

"So, when do we break the news to them?"

"Them?" Ash asked. "Them as in your friends, them?"

"No," Jenn gulped and looked a little pale, "Them as in the whole world, them."

ooo

"I'm dying to know what's going on!!!" Mia huffed as she flopped down on the leather sofa in the great room. "Trish, why don't you give Jenn a call on her cell?"

"I'm not going to do that!" the Australian frowned. "For one thing, I don't know if she even has her cellie with her or even if she has it turned on. Secondly, I don't want to possibly interrupt her in the middle of something important."

"As long as it isn't sex," Chris muttered as he sank into one of the plush recliners and lowered the back down. "Don't want to make me ill here."

"Too late for that," Jaime smirked. "Looks like you made yourself sick without anyone's help with your heavy drinking last night."

"No sympathy for the sick."

"Nope."

"So you're not going to call Jenn at all?" Mia ignored the Scot and addressed Trish. "Aren't you dying to know what's going on with your best friend?"

"Of course I want to know," Trish grinned. "But I also know that you can't rush Jenn into telling you anything she doesn't want to. She'll tell me in her own good time."

"But why wouldn't she want to tell you that she's dating Ash?" Shannon was mystified.

"Despite that big mouth of hers," Trish ignored the snort from Chris's direction, "Jenn is a very private person. She doesn't like to have things she likes to have kept private flashed all over the evening news."

"Boy did she fall in love with the wrong guy," Jaime shook her head.

"That's for sure," Shannon nodded agreement.

ooo

_Author's Note__: She's back!! No I'm not dead, still very much alive and kicking. However, the procrastination bug kicks in as well as real life stress with work and family often happens when you're well into adulthood. The creative fire sputtered to embers, but I do plan to bring it to life. There is a new fic in the works. Watch this space!_

_Flamers will be dealt with in a civilised manner._


	38. Chapter 38: Suppose

_Midsummer Nights _

_By Trish_

Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me, nor does Puck. The storyline and original characters do belong to me.

A/N: Thanks to Rin for the chapter song title, I drew a mental blank! It's by Secondhand Serenade and really is just a random title.

ooo

_Chapter Thirty-Seven__: Suppose_

Ash grinned at the girl in his arms. "So does that mean that you want to go out with me?"

"Duh!" Jenn rolled her eyes. "Of course I want to! It's just that I'm not so sure about the whole me being a celebrity just by dating you thing."

The Grand Master kissed her forehead. "Unfortunately, that's something that you'll have to learn to get used to. But until you're more comfortable with it, I'll do what I can to keep the paparazzi off your back."

"Can you do that?"

"Sure can," Ash grinned. "The paparazzi have generally left Trish alone, once Drake talked to them."

"By talk, don't you mean threatened in a most totally ominous manner?" Jenn smirked.

"Who knows," Ash chuckled. "Whatever Drake did or said, worked."

"Well I hope it works for you," Jenn shrugged, "Cuz in the end it'll work for me."

He gave her another hug. "We don't have to announce it to the world until you're ready. How about we just start with your friends first?"

"Ohmigod," Jenn blanched all over again. "I totally forgot about them."

"You forgot you had friends? I know you were blonde, but really…"

"No, not that I had friends, dork," Jenn slapped him on his shoulder, "I forgot that most of them didn't know I was here overnight. The rumours have got to be flying."

"But Trish knows," Ash said. "Wouldn't she have told them and set the record straight?"

"Not likely," Jenn shrugged. "I'm betting more that she's told them all something totally outrageous."

"What? You've got to be kidding me," the Grand Master blinked. "Trish would never do something like that. Not after what Rudy did to her."

"You don't know her like I do," Jenn smirked. "Trish loves stirring up trouble. It's all in good fun of course and she'd never try to hurt someone deliberately." She paused and grimaced at the thought. "Except for Rudy and Lu."

"No one liked those two," Jenn said. "Um, Ash, as much as I love hanging around with you, I should be getting back to the villa."

"Why not just stay here?" Ash waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Eew, Ash, c'mon," Jenn rolled her eyes, then looked thoughtful. "There's time for being romantic later."

"Later's good. I like the sound of later," Ash gave her another kiss.

ooo

Ash's Espeon teleported Jenn to appear in the back gardens of Drake's villa. Jenn thanked the Psychic Pokémon and told it to tell Ash that he could come over for dinner later.

After the Pokémon vanished, Jenn took a deep breath and started walking towards the villa. Any hopes of making a quiet entrance, unnoticed by anyone, were soon killed as a pack of canine Pokémon came out of the villa and ran towards her with joyful barks of welcome.

Jenn was soon bowled over by her two Growlithe, Mac and Beth, with Willa and Kigali trying to get in on the act. Anyone who wasn't familiar with the varying types of canine pokémon would have found it strange, if not alarming, to see a Houndour and an Absol succeeding in getting Jenn's attention.

The ruckus brought Trish and Shannon outside to see what all the fuss was about, and matching grins spread across their faces at the sight of Jenn.

"Welcome back, stranger!" Shannon called out.

"Good to see you sneaking back," Trish said wryly.

"For Lugia's sake, people," Jenn sounded annoyed. "You act like I just came back from going off to war."

"Oh no," Trish said as she came down to greet her best friend. "You haven't gone off to war yet."

"Yeah, I know," Jenn sighed, and was immediately surrounded by her pack of Pokémon. The canines pressed around her and she grinned down at them. "Aww, don't worry guys and gals, I've got you to protect me. All I have to worry about are paparazzi and insane Misty fans."

"Well if that's all," Shannon said with a laugh.

"Whaddya mean, 'if that's _all_'," Jenn's eyes widened. "Dealing with paparazzi and insane Misty fans is dangerous! Especially when it comes to insane Misty fans. Lugia only knows what they'll try to do to me."

"Aww, they can't be that bad," the brunette shook her head.

"You're way too nice for your own good. You know that, right?" Jenn mock grumbled, then sighed with exasperation. "Besides, you simply wouldn't understand. I mean, what, you're just dating Ben, and he's just the brother of the Orange Crew Leader. Dating Ash is like, pun so intended, a whole new league in dealing with the paparazzi."

Shannon blinked, "If I didn't know you well enough to know that you being nervous ended up with you being bitchy, I'd be really and honestly pissed off at you."

"Thanks, Shannon," Jenn grinned, "That's the sign of a true friend."

"So you're actually going to date him," Trish's smile widened to Cheshire cat proportions. "Well, well, it's about bloody time. I thought I'd never see the day."

"Well, you wouldn't have, if you hadn't found a way to get Chris to get me drunk. I can't believe I let my guard down low enough to be tricked that easily. I mean…I was forced into a totally public confession last night," Jenn sent a mock glare the Australian's way. "You know how much I hate being in the limelight. I mean, unless I cause it."

"Hey, I didn't arrange for Chris to get you drunk, but it helped my plan _a lot_," Trish just grinned shamelessly. "And you have to admit, you are _very_ happy now. I only ever have your very best intentions at heart."

"One day, you're gonna end up getting me killed," Jenn rolled her eyes," And when that day comes, you better believe I'm gonna come back and haunt you for like, forever."

"I'm so scared," Trish said dryly.

"You should be!"

"I'm shaking, Jenn. Really shaking."

"That's better," she sniffed.

Shannon tucked her arm in Jenn's. "So come on inside and we want to hear ALL about it."

"C'mon guys, it's not like anything happened last night," Jenn snorted. "Ash was a perfect gentleman and slept in his own bed. He said he doesn't take advantage of drunk women."

"While that's good to know," Trish took Jenn's other arm. "_Something _must have happened between you two this morning and _that's_ what we want to know all about. I know you and you wouldn't just decide to date Ash just like that. You need major convincing."

"She's right about that," Shannon chuckled as the three friends made their way towards the villa. "Just think Trish, you'll now have to teach Jenn all about coping with the paparazzi as the lady love of a major celebrity."

"Jenn'll be fine," Trish chuckled. "Especially when the trade off to lack of privacy is designer clothes, designer jewellery and a stylist provided courtesy of the League."

"You say that like it's a good thing," Jenn grimaced, "But all it's doing is giving me a major case of indigestion." She looked behind her and motioned to her little pack. "C'mon guys and biyotches. I need a Tums or something."

ooo

Brock yawned as he stirred sugar into the cup of coffee the waitress had placed in front of him. Ash had arranged to meet his oldest and truest human friend at quiet local café which he knew to have good food and service.

"So, Brocko, did you meet any interesting girls last night?" Ash enquired as he sipped his coffee.

"If you're asking if I was successful with any, the answer is no as usual," the Pokémon breeder slumped in his chair. "You?"

Ash glanced around quickly to reassure himself that they were quite alone where they were sitting, before leaning forward. "Actually, this morning Jenn agreed to start going out with me."

"She did?" Brock grinned. "Hey, way to go, buddy! That's really great. You're finally moving on with your life."

"Yes," Ash smiled genuinely. "But we're going to take things slowly at first. Jenn's understandably a little nervous about all the attention from the paparazzi when word of this leaks out."

"She's gonna have to get used to it, especially dating the most famous man in almost the entire world."

"Yeah, I just hope that she doesn't get spooked enough to run."

ooo

"So you are really gonna date Ash now?" Jaime's eyes were wide. "That's _so_ awesome!"

"Yes, yes, awesome." Jenn had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes. If this was the reaction she was going to keep on getting, she was going to go insane.

Currently, the small group of girls were all in the large kitchen, all crowded around the huge centre island. Brunch was being served in the form of pizza that had been called in from the hurricane spared _Pichu Hut_ down the street.

"Are you going on a date tonight?" Shannon asked, "Because if you are, you shouldn't eat too much pizza!"

Jenn just blinked over a slice of cheese pizza, then ate a bite of it without replying.

"I bet she'll text message him little love notes," Jaime said with a wicked glint in her eyes.

"I bet they'll be calling each other on their cell phones _all_ night," Shannon countered.

Jenn snorted in a most unladylike fashion.

But Trish wasn't about to be left out on the fun, especially since Jenn had had it coming for a long time, "Or since Ash is all with the freaky Chosen One powers, maybe he'll just teleport into her room and…"

Finished with her slice, Jenn wiped her fingers clean on a linen napkin, then wiped at her mouth. "If it wasn't for the fact that I'm hungry and still want a couple of pieces, I'd walk out of this room. You guys really, really need to get lives. Or boyfriends."

"I've got one, a fiancé actually," Trish waggled her engagement ring.

Jenn shrugged, "Yeah, like I said, you need a boyfriend."

"Oh come on, Jenn, you can't complain about all the teasing you're getting now," Trish shook her head with a grin. "You've teased me for years, same goes for Mia. And now you're teasing Shan about Ben. You deserve every bit of teasing you're getting now and then some."

"Trish!" Jenn feigned insult. "That's not a very nice thing to say about your best friend."

"It's true," the Australian smirked. "Karma has finally come back to bite you."

"Karma sucks."

"So are you going out with Ash tonight?' Mia asked as she helped herself to another slice of pizza.

"Nah," Jenn shook her head. "I asked if he would have dinner here with us at the villa. I'd thought that Ash'd enjoy being here more than being stared at in a restaurant."

"Actually, I'd bet that _you'd _be the one being more comfortable being here," Shannon said wisely.

Jenn paused for a moment, then shrugged, "You're probably not wrong about it"

"I'd say you're exactly right about that," Trish quipped. "I know Drake enjoys going out for dinner, but the staring hordes make it more than a little uncomfortable for me."

"What were you planning on having to eat?" Jaime asked over a piece of pizza.

"Um," Jenn looked down at the pizza.

"No, Jenn, not left over pizza," Trish scolded gently. "It has to be something grand! This is your first dinner after admitting you want to go out together! This is huge!"

"Trish, I don't cook "grand"," Jenn did air quotes with her fingers, "I do hamburger helpers on good nights and baked fish on really good nights. I wouldn't know what to cook!" Jenn frowned. "You think _TGI Friday_'s would count as a swank restaurant?"

"Um…No, I don't think so," Trish said.

"Besides, you didn't want to do that whole 'going out with a really famous boyfriend before the whole world got to know you two were going out as a couple' thing," Jaime pointed out. "Remember?"

"Of course not! At least not yet," the former blonde said and seemed to struggle for a sense of peace. "Help me out here, guys! What am I supposed to do?"

"How about asking Jean-Michel to do it for you?" Trish suggested. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping you out."

"Jean who?"

"And that way, all you have to do all night, is look pretty and make sure that Ash's attention is fully on you!" Mia grinned.

"I'm sure she won't have any trouble with that," Shannon chuckled. "After what I could see last night, Ash is completely taken with our Jenn."

Jenn blinked, "Why does that really disturb me?"

"Probably because you can't remember a thing of it," Trish said over the rim of her coffee mug. "Isn't that right?"

Jenn sighed, "If I agree to that, I'm in for a lot of teasing, aren't I?"

"Oh yeah," Jaime snickered. "Like nothing you've ever had to endure before."

"It'll be fun," Shannon grinned.

"Sure it'll be fun," Jenn rolled her eyes. "It'll be as much fun as root canals and Satanic Eggs."

"No one said it would be fun for _you_," Mia smirked. "It'll be fun for the rest of us, that's all that matters."

"So there's no sympathy for a former blonde?"

"Of course not."

"Of course. So who is this Jan-Michelle person?" Jenn asked. "And what does she have to do with helping me with dinner tonight? Is she some long lost magical cousin of Puck's that's gonna help me?"

"No, Jean-Michel is a guy and he is none other than the head chef here at Drake's villa. The poor guy who has had to put up with your specific menu requests and changes for the past few months?" Trish explained. "I think by now he knows automatically what dishes you do and don't like and how it is to be prepared."

"Oh...kay..."

"Or else you could ask Antonio, who is his deputy chef to cook some Italian dishes for you."

"Oh yeah," Jenn sighed dreamily, "Antonio."

Shannon elbowed Jenn, "Hey! Don't forget about Ash!"

Jenn looked sheepish and returned to her pizza.

"Oh!! You could ask him to cook you spaghetti bolognese and it will be just like a scene out of _Lady and the Tramp_!" Jaime grinned.

"Okay, for one thing, if my hamburger helper isn't good enough for dinner, then bologna isn't gonna cut it," Jenn said, looking a little sullen, "And for another, I've had enough of being a dog. If I'm gonna be stuck being an animal, I want to be a horse. Alright?"

"Um, kay," Shannon looked over at Trish and made a little loopy motion by her ear, "How about me and Jaime clean up the kitchen, while you, Jenn, and Mia go call Antonio and Jean-Michel?"

"What?!" Jaime cried out, then gave a little eep, "I mean, okay, yeah, sure. Go have fun, guys!"

Jenn followed the other two girls with a suspicious look, and once the three were gone, Jaime turned to Shannon. "That was so wrong! Why couldn't Mia be stuck cleaning the kitchen?"

"Please! What could be more boring?" Shannon raised an eyebrow. "Helping Jenn plan a romantic dinner that's got a 99% probability of ending up on the evening news anyway, or cleaning the kitchen, which will be more painless in the end."

"I see your point," Jaime blinked, "I think."

"This'll be faster," Shannon said confidently, "And far less painful. While Jenn hems and haws over possible food choices, we'll be finished with this and out at the beach, sipping iced teas and sodas and waters, and just relaxing."

Jaime sighed, "Now I'm with ya."

ooo

Trish, Mia and Jenn found Jean-Michel and Antonio in the formal kitchen with cookbooks and recipes spread out to plan the evening's meal.

"Jean-Michel, Antonio, just who I wanted to see!" Trish greeted cheerily.

The two men looked up and smiled.

"Miss Trish, now what can I do for you? Does Drake want to order any specific for tonight's dinner?" Jean-Michel was a tall thin man with short sandy blond hair and a cheery smile. In her irreverent Aussie way, Trish had quickly shortened the man's name to JM. Jean-Michel didn't mind…but only Trish or Drake could get away with calling him that.

"Not as far as I know," Trish shook her head. "But I do have a request of you two."

"What is it?" Antonio wiped his hands on a hand towel.

Trish gestured to her best friend beside her. "Jenn here is about to start dating the Grand Master and she's asked him over to the villa for dinner. So we were wondering if you could possibly whip up a really grand dinner for two to celebrate the occasion."

"And where would the dinner be served?"

"Oh I'd say we'll get Henry to get housekeeping to set up a small table for two out on the main balcony overlooking the gardens," Trish grinned.

"It has to be romantic," Mia emphasised. "Candles, roses and all that jazz."

Jenn looked uncomfortable, "Really, it could just be pizza and soda for all I care."

"Really romantic," Trish interrupted, "Don't mind her."

Jenn sighed, "At least have an English translation. Okay? There's a reason I hate fancy food. I can never understand what I'm eating."

"We'll make sure the menu is in plain English," Jean-Michel reassured the former blonde. "Such as rich chocolate cake."

"Loves chocolate cake," Jenn murmured with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Excellent!" the chef grinned. "So rich chocolate cake it is for the dessert. Now for the main meal. Would you prefer chicken, beef or fish?"

"Fish," Jenn decided without hesitation. "Broiled salmon, not grilled. Steamed vegetables. Whatever you want for Ash, but I want French styled green beans. If it ain't French, I won't eat it."

Jean-Michel raised an eyebrow, "Whatever _ma petite_ wishes."

"Um, yeah. Uh, no parsley flakes," Jenn added, "I always scrape the little buggers off. And no onions or garlic. Other than that, you guys have free rein."

Antonio gave a look to his fellow, and sometimes rival, chef, "She is so generous."

"Generous," Jean-Michel said gravely. "It is in her name."

Jenn's eyes darted from one to the other. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

"Never!" Jean-Michel gasped, "That would be…terrible!"

"Simply dreadful," Antonio drawled out, "I would never forgive myself."

Trish smothered a grin by turning her back on the three and going for a cup of water. There was no way she'd be able to keep looking at her friend and keeping a straight face. Not a chance.

"So you're not making fun of me?" Jenn was still a little suspicious.

"We would never make fun of you, _ma petite_," Jean-Michel flashed her a charming smile.

"Never," Antonio swore with a solemn face. "We wouldn't dare! After all, you are the best friend of our future mistress of the house. We tease you and Trish would make sure our lives would not be worth living. After firing us, of course."

"Uh-huh," Jenn shook her head, "Whatever. As much as I hate to say it, I think we're done here, guys." She turned to her best friend, who still looked like she was trying not to laugh. "Lead on to whatever other torture is next."

"Not a problem," Trish grinned freely. "Not a problem. Gentlemen," she nodded as she led the way out.

The men nodded back and gave Jenn a slightly piteous look. The former blonde looked like she was being dragged off to another torture session.

_Aah, the joys of dating a celebrity. How did I miss out on this with Gary?_ Jenn thought sourly as she was whisked along helplessly in the wake of Hurricane Trish.

ooo

There was no reprieve for Jenn that day. After the menu had been sorted out, Trish had taken her along to see the head butler, Henry, to arrange for housekeeping to set up a small intimate table for two out on the back veranda and to arrange the drinks.

Because she knew that Jenn didn't drink (and the consequences when she did) Trish arranged a compromise on the beverages. Jenn would get ice cold imported water whereas Ash would have some of the best wine from the cellars.

Then it was back to Jenn's bedroom to decide on the all important question of what to wear.

"So what are you going to wear, Jenn?"

Jenn barely raised her head from her prone position on her bed. "Jeans, a tank top, and flip flops."

"Oh no you don't," Trish shook her head. "You've gotta dress up more for the first date! It's not until after you're hitched and have a few demon spawn that you can start to let yourself go. Or so I've heard."

"I'm not about to go all Britney on him," Jenn scowled, "But I'd like to at least be comfortable."

"I didn't say to go wearing a corset," Trish teased, " Though it would be quite fashionable!"

"I don't want to be fashionable! I want to be able to breathe!"

"I'd say you can breathe wearing a pair of dark slacks and a halter top."

Jenn groaned, "That sounds like a work outfit." She dropped her head back onto her bed. "Can't I just stay here?"

"After all the work we just did?" Trish snorted in a most unladylike manner. "I don't think so."

"That's what I thought you'd say."

"I can't believe all the complaining that I'm hearing from you," the Australian shook her head good-naturedly. "One would think you were about to undergo a torture session than finally beginning a relationship with the man you've been seriously crushing on for years."

"I _am_ happy!" Jenn protested. "It's just that I don't know how to show it. Since I was the first born in my family, I just wasn't overly emotional and no one really ever cared that I wasn't. Or at least, that's what they lead me to think. Anyway, all of this stupid, I mean, silly stuff is making everything difficult."

"Stuff? These preparations are going to make this a night to remember! And yes, I know all about your various hang ups," Trish sat down next to her and patted her hand. "And I also know how much you like hiding yourself away from the world. But I would also be a bad friend if I let you sabotage happiness just when it's within your reach."

"You're so cruel."

"Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind," Trish grinned and nudged her friend. "C'mon, let's get you ready. You know you'll end up enjoying yourself. You always do when you're around Ash. You told me so yourself."

"Duh, he's fun to be around," Jenn shrugged, "Gary was, too, at first. But then he just kind of closed himself off to me. I guess I'm worried that Ash'll end up being the same way with me."

"He'll do no such a thing," Trish said confidently.

"Uh-huh," Jenn said dubiously.

"Ash has had a great mum to bring him up, for one thing," Trish nodded, "And she'd give him what for if he even tried to dump you like Gary did."

Jenn flushed, "I'd die if that ever happened again."

"That was embarrassing."

"Oh, no, I mean because I'd have to kill him," Jenn grinned and cocked her head to the side, "And I'd get into real trouble. You know?"

Trish grinned weakly, "You've got a real high perception of yourself. You know that, right?"

"Yep. I know that."

Trish shook her head. "Let's just find an outfit for you."

ooo

Twenty gruelling (for Jenn) minutes (hours … for Jenn) later…

"And finally, we're done," Trish said in a triumphant tone as she led the way down the curving staircase which led into the foyer.

Jaime and Shannon were waiting, as the guys had been shooed into the grand outdoors. Ash was still doing League business, or so he had told Trish, and wouldn't be arriving for a half hour more. In reality, he was picking up a little something for the little date that would be a little surprise.

Jenn followed Trish down the stairs, grumbling in her black Christian Louboutin wedge shoes that were just a little borrowed from Jessie. "I can't believe I'm wearing this."

This was a black skirt that ended just above her tanned knees, that was paired with a long red silk tank top that fluttered with every move she made. Gold bangle bracelets graced her wrists and a simple gold necklace with a gold poke ball charm was at her throat. Her hair was pulled back at her temples, leaving the rest to hang straight and loose over her shoulders. Makeup was minimal, but sparkled at her eyes. Obviously, she'd won one battle from Trish.

"Nice," Jaime said appreciatively, and Shannon nodded.

"Yep," the brunette nodded. "Not everyone can do the wedge shoes at that height. And at least the soles match your shirt!"

Jenn looked down at the red soles, "Uh huh. Leave it to a guy designer to have red on the soles of shoes. Brilliant."

"Okay, enough about shoes!" Trish clapped her hands, reclaiming control of the situation, "We have a romantic situation at hand!"

Jenn rolled her eyes. "I think you're enjoying this more than I am, which is rather disturbing."

"No, I'm just making sure that everything goes according to plan so that YOU end up enjoying yourself," Trish corrected her. "Now, follow me."

Jenn sighed and followed her friend to wherever she was leading her. While Trish was mostly sweet and easygoing, Jenn sometimes suspected her friend had a little dark streak inside. A dark streak that manifested itself into Hurricane Trish and what Jenn called "Fuzzy Dictator Mode."

While not a tyrant by any means, there were just times when Trish had to have her way or else. The 'or else' part of the threat seldom came into play because her friend had a way of persuading people into doing things before they realised it.

Though this control freak part of her friend seemed to mainly show itself when it came to Jenn. Even so, Jenn had to admit that her stubbornness was the main reason for the manifestation of that controlling nature. There were times when it was simpler to move a mountain than to try to get Jenn to do something.

At least, until Trish had her way. And then, woe betide the person who didn't get out of Trish's way. You just didn't survive if you didn't give way.

And thusly did Jenn cede to the better judgement of her best friend and thusly was on her way to the back veranda. In no way did she feel like she was a dead woman walking, though she did feel like she had all eyes on her. She did notice that her Absol was discreetly following her through the shadows along the rooms to her right.

The Houndour was with the Growlithe, which were with Trish's pokémon in the great room. She was at least sensible enough. The strange Mightyena was trailing the Absol and looked amused in a canine way.

Jenn sighed, but instead of feeling nervous, she felt a strange mix of determination and anticipation. Now if only she could be alone with Ash instead of having such an audience!

She was interrupted in her internal musings by Trish who led her into a small cosy room, which looked out over the back veranda. "You can wait for Ash here, and I'll get Henry or Thomas or whoever answers the door to take him through to you."

Jenn looked around the room, which was comfortably furnished with a few sofas, bookcases, a top of the range entertainment system and a fireplace. "But what am I supposed to do while I wait here? I hate waiting. It's boring."

"You can read, or you can turn that insane brain of yours into thinking romantic possibilities with Ash after dinner," Trish winked before she was nudged to one side by Little Kigali who looked like she was about to bowl across the floor and leap straight into Jenn's lap.

Or that's what Kigali would have done, had Trish not scooped her up in mid run and held her against her like a small dog. "Oh no you don't, Kigali. Your mommy needs to be left alone for a while tonight."

The little Absol whined and struggled to be put down but Trish had her in an expert hold. "Uh uh uh," the Australian gently scolded the Pokémon. "You are coming with me to go play with the other Pokémon. And you too, mister."

This was addressed to the Mightyena who was peering around the corner. The Pokémon looked up at her with a calm stare and Trish stared right back at him. "Yes, you. In fact I think we'll all leave Jenn and Ash in peace for their date tonight."

"Yeah right," Jenn snorted. "You're just saying that to cover the fact that you'll be spying on me as much as they want to."

"I will not," Trish laughed. "Promise. I do have better things to do with my time than to spend an entire night spying on you."

"Even with you in control freak mode like you are now?"

Trish looked affronted, "I am not."

Kigali snorted and Mightyena nodded.

"I think they think otherwise," Jenn said, and the Mightyena took his chance to bound over to Jenn's side.

"Hey!" Trish gasped, but kept a firm grip on Kigali, who whimpered but gave up with a little whine.

"C'mon, you!" Jenn crouched down, "You're gonna get me in a lot of trouble."

The Mightyena nudged her, let her rub behind his ears, and then bounded off. Kigali finally managed to get out of Trish's grasp and followed after the Mightyena in a white blur.

Trish looked after them, and then looked back at Jenn. "You've got some of the weirdest pokémon."

Jenn's Houndour peeked into the room then, gave a little huff of amusement, and then followed the wayward duo as if to agree.

With a shake of her own head, Jenn laughed, "I know. I don't know why I can't seem to get a normal pokémon, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

Trish chuckled. "You know, that sounded exactly like something Ash would say too. He never seems to get an ordinary pokémon either."

"As long as you don't say that it means that we're perfect match," Jenn rolled her eyes.

"Oh but you are! I've got a good feeling about this."

"Oh you do, do you?" the former blonde raised an eyebrow.

"I do," Trish nodded. "And as you know, I am always right."

"Yeah, sure," Jenn said with the tone of one who is certain there's been a past mishap that's been forgotten about by the other party. "Of course you are."

"And don't you forget it," Trish said. Her tone was that of one who knew _her _recall was better than the other party's. "I'll go and tell Henry to show Ash in when he arrives."

Jenn watched her friend leave before looking around with a sigh. Waiting really sucked.

ooo

The sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon when Ash walked up the long circular driveway to the Orange Crew Leader's villa. The Grand Master self-consciously patted his blazer pocket for the jewellery box inside.

To tell the truth, Ash was a little nervous about this date. James had come over to help him get ready and his Pokémon were more than happy to assist and offer some good, and some unwanted advice.

Meganium had offered to come over and shower Jenn with her Sweet Scent. Charizard had offered to _roast _Jenn if she refused to go out with Ash after this.

While Ash was pleased by Meganium's offer, and seriously tempted to let the gentle plant dinosaur's offer go through, he was less than amused by Charizard's offer. He knew that the hot headed dragon carried grudges, but he'd hoped that Charizard would've let this one drop since Jenn was no longer an Absol.

"If you flame even a hair on her head," Ash had warned the orange dragon, "I won't be responsible for what happens after that."

"_And what are you afraid of?"_ Charizard had taunted. "_That I might hurt you in a fight?"_

"I'm not afraid of you," Ash had said. "I'm afraid of what _Jenn _might do to you. She'd tear you apart if you burned off her hair."

He paused and gathered himself as he stood on the wide stone covered entrance of Drake's villa. He'd walked by two uniformed men doing work on some of the bushes around the low walls that flanked the walkways near the driveway, and they hadn't noticed him.

Ash grinned and then sighed. He had moments where he loved being the Chosen One. He closed his eyes and allowed his natural powers to pull him into the villa. He trusted them to place him in an area where there would be no person, pokémon, or object. Only once had it ever almost failed him, and that had been horrible enough to be on his list of things to never, _ever _repeat.

Once he was inside, he saw that he was in the front foyer. There were several maids bustling around under the direction of Trish. Shannon was nearby, looking amused, and Jaime was sitting on a chair looking like she wanted to go to bed.

Ash didn't see who he wanted to see and, instead of seeking her out mentally, figured she was being held somewhere else, secluded in some romantic area. In another time, it probably would've made him think it was something stupid or too girly, but he was actually looking forward to it.

Feeling mischievous, Ash dropped his invisibility mode and said, "Hey guys, when's dinner?"

Every motion froze in mid-stride and Ash couldn't help but to grin a bit more.

A maid dropped a plate and screamed, and commotion went into panic mode.

"IT'S THE GRAND MASTER!"

"OHMIGODHE'SEARLY!"

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!"

"IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!"

"Can I go to bed now?"

"No you can't!" Trish snapped to attention and took hold of the situation. "EVERYONE CALM DOWN!"

Every maid, butler, and service person froze in place, partially due to Ash and partially due to Trish.

The Australian glared at the Grand Master, who definitely had the grace to look sheepish.

"Sorry," he said. "I wanted to walk but couldn't be seen. You know how paparazzi are."

"Well you could've knocked at the door!" Trish hissed, "Or called on the phone! Knocked at the door? You put these poor people into a fright! Who knows what Jenn's thinking, back in the great room!"

"So take me to her."

"I can't just do that!"

"Why not?" Ash shrugged, "It's not like I'm going to see her in a wedding dress right before the ceremony."

Trish raised an eyebrow, "You say that like it means something. Don't go breaking her heart. I'll have to hurt you if you do."

"I don't plan on it, Trish."

"Fine," she said, "Come with me."

As she led him down the hall, she talked to him. "We'd planned on having Henry or Thomas take you from the door to her, but I guess if you want something done right, et al…"

Ash shook his head, but grinned, "Of course."

They walked into the room, fully expecting to see a bored Jenn. What they found was something just as expected. Ash was almost an hour late, after all, and it was getting late. Kigali was curled up in her lap, and Chance, the strange Mightyena, was at her feet, but Jenn, who was halfway sitting in a leather sofa, was passed out and sound asleep.

The Louboutin peep shoes were on the floor in a heap, the bangle bracelets were on the side table beside the sofa, and a small tube of pink silvery lip-gloss had rolled off the table and fallen onto the floor.

"I guess sleep waits for no one," Ash chuckled.

"That's not funny!" Trish groaned, "We worked really hard on this! This can't be ruined because you were late!"

"Hey, _she's_ the one that fell asleep!"

"Yes, because she got bored waiting for you!" Trish was irritated. "What took you so long anyway? Why didn't you just teleport from wherever you were? Why did you have to walk?"

"I needed some time to think."

Trish scoffed, "Whatever for?!"

"Because," Ash reached into his pocked and took out the small box, "I got her this."

"Oh dear Lugia," Trish's eyes widened.

"You know," Ash looked thoughtful, "I guess I could've asked his advice. He does give good advice."

Trish rolled her eyes, looking mildly annoyed. "Show-off."

Ash grinned, "Yeah."

"Does that box contain what I think it does?"

"Depends on what you think it does," the Grand Master grinned again.

Trish sighed in mild exasperation. "You know what I mean, Mr Smart Arse. An engagement ring?"

"Oh no," Ash laughed and shook his head. "I don't move _that_ fast Trish, and especially not after what happened with Misty. It's just a little something for Jenn."

"Little little or Orange Islands little?" the Australian smirked. "Because when it comes to bling, I warn you that Jenn likes her rocks big."

She walked over and gently picked up Kigali off Jenn's lap. The little Absol whimpered softly but settled down when Trish cuddled her against her shoulder. "Anyway, we'd all better leave you two alone so you can get on with your date." The Mightyena got up and shook himself and trotted out the door.

Just as Trish was about to leave, she turned to Ash and grinned. "So Prince Charming, you'd best go and wake your Sleeping Beauty. Jenn is going to get a kick out of that!"

Ash crouched down close to Jenn and was about to make a move when he noticed that she was smiling. He moved back a little. "You're awake, aren't you?"

She opened her eyes. "You should know that I prefer movies like _Kill Bill_ to _Sleeping Beauty_. The sentiment is appreciated though." She stared at him and shook her head. "You're late."

"I know, I got held up and…" He never got to finish because she grabbed him and pulled him in for a kiss. When it broke off, he sat back. "I'll remember to be late more often."

"You do that."

ooo

"_You really should just give up and relax kiddo. You're not gonna get let out for a good long while."_ Chance yawned as he observed Kigali frantically scrabbling at the closed door. Trish had shepherded all the girls' Pokémon in a large spacious room Drake had specially made to cope with rambunctious Pokémon and, after making sure there was plenty of Pokémon chow, fresh water and toys, had left the room and secured the door shut.

But the Mightyena's remark had only served to agitate the little Absol even further. Kigali resumed her scrabbling. _"But I __**have**__ to get out! I want to see my human mom! She's the only mom I've got and I miss not being with her!"_

The door remained closed and she could hear no approaching footsteps that signalled freedom. Kigali slumped down against the door in a despairing heap and started to whimper softly. "_I want my human mommy…"_

Ophelia ran quickly over to the puppy and began to lick her soothingly. _"It's okay, little one. Your human mommy will be along in a little while. She's just busy having dinner with the Chosen One at the moment."_

Kigali sniffled. "_But…__**why**__? Why is having dinner with the Chosen One more important than spending time with me?"_

Ophelia shared a glance with Beth and paused to think on how best to explain it to the youngster. "_Because….if all goes well tonight and in the future…Jenn might give you the Chosen One as a human daddy_."

Kigali's tears dried instantly. "_Really?"_

"_Really."_ Beth nodded.

"_Oh boy!!"_ The little Absol was jumping up and down for joy. "_The Chosen One as my human daddy. That would be the __**bestest**__!!"_

Chance shook his head good-naturedly at Kigali's antics before laying his head down on his outstretched forepaws. Things were going as they were supposed to. He just hoped that the former blonde wouldn't get cold feet and let the Chosen One slip away. He was worried. Mainly because he didn't remember anything in the future about the blonde having had such dark, dark fur. Hair.

He sighed and looked away from the sight of the Growlithe grooming the Absol. Once again, Beth had managed to get a hold of Kigali, much to the little one's dismay. There was a nagging suspicion in his mind at the thought of the blonde getting her hair dyed. If something as little as Jenn getting her hair dyed could change the future, then he didn't want to think about it. What if he went back to the future and found that everything had changed?

_Deoxys take it, Celebi. This is why I didn't want to mess with time travel,_ Chance bit back a growl and instead ground his teeth and fought to get some sleep. He could only hope that his future mistress would come to her senses and not scare Ash away.

His future depended on it.

ooo

Ash put his wine glass down and looked across the table. Candles flickered in the gentle ocean breeze and the same breeze tugged at tendrils of Jenn's hair. She'd tried to readjust it from her impromptu nap, but gave up and instead pulled it back into a casual twist. A few strands had escaped and she hadn't noticed, but he had and had found it endearingly cute.

Of course, after her choice of movies, he wasn't about to tell her how attractive he found those escaped strands of hair, but he did think they were just that.

Her eyes flicked up just then and met his. Her fork froze in mid-hover and for a second her salmon was forgotten. "What's up?"

"Your fish, I guess."

"Huh?"

"Well, your fish is up in the air," Ash grinned, "Kind of, anyway."

Jenn looked down and grinned back, "Yeah, kind of. That's lame, Ash!"

"Is it good?"

"Is it _good_?" Her fork almost clattered to the plate when she put it down. "Oh God, don't tell me you don't like fish!"

"No, Jenn, I _like_ fish!" Ash forced himself to not laugh. If he laughed, then Jenn would panic and dinner would end on a sour note. "Relax, okay?"

"I'm relaxing!" Jenn bit at her lip, "I am."

From the corner of his eye, Ash caught sight of a flash of yellow. Pikachu had managed to sneak out of Trish's sight and around the villa. She waved to him and gave him a pika thumbs up and then pantomimed digging through pockets.

_Of course,_ Ash thought, and mentally smacked himself. _She might relax a lot more if she got a present._ He winced inwardly at the reaction Trish had from the size of the box. _I doubt Jenn's gonna expect an engagement ring. Right? I guess there's only one way to find out. _

It turned out to be perfect timing, since the waiters had come to take away their plates in exchange for dessert. While one of the waiters had Jenn's attention with the tedious decision making of creamy chocolate silk or dark chocolate ice cream with the surprise cake that Jean-Michel and Antonio had created.

"Can you go ahead and put this onto a silk scarf?" Ash asked the waitress. Luckily for him, she nodded and seemed to have a good idea of what he wanted. The woman, who had worked for Drake for years, discreetly took the velvet box under the cover of a linen napkin. "And can you see Trish and the other girls for their advice? I know that they could also help you out if you need. Bring it out with dessert. I know that doesn't give you a lot of time, but I need it for that."

She nodded and smiled, "Of course, Grand Master."

"Ash, please," Ash nodded, "I get enough of that at work."

"Certainly, Ash," She said, "My name is Lucy. I'll be back as soon as possible."

Once Lucy had left, Ash turned back and caught Jenn staring at him with an amused look. "Huh?"

"What was that all about?"

"All what about?" Ash went for nonchalance.

"All that," Jenn said. "That all looked really…special. Like you ordered old wine or something."

"Oh, oh yeah, I did, "Ash took it and went with it. "Really old, uh, _Cristal_."

"I thought that was just expensive."

"Old wine is expensive," Ash said, and felt really glad that Jenn didn't drink. Especially since _Cristal _wasn't wine. It was champagne.

"I don't mean to be a prude, but I hope you didn't order any for me," Jenn winced a little. "I don't drink for personal reasons."

"No, it's just for me," the Grand Master reassured her. "I just think that a special occasion like this deserves some really expensive wine."

"If you say so," Jenn smiled a little nervously and shifted her napkin around on her lap. She looked around as if ready to bolt at the slightest noise.

Ash saw Pikachu gesticulating in the background and understood very clearly that the Pokémon wanted him to make small talk until the desserts came out.

"This was a really great suggestion of yours tonight," he smiled at Jenn. "This is a lot nicer and more private than it would have been in a place like _Chateau Pidgeot_."

"So…you're enjoying yourself?" The tone in her voice was so hopeful that Ash had to bite back a chuckle. The poor girl was thoroughly tying herself in knots over all of this, when she had no reason to worry at all. Ash was already in love with her, and unlike Gary or Brock, he didn't fall out of love at the mere sight of another girl.

"I'm having a wonderful time, Jenn," Ash smiled. "Especially since you're here with me."

Jenn flushed slightly at the compliment and Ash reached over and took her hand. Her eyes widened, and he could feel her tense and he waited for her to take off, but common sense won.

She looked up at him with a flush on her cheeks that he dare to never tease her about, for fear that he never see tomorrow. "Ash, I…"

"Yes?"

"I…" Her gaze flicked behind him and the moment was lost. He knew the second it was because she sat back and pulled away from him and she said, "Dessert's here."

For a second, Ash wished that he dared to just teleport the two of them, plus dessert, to the most deserted part of the Indigo Plateau. Then he realized that the Indigo Plateau wasn't really romantic and sighed. As he stared down at the dessert in front of him, he wondered what Jenn considered to be a romantic location, and realized that he was lost for words. He didn't know!

"You look a little confused there, Ashy boy," Jenn said teasingly, "What's got you so suddenly deep in thought?"

"Oh, uh, nothing," Ash said, and gave a little laugh, "Just thinking about the Indigo Plateau."

"Oh, huh," Jenn looked thoughtful. "Kind of a dark place. It's not bad."

"No?" Ash shrugged. "It's a living."

"That's right! You, ah, you work there. Kind of," Jenn said and frowned, "Don't you?"

"Well, I…" Ash was about to say something when Lucy walked out with a tray in her hands. "Here's your dessert, Jenn. Best for last."

"About time, sheesh!" Jenn joked. "I could've died from lack of chocolate!"

"I wouldn't have let that happened," Ash said seriously, then smiled.

Lucy placed the tray onto a folding rack that she had been carrying, then lifted the plate off of the tray, and set it onto the table in front of Jenn. What the plate held, was not what Jenn expected.

"Ash…What the he…heck is this?"

"Just a little something I picked up for you," Ash shrugged, "It's why I was late."

"Oh, buddy, you've picked up some slang from hanging around here too long, haven't you?"

Ash grinned, "Maybe."

Jenn gently took out the amethyst and diamond platinum ring and slid it onto her right hand and admired it. The amethyst was the size of a large pebble.

"You like it?" Ash asked quietly. He was pretty sure that it was a good choice, since he had rung Trish up the other night and grilled her on what Jenn's favourite gemstones were.

"I love it! It's so beautiful!" It was the first genuine smile he had seen from her all evening. "You really shouldn't have."

"Sure I shoulda."

"Not that I'm complaining…." Jenn held her hand up so that the ring flashed in the candlelight. "But what's this for?"

"Oh just something to mark the occasion of our first date."

"That was way too casually said," Jenn lowered her hand. "And it sounded way too much like you were considering there was going to be a second date."

"That's because I _am_ considering there to be a second date," Ash said it seriously. "And before you say it, I do mean it seriously. I want to go out with you on a second date. You, yes _you_, only you."

Jenn stared at him in obvious shock. "I…I…"

"Just say you'll go out with me again."

Jenn just gaped.

Ash leaned an elbow on the table, then rested his hand on his palm. "You weren't this difficult to figure out when you were an Absol. Must be a girl thing."

That did it.

"Ash! I can't believe you just said that!" Jenn sat back, "You can't just give a girl a gift, and then compare her to being a dog!"

"Well, it snapped you out of that funk you were in. Didn't it?"

She glared at him and looked away, "Honestly, that was completely superfluous of you."

Ash's eyes widened and he looked over at Pikachu. The little mouse shrugged and looked a little lost for words herself. She gave a wordless little, _Pi,_ and went back to her hiding place in the bushes.

"Hello? Are you even paying attention to me?" Jenn was staring right at him.

Ash felt his face redden, though he knew it wouldn't be very obvious under his tan and the cover of the night sky, "I'm sorry, I was a little distracted."

She rolled her eyes, "I noticed." Jenn gave a little sigh, "Listen, Ash, I'd like to say that this was a really fun little date and all, but it was really boring."

Ash felt his eyes widen a little. He couldn't help it, "Wow, that was harsh."

Jenn laughed, "Well, you were distracted by Pikachu, weren't you?"

"You saw her?"

"She's practically attached to your shoulder," Jenn said with a grin, "Plus, it's hard not to notice when you're getting advice from her. Just tell her to come on over."

Ash motioned for his oldest friend and she didn't hesitate. "I'm sorry that the date was a disappointment."

"It wasn't that, Ash," Jenn said and looked around. "I did like it, but it was too quiet. I think we should go out again, but we shouldn't tell anyone where we're going."

This time, Ash grinned. "What do you have in mind?"

"How do you feel about miniature golf on Navel Island?"

"Sure I like miniature golf," the Grand Master grinned. "I didn't know that Navel Island had a course."

"Well now you do," Jenn said. "So how about it?"

"It's a date," Ash reached over and took her hand in his. Jenn didn't make any attempt to snatch her hand away. "So are you gonna ring Danny up and get him to close the course just for us?"

"Heck no," Jenn shook her head. "I hate calling anyone on the phone. Well, except for my family and totally close friends. Oh, and second, when I said that no one is gonna know where we're going, I meant it."

"And just how are we going to manage that without either getting mobbed by screaming fans or the paparazzi?"

"Duh!" Jenn grinned. "We're gonna go in disguise, of course!"

"Of course."

"I bet if you asked, you could get Jessie and James to help you with yours."

"No thanks," Ash said hastily. He remembered the one time he had asked the former Team Rocket members for their help in disguising him. That was one episode he had made sure never, _ever_ saw the light of day in any autobiographies or articles. Time for a change of topic. "How are you going to get away without telling Trish?"

"I'm not going to not tell her," Jenn snorted and pointed to her head, "I'm blonde, Ash, not stupid."

He gaped at her, "But, I…"

"She's neither a fan nor paparazzi," Jenn said, "Though I will be telling her that she can't have any involvement in that date. She put a lot of hard work into this one, and I really appreciated it, but it was a little quiet."

"Didn't you have any input into this date?"

"Not that much," she shrugged. "I got to pick eating out here and the food on the menu."

"So if you wanted a little bit more excitement, why didn't you take more control?" Ash was confused.

"Because I was more than a little nervous about this whole first date thing, and you never _ever_ get in the way of Trish when she's on a roll. Girl's like a hurricane sometimes. If you don't get out of her way, you'll get flattened."

"Maybe she'll be too busy to involve herself anyway," Ash grinned. "She does have a wedding to plan after all."

"Psh, come on, Ash," Jenn waved him off. "How hard are those things anyway? They're, what, just bigger versions of parties. They can't be that hard to plan or people wouldn't be having them all the time."

"Wow," Ash gawked at her. "Wow, I cannot believe you just said that."

"What?"

"It's just that you're a…"

She glared at him, "A what?"

"It's just that you're a girl, and I'm a guy, and even _I_ know that these things take a lot out of you."

"What things?"

"Weddings, Jenn, weddings take a _hell _of a lot of planning!" Ash shrugged, trying really hard to keep things simple. "Average weddings are hard enough, and Trish is planning a wedding to Drake. Celebrity weddings are ten times bigger than average weddings."

"And you'd be an expert in this because of what?"

Ash gave her a dry look, and Pikachu gave a little sigh.

"Oh, right," Jenn bit at her lip, "I totally forgot about all of that. Sorry."

"Uh-huh, well, promise to give Trish a little break once things get really hard."

"No problem," Jenn said and sat back in her chair, "I can start tomorrow night, say around seven thirty? I'll walk Chance and Kigali down here by the beach. Who knows? I might end up training them for an hour."

"Nice, but will she buy it?"

"It's that or I sulk in my room," Jenn said, "And I think she'll buy that less."

"So it's a date for tomorrow night then."

"Uh-huh and after a round of miniature golf, we can go for dinner, and finish with a nice long walk along the beach in the moonlight," the former blonde clapped her hands together. "And that would be the perfect end to a perfect evening."

"Where will I meet you?"

"On the beach at seven thirty."

"Would you prefer getting there by Pidgeot or Charizard?" Ash then asked.

"Pidgeot, definitely," Jenn decided. "Charizard creeps me out. He's always glaring at me."

"I don't think he's forgiven you for some of the things you did to him when you were a Pokémon," the Grand Master sighed with a shake of his head. "And that dragon is very good at holding grudges. I should know. I'm pretty much an expert at that subject."

"He needs to get over it," Jenn snorted.

Ash smiled at her, "He sure does."

ooo

Fortune seemed to be smiling on Jenn the next night, as she found it easier than she originally thought to convince her friends of her 'plans' to walk her canine Pokémon along the beach and train them.

Ash had been right. Trish was extremely busy with her wedding plans and had told Jenn that morning that she and Drake were going over to his parents' manor to discuss holding an engagement party and the timing of the upcoming wedding. The pair were going to be gone all day and would possibly be gone well into the night.

Jenn feigned wide-eyed innocence, "You might have to spend the night!"

"Don't give me that, you harlot!" Trish smacked her friend's upper arm, "You know very well that we wouldn't be sharing a room at his parents' home."

"But it would be so dangerous," Jenn winked, "That's hot."

"You just keep yourself here and out of the public eye," Trish warned her. "Train your pokémon, yes, but that's it. Don't even think about anything else. No meeting up with Ash on any public dates. It would be disastrous."

"But Ash's had tons of experience with paparazzi, Trish," Jenn said, "He's an old pro."

"And you're not," Trish said wisely, "They can tweak any pose, any gesture, into something dirty and repulsive. They can make up a story that is completely not true and make the media and public believe it is."

"And you're an expert in that subject how?"

The Australian rolled her eyes. "He_llo_, don't you remember that _completely_ fabricated lie that Rudy told the media about me and Danny?"

"Oh, oh yeah…." Jenn grinned sheepishly. "That was a totally gross moment."

"If you think that when you weren't the main target, then imagine what you will think when you are."

"Let's not think about that right now, okay?" the former blonde grimaced. "Any other words of wisdom, O Wise One?"

"You also should be careful of what you say in public now. Any flippant remark, however harmless can be overheard and twisted," Trish warned.

"So you're saying that if I said that Drake was a smelly old fart," And Jenn said this with a straight face, "And in public, that any paparazzi would actually take this and twist it into a story and say that he's got an intestinal problem?"

Trish narrowed her eyes, "There is that possibility. Yes, that's a great example of what _not_ to do."

Jenn bit at her lower lip, obviously trying to keep from grinning. Finally she gained some semblance of composure, "Well then, I'll try my best to be on my best behaviour from now on."

"I _really_ don't trust you when you say things like that," Trish sighed wearily.

"Aww, like what?" Jenn asked innocently.

"Like you're about to go more evil than the tip of Lu's pinkie finger," Trish said guardedly. "I'm trusting you, Jenn, behave!"

"I will, Trish, I promise," Jenn said, "I'm gonna train my pokémon by the beach. What else could I want to do?"

ooo

Jenn misted on her favourite perfume as a final touch to her preparations for her date with Ash. She stepped back and studied her reflection critically in the full-length mirror. Her outfit consisted of a lilac tank top, blue jeans, and her favourite pair of silver Manolo slingbacks.

The former blonde felt confident that her actions wouldn't arouse the suspicions of either Jaime, Shannon, or Mia that she had plans other than to train her pokémon. The last thing Jenn wanted to happen was for someone to go and tell Trish.

Jenn had gotten into trouble so many times these past few months by ignoring advice and sneaking off, that she knew that it would only take something else for Trish to go off her rocker. While she had a nagging feeling that this wasn't the best idea she'd ever come up with, she wasn't about to back out now. Ash was counting on her to be there.

Plus, it wasn't like she had his cell phone number or anything. She couldn't back out. She had to go. Not like she was being forced or anything though. Jenn grinned and reached down on her desk for her black leather trainer's belt. _Stylish and functional_, she thought as she slung it around her waist, then snapped on four poké balls to the magnetic disks.

Jenn felt a twinge of apprehension run through her as she left her room and headed for the stairs. She sensed more than noticed Chance, the really weird Mightyena joined her to trot at her side_. Lugia forbid if I get into trouble this time. I'll end up dead. Trish'll __**kill**__ me._

On her way through the kitchen, Jenn snagged an apple from the bowl of fruit that was in the centre of the table. Luckily, the kitchen area was empty, though there was a lot of noise coming from the living room area. She decided very quickly to avoid that room as carefully as possible.

Only it was impossible. Fate was conspiring against her as Chris came from the living room, intent on getting something to drink. He stared at her and frowned, "Where the hell are you going?"

"To the beach to train my pokémon," she said defensively, "Right, Chance?"

The Mightyena lolled its tongue out and yawned.

"So why is it you look like you're going out on a date, huh?" Chris looked at her suspiciously. "Since when do people train pokémon on the beach, on sand, in three inch _stilettos_?"

"Since they're me," Jenn said smoothly, "Ciaoness."

"You are so not going training."

"I am too," Jenn grinned and shrugged, "It's what I do _after _training that's anyone's guess."

"My guess is that you're going to meet up with Ash for dinner and a good shag," the Scot smirked.

"_**No**_! And get your mind out of the gutter!" Jenn snapped quickly, not wanting to let on to Chris that he had got the first part of it right. "What makes you even think that's gonna happen?"

"C'mon, Jenn! You've just started dating Ash, publicly for all we know, and the first rule of hot and heavy dating is that you can't keep your hands off each other for first few months, ergo a good shag."

"You're unbelievable, you do know that," the former blonde snorted. "If there was ever a research study going on for raging hormone levels, I'd do more than nominate you, I'd _FedEx_ you there myself."

"You think I haven't heard that threat before?" Chris shrugged. "So what are you gonna do after training if you're not meeting Ash?"

"I thought I might go down and catch a movie and have a bite to eat," Jenn tilted her head. "They're showing this film that I've been dying to see."

"Yeah, and what's the name of this film that you're dying to see?" Chris snorted, "Especially since they haven't even _rebuilt _the theatre yet, genius. If that's the story you came up with to fool Trish, then you better try something a bit smarter than that."

"Oh yeah, then what would you come up with?"

"Given that everyone knows you couldn't hold alcohol in a glass, much less your own system," Chris said breezily, and walked past the bristling American with out so much as a quiver at the glares being aimed in his direction. "I can't say that you might have met me and Callie down at the local pub. And you're not much of an art connoisseur, so you can't drop by that little art gallery Bennie boy is so fond of."

"Gee, talk about running out of options _and_ making me sound like an idiot all at the same time," Jenn muttered, "Thanks a bunch, Chris."

"Oh, it makes my day, Jenn," Chris grinned, "It really does!"

"Keep on talking, Scotty," Jenn grinned back, though thinly and patted Chance on his broad furry head, "And I'll keep on reloading."

The Mightyena, who was startled out of his process of dozing off, looked from Jenn to Chris, back at Jenn, and then growled expectedly at Chris. He looked back at Jenn and then leaned against the American.

"That's a mighty fine guard dog you have there," Chris snickered. "He looks really, uh…"

"He's _fierce_," Jenn snapped, "Now what's your plan? And it better be good, or else, yeah."

Chris scowled at her, "You're weird."

ooo

Trish walked out on the back balcony at Drake's parents' manor and looked out over the moonlit ocean. The butlers were setting the table for dinner, which would bring a welcome break from all the planning.

She rubbed her temples slightly and sighed. While she knew weddings took a lot out of you from all the family nuptials, this one would be _enormous._

Maybe they should just elope, but then again her family would never forgive her. Or her friends, especially Chris. Any excuse for free food and booze.

The Australian's thoughts turned to her friends, and she wondered what Jenn was up to in particular. She had a sneaking suspicion that Jenn hadn't been telling her the whole truth.

Trish sighed, _I'm hoping that it's just that I'm really tired and not that she's gone and disregarded my advice. Please don't have gone and done something utterly __**stupid**__!_

ooo

Sixteen year old Mallory Heath couldn't believe her eyes. The cute couple to her right, who had looked really familiar all through her appetizers, now looked _**really**_ familiar for a reason and she couldn't believe that no one else had picked up on it.

It was the Mightyena that was sprawled out at the feet of the couple, the big silver furred canine was sleeping right under the table of the booth they were eating at, which must have thrown all the others off base. It wasn't known if the Grand Master had a Mightyena, though certainly he must since he _was_ the Grand Master. That and the fact that the girl he had been teasingly off and on been friends and not dating, a la Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt, had since dyed her hair black!

Mallory lost all interest in her Balsamic Kingler and pulled out her _Blackberry_. She stealthily snapped a few shots of the couple and texted them to her favourite entertainment television show with a high priority flag, and a _very_ interesting subject header in all caps.

Then Mallory sat back in her seat and sighed. She waited for her boyfriend to come back from the restroom, and felt somewhat nervous. Her heart was beating rapidly and the sounds of the restaurant were a little muted.

She was excited and a little giddy. The teenager looked back to the couple, who were receiving their main course from their server.

So why was she starting to feel a little guilty?

ooo

It was 11pm when Jenn finally closed her bedroom door behind her and flopped, tired but happy, on her bed.

The date with Ash had gone so well and was so enjoyable. Totally contrary to Trish's worries, there were no paparazzi or fans to disturb them even once during the whole date.

Best of all, Jenn had come home to find that Trish and Drake still weren't back from his parents. And that meant that Jenn had _finally_ pulled one over on her best friend without anything going wrong.

For once, and if that wasn't a relief, she didn't know what was.

ooo

The next morning, Trish yawned as she rolled over and slapped sleepily at the alarm clock. Beside her, Drake was beginning to stir as well.

"Might as well put on the TV to see if anything interesting is going on," he gave her a kiss as he clicked the remote on the bedside stand.

"Probably nothing much…" the Australian muttered and closed her eyes for a few more precious minutes shuteye.

"And in an exclusive sent straight to _Entertainment Tonight_, the first photos of the Grand Master Ash Ketchum and his new lady love!"

Trish's eyes flew open wide and she sat straight up in bed to stare at the screen. "Oh….My…God."

Onscreen, a very happy looking brunette woman was talking with a co-host, a teal-haired man. "What do you think of that rebroadcast clip, Randy?"

"I'll tell you what, Mara, it was to _**die**_ for!" Randy gushed, then giggled, "Or maybe I should say to dye for! Did you see her _**hair**_? That was a professional job and I want to know who did it! Each strand was meticulously done! You cannot go from dyed blonde to dyed black without a pro to do it for you!"

Mara's smile faltered then strengthened, "That's not what I was going for, but we'll go with it. Yes, Jenn's hair was great. However, the ramifications of this secret date, which was revealed to us by a fan who wishes to remain anonymous, will surely stretch for weeks!"

"She's got that right," Trish glared darkly, and picked up her cell phone. "Drake, either take this phone away from me or let me dial."

Drake looked a little lost. "Do you really want me to take it away from you?"

"I'm not sure."

"While the couple were both in disguise, neither one was in a very good disguise as these two pictures show."

Trish looked up as the pictures the fan had taken were shown. She squinted at them and her eye twitched once. "Okay, that's _**it.**_ I'm calling her and she's not going to be facing anything other than a growling tiger!"

ooo

Jenn rolled over and sleepily picked up her cell phone. From the tune it was playing, the American knew that it was her best friend on the other end. "I guess she did stay overnight after all," she muttered to herself as she flipped open the phone and put it against her ear.

"Goddess J," she drawled out lazily. "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"Would you like to die now or later?" Trish said, sounding none too pleased.

The former blonde's eyes opened wide and she sat up in bed. This was totally unexpected! "_Excuse_ me? What on _earth_ are you talking about?"

"You LIED to me, Jenn!" Trish was clearly exasperated. "You went out on a date with Ash despite what I said. How could you do something so incredibly _**stupid**_??"

"How…how did you know?" Jenn was totally confused. How on earth could Trish have found out? Did Chris tell on her? She didn't think he would, but honestly, that would be really low!

"Thanks to _Entertainment Tonight_, photos from your date are being broadcast all over the world."

"The huh?"

"Turn on your TV, Jenn," Trish ground out, "I know you have one in your room, and you'd really better be in your room and not his!"

Jenn's eyes widened with shock, "I'm sorry, I think I was still asleep. What did you just say?"

"Did you turn your TV on yet?"

Jenn found her remote, muttering wordless nitpicks as she did. As the screen came to life, she put the appropriate channel on. "Nothing's on but an infomercial."

"Then put on _PNN_."

"_The PokeNews Network_?" Jenn made a face. "That's the…"

"I _know_ what it is. Drake's interviewed by them almost daily," Trish said, "Ash probably is, too. _PNN_ is the Pokémon League version of _CNN_. Everyone knows that."

"Well I don't watch it because everyone knows they're just as boring as _CNN_," Jenn sighed. "What channel is it on?"

"45," Trish said, "And I'll know when you have it on."

Jenn rolled her eyes, but put the channel on. She immediately wished she hadn't.

"…following the possible controversy of this date. Paul, what do you think about it? Do you think he was seeing this girl before he was divorced, or do you think it was after?"

"Well, Mark, I think it's possible they were seeing each other before the divorce, but maybe not as lovers. Do I think the spark was there? Absolutely."

"Already Misty supporters are crying out in a Brangelina Affair. Do you think it's possible that we're seeing something similar here in the Orange Islands, or is it just a curious similarity that happens to be going on at the same time as a celebrity divorce is in the process of wrapping up and…"

"Do you see what I mean?" Trish asked loudly, "Jenn? Hello? You still there?"

Jenn slid out of her bed and snapped her phone shut. "This is so not good." She looked around her room and was suddenly very glad for the fact that someone had drawn the blinds and pulled the lilac coloured drapes shut over the windows. She avoided them like the plague, and was relieved that they were located opposite of her bathroom and the hallway door.

Her phone rang again, but she ignored it. Almost methodically, she grabbed a fresh change of clothes and took a quick shower. After she fully dried and straightened her hair, she quietly made her way downstairs. She knew she would be in for a ribbing, but she wasn't without friends. She had Kigali and Chance by her side. The two Pokémon had been sleeping downstairs and had heard her coming.

She smiled when she saw them. Her guardians, and she figured she'd be needing them!

As she feared, there were people up and around. Shannon and Jaime were in the kitchen, and they exchanged looks when they saw her.

"So…was last night good?" Shannon asked casually. "Get a lot of training in?"

"Yup," Jenn replied, just as casual as she walked over to the fridge to get out the container of pulp free orange juice. Maybe, just maybe, she was going to be let off the proverbial hook this time.

Alas, Jaime wasn't in on the 'memo' to act casual. "Trish called a few minutes ago to say that she and Drake were coming back straight away," the Canadian said bluntly. "You'd better be prepared cuz I've never heard her so mad before."

"I already _know_ that," Jenn muttered as she poured herself a glass, then sat down at the centre island.

Jaime nodded sympathetically, "Did she wake you up with an angry phone call?"

"Angry is putting it mild," Jenn snorted, "Really, _**really**_ mild."

To top things off, Chris sauntered in and had a look that was mixed between uneasy and smug. "Nice going, hotshot. The paparazzi are already camped outside and I bet they're at Ash's place too."

"I don't know," Jenn grumbled and watched as he raided the fridge for something to eat. "I'm debating on going to my room and never leaving it again, or asking Ash to teleport me to Bora Bora. And one of those hopefully before Trish gets back."

"Too late now," Jaime snickered. "Guess who's back."

Trish came striding into the kitchen, followed closely by Drake, and plopped herself in the chair opposite her best friend. "I tell you it is an absolute MADHOUSE out there," she complained. "I sure hope that no one is planning to go out somewhere because you're not going to get through that pack _alive_. If it hadn't been for Dragonite, we wouldn't have made it inside."

"Great…" Shannon smiled weakly. The shyest member of the group, she was never comfortable being in the spotlight. The last few times they had been bothered by the press, Shannon had refused to poke even her nose outside.

"Since it's too late for I'm sorry, I'll just get straight to the point of whatever it takes to fix this mess," Jenn said bluntly.

"Maybe you should've thought of that _before_ you went out on that premeditated date," Trish glowered.

Drake quickly fixed Trish a cup of coffee and handed it to his fiancée. She accepted it with a tender glance up at him, then turned an angry look at Jenn. "I just can't believe you'd do such a thing! And after I specifically told you _not_ to!"

"First off, quit making it sound like I went off and killed someone," Jenn said calmly, deliberately trying to not get angry. She knew from experience that it wouldn't do any good. "Secondly, everyone's telling me to go off and date him, then telling me not to. It's confusing."

The Australian sighed. "I never said for you to not date Ash. I just said for you not to go out on any _public_ dates with him until you're more comfortable with telling the entire world. You can still date Ash, Jenn. Now everyone thinks you two are the new Brangelina."

Jenn winced, "Please quit reminding me."

"Someone needs to _keep_ reminding you," Trish glanced over the rim of her coffee mug before taking a sip.

"Not like Jenn is quite up to her level," Chris said jauntily, "She ain't quite got Angie's…lips…"

"I'm so gonna kill you!" Jenn seethed and started standing up.

"I don't think so!" Trish said firmly, "As I have dibs on killing _you_ first."

Chris made a face a five-year-old would be proud of and made a hasty retreat from the kitchen.

"I mean, I totally appreciated all the hard work you did the other night, but it was a little too quiet," the former blonde complained. "I thought going out like that would be a little more fun."

"Before that date Trish set up, you didn't know what to do, and you'd said that you didn't want to go out for dinner either," Shannon pointed out.

"I know, I know, but," Jenn looked down at Kigali and Chance, and the Mightyena nuzzled her knee. "This going out secretly just seemed so impulsive and mysterious. It was dangerous."

"See? She is like Angelina. Only without the," Chris had ducked his head back into the kitchen. He made a motion that started to aim towards his chest, and then went towards his mouth. "Lips."

Jenn's eyes widened, "You little jerk! I've got enough cleavage, thank you very much!"

But the Scot only shook his head and vanished back to wherever he was going, and it was back to damage control in the kitchen.

"Now you two are going to have to go public and hold a press conference," Trish said firmly. "It's the only way to clear the facts and calm everything down. Whether you are ready for the limelight or not."

"And here I thought for sure that _nothing_ could go wrong this time," Jenn groaned and buried her face in her hands. "We were in disguise and there were no paparazzi. Ash said he couldn't sense any of them around for miles."

"Next time you're going to sneak off, you tell me first," Trish ordered. "Every time you've snuck off, something bad happens. At least if you had told us, we could have made sure the disguise was a _good _one."

"I was wearing my good Manolos!" Jenn protested. "And nothing bad really happened. It's not like I died or anything."

Jaime and Shannon groaned, and even Chance whined out in protest. Kigali looked confused and hid behind the larger Pokémon.

"Jenn," Trish said calmly, even though she wanted to throttle her best friend. "You were kidnapped by Lu the last time, you do remember that, right?"

"Duh."

"He did make it look like you were smattered all over a parking lot, right?"

"Duh, part deux."

"You remember being an Absol, right?"

"Tcha, that was _totally_ fun," Jenn grinned evilly, and then glowered. "I still want my fire power back. That was totally cool."

Trish sighed and shook her head, "Okay, I was just checking."

"You know, it would make an awesome birthday present. Just FYI."

"You're impossible, you do know that."

Jenn shrugged, "It's what makes me possible."

ooo

Over at Ash's villa, the paparazzi were camped outside in their hundreds, hoping to get a glimpse of the Grand Master and perhaps his new girlfriend if she was there. Many hoped Jenn had spent the night and they were forgetful enough to leave the blinds and curtains wide open.

It would be a million dollar shot if they were to catch a steamy embrace or an illicit sex photo. The photographer would never have to work again. Tabloids, magazines, TV entertainment shows and websites would pay big bucks for it.

Unfortunately they found they couldn't move into the property beyond the front gate thanks to an invisible wall thrown up by some Psychic Pokémon.

Inside things were a little calmer.

"Meeeeeeooooooowth," Meowth whistled as he came back from risking a peek outside. "Dere must be _hundeds_ of paparazzi out dere. Dey's gonna eat you alive if you step out dat door, Twerp."

"I know that," Ash said calmly as he sipped his coffee.

"Dey must be outside Drake's place too. Betcha Jenn's not too happy about dat."

"_I bet that __**Drake**__ isn't too happy about that either,_" Pikachu chirped as she popped a piece of Brock's special Pokéchow into her mouth.

"I thought you said that you couldn't sense any paparazzi around," Brock said as he stood at the stove and flipped some pancakes for breakfast.

"I couldn't," Ash said. "What I didn't count on was a fan and her cell phone camera."

"Has that fan come forward and confessed?" Brock transferred some of the pancakes to a plate.

"No," Ash sighed, "But it doesn't really matter. This could really all be good for our relationship."

Brock and Meowth had identical reactions, "WHAAAA??"

Pikachu looked thoughtful, then nodded, "_She'd take forever to get to the next step."_

Meowth recovered with the speed of his species, "Well yea, she woild, but don't youise think dis is gonna make her go inta hidin?"

Ash's mahogany eyes glimmered, "I won't let her."

"Ash, you can't force a woman into something she doesn't want to do," Brock said wisely, then looked glum, "Trust me, I know what I'm talking about."

Ash watched his friend as he carried a plate heaped with pancakes over to the table, "I won't, Brock, honestly. I'm just going to show her what it could be like if she accepted it, instead of tried to hide from it."

Brock and Meowth exchanged looks and grinned.

"You're a smart man, Ash," Brock said and shook his head.

"_That's my Pikapi!"_ Pikachu said proudly.

ooo

_The Mainland _

The phone rang incessantly, waking her from a sound sleep. Finally she was unable to ignore it any longer and Misty reached over and ripped the cordless phone from its charger. Without looking her digital alarm clock, because she figured she'd either cry or be really upset if she looked at it, she settled for being angry.

"You'd better have a _damn_ good reason for waking me up…"

"Misty, you'd like, better _totally_ turn on your TV!"

"Daisy?" Misty turned on her bedside lamp and rubbed at her eyes. She squinted at the sudden bright light and silently cursed at herself. "It's only three in the morning. Why did you call?"

"Mistay! Your TV! NOW!"

"Okay, okay," Misty grabbed her remote from her bedside stand and aimed it at her TV. The TV, a 53 inch wall mounted flat screen, was one of the many things that Ash had had provided for her as part of the divorce settlement. It was in the midsized Cerulean City house that overlooked the ocean.

The channel that she'd last had on was the Soap Opera channel. As scheduled, _All My Growlithe_, was playing. "I don't think I'm seeing what you're seeing," she muttered. "What channel are you going mental over?"

"Like _PNN_!" Daisy was just about hyperventilating. "Ohmigod, I am so, like, _totally_ sorry, Mistay! I'm, like, so there for you! Do you, like, need me to come over or something?"

"Uh…no."

"Mistay! You still haven't, like, put the channel on!" Daisy wailed, "Put on the, like, stinking channel!"

"Okay, fine," Misty rolled her eyes and rubbed the massive swell of her belly. Any day now, she was due to…

"…experts are agreeing and disagreeing up and down the arena on this story! Whether or not this has been an affair in the making or a love story that's just happened, it's almost beginning to not matter."

Misty blanched and her hand fell from her belly. She heard the remote clatter to the floor. Her heart began to race and her breathing increased.

The two people on the screen laughed. "I don't know about you, but I think they make an adorable couple! They drive Brad and Angelina right off the scale for having a hidden romance, don't you think?"

"Oh, absolutely! In fact, some say this may have begun almost a year ago! Can you imagine?"

"Mistay? I can hear an echo so I, like, totally know you're on, like, the same channel I'm on!" Daisy's voice echoed in her ears, "Do you need me to, like, drop by? Hello? Mistay?"

Then a picture flashed across the screen and Misty's ears began to buzz. The phone slid from her fingers and dropped onto the bed. She could hear her sister's voice, small and tinny, from its place on the bed, but she couldn't understand the words.

The two people in the picture…They were sitting in a booth. The guy was wearing a baseball cap. It was all blue and had an Arabian looking Rapidash head on the cap. If the cap was his old league one, the Rapidash head would be where the L would've been. His hair was short and very black. He wore a black t-shirt and blue jeans. You couldn't see what shoes he was wearing, but Misty was betting they were probably black hiking boots.

And the girl. Her heart skipped a beat and then sped up again. _'Oh Ash, why did you lie?_ _Why were you with her?'_ Misty's head spun and her mouth went dry. '_How many times were you alone with her when we were still married? I was with Gary and I was practically ostracized; yet you were with her for God only knows how long, and it's okay? You two get to be the new Brangelina?'_

It was then that a sharp pain stabbed through her belly. Misty's breath hitched and she clenched her teeth as the pain griped her.

'_Wait for it to pass. You've gone through this before. False alarm, false alarm…'_

Fifteen minutes later…Twenty minutes later…

Then her water broke, and Misty realized that it wasn't a false alarm.

When the ambulance came to take her away, Misty almost smiled. She knew the delivery room was going to have an earful this night. Her poor sister Daisy, who had stayed on the phone when Misty realized what was going on, had called the ambulance for her and then rushed over until the ambulance got there, was in the back with her little sister.

"It's like, totally okay," Daisy said reassuringly, and sat by Misty's head in the ambulance, "I totally won't leave until you want me to."

Misty would've replied, but the paramedic had fitted her with an oxygen mask.

"Completely regulation," as he had explained.

And so Misty squeezed Daisy's hand in reply.

Of course, Misty had told Daisy to not tell Ash anything about his child being born. She wanted him to find out the same way that she had found out about this little date.

She'd tell the paparazzi. After selling the first photo rights. Of course. In her eyes, she was doing all the labor, she at least deserved some compensation. And the first photos of the first child of the Grand Master and Legendary Chosen One should fetch a very pretty penny.

Several _million_ pretty pennies!

And if anyone dared to call Misty greedy, she would just tell them that she was keeping the welfare of her child in mind. Who would know how long Ash would be in power?

ooo

_Pummelo_

"What am I gonna do to fix this?" Jenn asked her friends. "I can't even go outside the house since everyone's saying we're the next Brangelina."

Chris snickered. "I think you need a few cosmetic enhancements before you can call yourself that."

Jenn's face flushed scarlet and if looks could kill, Chris would have dropped dead on the spot. "I'm just going to kill you, preferably now. Kay?"

"Before we all kill each other," Drake interrupted before the fight could escalate further. "I think the best thing would be to talk to Ash and have a strategy meeting about what to do."

There was a sudden popping noise before Ash, Brock, James, Jessie, Meowth and Pikachu all appeared in the kitchen. Shannon and Jaime jumped a little while Trish grabbed Jenn's arm to ensure she did not run.

"Speak of the devil," the Orange Crew Leader said cheerfully. "So how about we all go into the great room where we can talk without any fear of the paparazzi?"

"Sure," Ash nodded before his cell phone rang. The Grand Master fished it out of his jacket pocket and handed it over to Brock. "Could you answer it, please?"

The Pokémon Breeder flipped the phone open. "Hello, Brock speaking."

'_Who is it?'_ Ash mouthed to his friend.

'_Lily'_ Brock mouthed back before speaking. "Is that so? Well I'll let him know straight away. Thanks for calling." He flipped the phone shut.

"That was Lily," Brock informed the group. "Ash, you'd better get over to Cerulean City fast. Misty's gone into labor."

Ash's eyes widened. "You're right. C'mon Pik." The agile electric mouse leapt onto his shoulder and the two vanished.

"Well…this certainly makes things more complicated," Drake said with a sigh. "Misty will almost certainly use the baby as a way to get the sympathy vote. The pregnant wife abandoned by a cheating husband."

"That's such a total lie," Jenn ground out. "We only had a grand total of two dates and we haven't gotten to the sex part yet."

"Then you'll have to get friends who would be prepared to stand up for you in public and declare that you are innocent."

Jenn cast a pleading look at her best friend opposite the table. "I mean, I know that's not gonna be the difficult part."

"No, but the difficult part is going to be proving other things," Drake said smoothly. "And proving them, if need be, without repercussion on other people's behalf."

"Mmhmm," Trish nodded, "I agree."

"Could someone slip me the script," Jenn said, and waved a hand, "Because I totally forgot my lines."

"What Drake and I meant was this," Trish said, "If it came down to Misty saying that you and Ash were together before the divorce was final, and you took a lie detector test, you would end up with the results being a lie."

"But I wasn't _with_ him!"

"You slept with Ash before the divorce was final, Jenn," Drake said, "And you've been naked around him."

Chris choked on his beverage of choice, "She _**what**_?!"

"I did _not_!" Jenn said hotly. "I would know if I had sex with him!"

"And he's been naked with you before, too," Trish reminded her, to which Drake nodded. "Ringing any bells at all?"

"NO!"

"Then it's a good thing I dug this out of your drawers this morning," Trish said and pulled something out of her purse. She maximized it and threw it at her friend.

Jenn caught the red and white object and stared at it. Her eyes widened and she gaped at Trish, "You…"

It was about that time that Kigali and Chance trotted into the kitchen. They had squeezed in through the doggie door system that Trish had put in for the canine pokémon. The two had come in fast, to escape the paparazzi. Apparently, they had snuck into the back yard area as well.

Jenn's eyes widened a little more, "You're talking about when I was an Absol."

"See, hun, the wheels _are_ clicking," Drake chuckled. "It only takes a little time for things up there to warm up."

"I'm not going to degrade my poke ball with throwing it at you," Jenn stuck her nose in the air, "I simply won't." She got serious, "But if they do try to give me a lie detector test, that's gonna seriously blow. They'll catch me in a lie. I _did_ sleep with him before the marriage was over. I swam in the ocean and when I came back in, I shook my fur out all over him and Misty."

Jenn looked up and saw everyone staring at her. She shrugged, "It was fun, you should ask Pikachu about it. Or ask Meowth to ask Pikachu about it. Um…Kigali, Chance, let's go do…something."

Jenn vacated the kitchen rather quickly, leaving her friends in a rather confused state.

"Is it just me," Drake looked after the dark haired girl, "Or does she get weirder by the day?"

"It's not just you, Drake," Chris said, "It's definitely not just you."

ooo

When Trish walked into Jenn's bedroom, she found the former blonde lying down on her bed, face first, Kigali snuggled into her side while Chance lay on the floor.

The Mightyena shifted over a little to allow the Australian to sit down on the corner of the bed that was unoccupied.

"I'm never gonna leave this room, _eve_r again, for the rest of my life," Jenn's muffled voice came from the pillows. "My life is over. Ruined."

"It's not that bad," Trish said gently.

Jenn peeked up from one side of the pillow, "You've got to be kidding me."

"I mean, well yes, it's bad," Trish admitted, "But it could be worse."

Jenn snorted, "I don't want it to be worse. We've been through worse."

"There is that."

"And even Chris is right," Jenn sighed. "The stupirazzi is comparing me and Ash to Brad and Angelina, and only one of us are anywhere near celebrity status."

"Hey, now."

"It's true!" Jenn sat up so suddenly that she startled Kigali into shooting off a small ice beam. "Oops, sorry, Allie."

All three missed seeing Chance's eyes widen at the nickname. Strange to them, but oh so familiar to him. He settled back on the floor by Jenn's feet and opted for watching the ice frosted chair defrost.

"Well have to get some towels for that later," Trish murmured.

"I mean, I'm not even Cinderella status. I'm not even mouse that gets turned into a horse to take Cinderella to the ball status."

"You're just a little _too_ overdramatic, you know."

Chance nodded his agreement, though it went unseen by the humans.

Jenn rolled her eyes, "C'mon, Trish! No one even likes my hair being dark. Except me."

"I'm sure Ash likes it."

"I don't know." Jenn sighed and shrugged. "I mean, this is a _baby_, Trish! It's a totally visible reminder that they were married and had plans to be together forever. I wasn't in his plans, she was. The only reason Ash isn't with Misty now is because she couldn't keep her hands off of my ex-boyfriend."

Trish nodded, "But Ash is with you _now_, Jenn, so there really isn't anything much she can do about it."

Jenn blanched, "Trish, what if she forces me to take a lie detector test? What if she somehow finds out I was that Absol that was at their house? She didn't like me, and I was really…"

"Obnoxious?"

"To say the least," Jenn said glumly, "I don't even like my hair dark."

"Now this is a conversation that is going in all different directions," Trish shook her head. "You've got to calm down, Jenn. You're falling apart on me!"

"No, I'm not," Jenn gritted her teeth, "I'm _totally_ together. PUCK!!!"

"Huh? You call that 'totally together?'!!" Trish looked surprised. "What's going on? The conversation wasn't even on Puck? You're saying that Puck did your hair? I thought James did your hair?"

"Well, he tried, really hard, but he called in a favour," Jenn explained.

"And that would be me," Puck materialized in the centre of Jenn's room. "Got tired of the dark side, blondie?"

"Not yet," Jenn said wickedly, "Just the dark hair."

Puck rolled his eyes, "Get over here."

Jenn got up and walked over to the annoyed looking Fae, "Just like it was before, kay?"

"Trust me, I've got better things to be doing today than to be messing around with annoying mortals like you." Puck held his hands over her head. "I was allowed to retain at least a large fraction of my powers, not all but a great deal of them."

"And you'd waste them on parlour tricks like this?" Trish raised an eyebrow.

"My lady Trish, she'll owe me in the end, but for one thing," Puck's hands shone with a brilliant intensity for a brief second before fading to reveal glistening blonde strands. He stepped away and looked satisfied. "And secondly, it definitely beats hearing her moping and whining if she'd have this done the mortal way in a salon."

Jenn's eyes widened, "I'd never!"

Puck looked evil, "Why, one would almost think you were an Absol, with the way you went about whining."

Her eyes narrowed, "You do overstay your welcome, errant Puck!"

"Tsk, tsk," Puck chuckled, "Your attempts at sounding learned are vastly overrated." He sketched a bow, "But they are immeasurably amusing. I bid thee adieu…"

And with that, he faded out of sight and out of the room.

"There is trouble that comes with asking him for help," Trish shook her head, but smiled, "You do know that, don't you?"

"I needed the help," Jenn shrugged, then studied a strand of now golden blonde hair, "Besides, it looks good, and it was fast, and not expensive."

"And it's going to throw the media for a loop," Trish sighed and shook her head again, "You're really going to irritate them."

"Then my work is off to a good start!"

ooo

_Cerulean City_

Ash and Pikachu materialised in a quiet park adjacent to the _Cerulean City Hospital_. Luckily for the Grand Master, no one was around, especially no paparazzi.

Ash looked up at the tall grey building for a moment and hesitated. "I'm not so sure this was such a wise idea to come here."

"_No backing out now, Pikapi,"_ Pikachu clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "Not only would you kick yourself for the rest of your life if you missed the birth of your first child, but it will also deny Misty the chance to depict you as a uncaring ex-husband and father."

"You think I should just waltz on in?"

"_I think you'd be a fool not to,"_ she said, and patted his head with her paw, "_And if you don't, I'll just shock you until you walk in there." _

"Pikachu…"

A low voltage jolt ran through him, and Ash bit back a grin until she let up. Then he smoothed down the hair he knew was standing on end and sighed. "Okay, okay, let's go and welcome my…child."

And before the press and paparazzi had any clue that the Grand Master's child was being born, Ash walked under the overhang of _Cerulean City Hospital_'s main entrance, and into the main lobby. As the doors closed behind him, he felt a separation of one part of his life, and the beginning of a new one.

In some ways, it was scarier than facing Lu, and he only hoped he was ready to face it.

_To be continued….._

_Author's Note__: Ah this global financial crisis is causing so much stress (for many parents and for those of us adults currently in full time employment. Keyword – currently. All you can do is keep a sense of humour!_

45


	39. Chapter 38 With Arms Wide Open

_Midsummer Nights _

_By Trish_

Disclaimer I do not own Pokémon or Puck. I do own Poppy, Poptart and the storyline. The lyrics in the title come from "_With Arms Wide Open_" by Creed.

_Chapter Thirty-Eight__ My Life is Gonna Change_

Jenn twirled a golden strand of hair around one finger. "Do you think this'll work? I know I call 'em stupirazzi for a reason, but can they really be that dumb?"

Trish shook her head. "Only for a nanosecond, Jenn. You would have been better to stay dark. Now you are instantly recognisable because you are back to what you were before."

The blonde frowned. "That's totally not the answer I was going for."

"I'm not so sure this was such a great idea, Jenn. By going blonde, you're playing straight into Misty's hands. She'd be able to portray you as this blonde seductress who can't keep her hands to herself."

"But everyone knows I'm not like that!" Jenn protested. "I'm _**totally**_ angelic."

"I'll take you up on the angelic part later, but yes, the private you is quiet and good. But the public you that you've been either consciously or unconsciously creating is basically that of a badass," Trish reminded her. "And that's not going to help in proving your innocence now."

Jenn sighed, and Kigali snuggled up against her side. "I wonder what, um, I should do to try to prove that I am innocent."

"You could pull a Paris Hilton and be really nice to the paparazzi," Shannon suggested. "Feed them loads of _Pichu Bell_ and let them talk to you and take pictures."

"Yeah, this from someone afraid to stick her nose out the door," Jenn said wryly.

Shannon shrugged sheepishly, "It wouldn't be me doing it, so I don't mind making the suggestion."

"And it wouldn't be you, so you wouldn't have to pay for it, either," Jenn snorted and shook her head. "No thanks, I've got Pokémon and I'm not afraid to use 'em. Someone's got something with teleport. And if not that, then someone's got something that can fly really fast. We can just…use…that suggestion…Why does it seem like no one likes the second suggestion?"

"Because, Jenn, _**no one**_ likes the second suggestion," Trish said dryly, "There are those of us that like to wear skirts or dresses on occasion, and then there are those of us that like to style our hair or wear contact lenses. None of which are conducive to travelling on really fast flying pokémon."

"Yeah," Shannon said, "And let's not bring up why the guys won't fly on really fast pokémon."

Trish giggled, "They probably would have a few objections there."

"Okay, fine," Jenn rolled her eyes, "So it was a bad idea."

"Yep," Trish said and was about to say something else when Jenn's cell phone started to simultaneously vibrate and ring to a ringtone that had the blonde snatch it from the countertop, except that Trish grabbed it first and let it play. "_He's a one stop shop, makes the panties drop. He's a sweet-talkin', sugar coated candy man."_

"Wow, Jenn, I'd think you were thinking about a certain Grand Master with this ringtone…"

Jenn snatched the phone off of Trish and flipped it open, "Hello? Yeah, I've seen it and I meant to call you. No, of _course _none of it's true! Whaddya mean, you wish it was?" The blonde ignored the two girls' confused looks and left the room, talking as she did, "You are really not helping, Mom! Whaddya mean Dad said I should go for it, too? This is so not the conversation I wanted to have with my parents."

Trish watched as the blonde left the kitchen and shook her head, "I wondered when they'd be calling her."

"I'm just surprised they haven't called earlier," Shannon said. "But that's the ringtone she had for her parents? Or is that a general ringtone?"

"It's a general one, I think," Trish said with a grin, "But I think it says a lot about her current situation."

"Yeah, you think?"

ooo

_Pallet_

Daisy winced and covered her ears as another ear-splitting shriek echoed out from the labour ward. The tall blonde had refused to accompany her youngest sister into the labour ward because childbirth was totally disgusting, and newborn babies were like, so totally red and _gross_.

If she had ever had doubts of Misty's lung capacity, they were gone now. Daisy wondered if the doctor and nurses would need surgery to repair their eardrums afterwards.

The blonde glanced up as someone entered the room and her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "You!"

"Yes, Daisy, good to see you too," Ash said easily. From his shoulder, Pikachu gave a little wave.

"How…how did you, like know? I so totally did not tell _**you**_."

"You didn't, but hey I'm psychic, or didn't Misty tell you that?" the Grand Master smiled. "And I have every right to be here. This is my child as much as Misty's. He or she is our child no matter what."

"Don't get all, like, preachy on me, Ash," Daisy rolled her eyes and gave a little shudder of pure annoyance, "I know all about kids and how they're made. I totally don't need a lesson on it from you."

Ash gave a shrug, "How long has she been in there?"

"For like, nearly seven hours."

Ash winced, "I guess it's not a good time for me to show up."

Pikachu smacked him on the side of the head, "It's the perfect time."

"Better late than never," Daisy said, "I may not like babies, but like, this is gonna be my niece or nephew. Ash, I can't even believe that you'd be, like, not _**be **_there for Mistay when she totally needs you. This is your hour as much as it is hers."

"Let's reverse the insults, Daisy," Ash shook his head, "I don't need a lesson on it from you."

Daisy narrowed her eyes, "Like, listen up, Ash. I'm totally angry with you and I'm gonna totally be a lady because I'm in the maternity ward of a hospital! Yeah it was totally bad that Mistay did what she did with Gary, but you went and did what you did with someone who isn't even famous!"

"Excuse me?"

Daisy ignored Ash's surprised tone and ploughed on, "Like, at least Gary's famous and well known in the Pokémon field. He's like, a good trainer, his grandfather's well known, and he's got some cash. But this Jenn girl? She's, like, got nothing to offer but, like, totally bad hair. You really, like, should dump her faster than a hot potato and get back together with my little sister!"

Ash blinked and looked over at Pikachu. The little mouse looked just as surprised as he felt, though her cheeks belied her true feelings. They sparked just a little.

"Uh, Daisy, maybe you should not be so rude."

Daisy laughed, "Oh, Ash! I'm totally not being rude! I'm just saying what, like, no one else is saying because they're too polite to totally say it. It just needs to be said."

Just then, there was another vigorous yell from the birthing room. It just wasn't the yell of a newborn.

"ASH KETCHUM, WHEN I FIND YOU, YOU'RE NEVER GONNA BE CAPABLE OF MAKING BABIES EVER AGAIN!!!!!"

Ash gulped, and Pikachu gave a little Pika laugh.

"Don't worry, Pikapi," she patted him on his shoulder, "That's what **every** female says when they're giving birth."

"In Misty's case," Ash murmured, "I think she means it."

"And with the media," Daisy kept on talking and it was apparent that she hadn't heard Ash and Pikachu's exchange, " They've totally, like, overdone it! You and Jenn being the next Brangelina? Puh-leze!!! She looks totally stupid with dark hair! She doesn't look that good with blonde hair either though, if you like ask me. But, like, point being I think you two were totally hooking up before you were even fully divorced." Daisy took a breath and looked like she was thinking.

Pikachu looked down at Ash and patted his shoulder reassuringly, "Don't get mad, Pikapi. It won't be good for you or the light bulbs."

Ash forced himself to calm down, because he was getting more than a little upset at Daisy's comments. He knew that visibly getting upset would only prove to Daisy that she was right, and Lugia help them all if she relayed anything back to Misty about a revelation from Ash himself.

"…so don't you think? Ash?" Daisy stared at him and repeated her question demandingly, "Ash! Like, don't you agree with me?"

"About what?"

"Giving her a test to prove whether she's innocent or not?" Daisy snapped. "I want this proven once and for all."

"_Pikapi, __**don't**__!"_

"Fine, yes," Ash snapped back, "Whatever!"

"Like, thanks!" Daisy said with relief, and then ran off down the hall, "I'll go call Lilly and let her know!"

Ash felt a little sick, "What did I just agree to?"

"_You're the psychic._"

Ash sighed, "Pik…"

"Oh nothing, genius," _Pikachu said wryly_, "Just lie detector tests for you and Jenn. That's all."

"Oh, is that all?" Ash sighed again, but wearily this time. "So that would be what you were trying to warn me about?"

"_Yep._"

"Uh, thanks."

"_Yep."_

Suddenly, the two felt a burst of energy wash over them with a sharp pins and needles sensation. Ash felt the hairs rise on his arms and the back of his neck, and a ghostly voice ran through his head.

"Daddy…I'm here…"

Ash closed his eyes as the sensations washed over him, and in a second it was gone, only to be replaced by the robust cries of a newborn. He opened his eyes as the doctor yelled out, "It's a girl!"

Pikachu looked up at him, "Congratulations, Ash."

"Thanks, Pik," He smiled softly, "Ready to head back? We can come back a little later."

She nodded, and the two vanished just as Daisy turned from the phones to head back.

ooo

Pummelo

Ash and Pikachu reappeared in the great room of Drake's villa, causing Shannon to jump with a startled eep and drop her book.

"Hey, look who's back," Chris greeted. "Should we say congratulations or commiserations?" This earned him a thwack on the back of the head from Mia.

"Congratulations, of course!!!" she chided. "The birth of the first child is always a great occasion!"

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Trish asked.

"Girl."

"Oh congratulations!" She beamed. "I hope when I have kids that I have a least one girl."

"How many do you want?" Jaime asked the Australian.

"Oh I'm doomed to have four. It runs in my family," Trish grinned. "Two boys and two girls."

"Hope you like kids, Drake!" Chris smirked.

"Did you see Misty?" Brock asked.

"No," Ash admitted guiltily, "I stayed in the hallway and got berated by Daisy."

"I'm guessing not willingly," Brock said, "Anything new or did she actually make a point?"

"Not really," Ash shrugged, then nodded when Pikachu tapped him on his head, "Yeah I know, Pik. What she means is that Daisy went into a huge rant about why I shouldn't be dating Jenn because she's not famous."

"Geeze, that's really shallow," Chris snorted, "Even for Daisy."

"I'll say," Mia agreed, "And just how famous is she to get to say that?"

"Uh, she's pretty famous, Mia," Ash said as kindly as he could, "She's one of the Cerulean Sisters, and she's a Gym leader. "

"And she's a moron!" Mia snapped, "Let's not forget about that!"

"Well I'm the bigger moron," Ash sighed, "I sort of talked to Pikachu for a second and didn't hear what Daisy was saying. I heard the tail end of Daisy's conversation, then tried to hear what Pikachu was warning me about, and as Daisy was bugging me and trying to get me to agree with her, I kind of just agreed with her."

"So?" Brock said, "What's the big deal?"

"So I unintentionally agreed for me and Jenn to take lie detector tests to prove that we weren't cheating on Misty during the marriage and before the divorce was even mentioned," Ash gave a little chuckle, "Kind of…uh…silly of me."

There was a rumble of mixed emotions ranging from disbelief, to anger, to shock. Mia looked angry about it, "How _dare_ she even think about that! Of course Jenn wasn't romantically linked with you! The girl might have had a crush on you, but that was about it!"

"Actually, Mia, that's not entirely true," Trish said cautiously, "Remember when Ash was Satochu?"

There were various nods all around the room.

"That's right," Shannon said, "And that was way before the whole Jenn's an Absol thing."

Trish nodded and continued, "If the questions get _really _technical," Ash winced at Trish's words, "You had your hands all over her in that form, and in the most inappropriate times and places."

Brock shook his head, "There's more to this though, guys. If news of that part gets out, Gary might have to somehow get reinstated into the League."

"What?" Jenn had walked into the room, "No freaking way!"

Brock shrugged, "Welcome to the conversation."

"Thanks," She said and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, "But no freaking way is porcupine head getting reinstated. He kicked me!"

"You bit him."

"No, I _tried_ to bite him. I didn't get a chance to."

"The point is," Brock spoke up louder, "That his story was true and that he wasn't lying. You were a Pokémon, and Ash did use you in a League sanctioned battle against his pokémon. I don't think the battle would have been disqualified in any way since you were a full pokémon at the time, but he was – for the most part – telling the truth."

Jenn slumped with her bottle of water at the centre island. "We are so completely doomed. I should throw myself off the nearest cliff and save everyone the pain."

"Uh, Jenn, wouldn't that just be causing _you _all the pain?" Shannon pointed out. "And you don't like pain."

"Yeah but if I do it right, then it would only be for, like, a second."

"What if you don't get it right?"

"I'll make damn sure I get it right the first time!"

"That's not going to solve anything, Jenn," Trish shook her head. "And if you even dare to try that, then I'll find a way to bring you back so I can kick your butt."

"I thought you'd say something like that," the blonde sighed. "And tell me why my idea is not such a good one, when the truth is just gonna get me and Ash into deep shit."

"Because committing suicide would just confirm to the whole world that you are guilty," the Australian explained. "And Gary and Misty would just continue to trash your reputation after you're gone and there won't be anything you can do about it."

"But there isn't anything we can do," Jenn said gloomily. "Once these test results come out, we're done for."

Trish patted her on the back. "What we are going to do, is call a brain storming session with all of our close group, including Callie and Puck, Jessie, James and Meowth and all of the Pokémon. Between all of us, we're sure to come up with something."

Jaime who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "I've got an idea, though it might not be right…"

"I don't care if it's not right as long as it gets us out of this mess!" Jenn growled.

"Anyway," Jaime continued. "I was thinking what if the Fae or Mewtwo wiped everyone's memories of Ash being Satochu and Jenn being an Absol?"

"That wouldn't help with the lie detector tests," Drake shook his head.

"But honestly, who would believe a person who said they were turned into a Pokémon?" Jaime shook her head. "I wouldn't have believed it, except that I'm friends with you guys. And not many people know that Ash is the Chosen One, and who would believe that either?"

"No!" Jenn looked horrified, "For one thing, I don't want anyone messing around with my mind!"

"I have to agree with you, Jenn," Chris said with loads of concern in his voice.

"You do?" The blonde looked shocked. "Really?"

"Oh yeah," He nodded, "Your brain's already too delicate to be messin' with. I don't think they need to go prancing around in it and wiping out anything else. Who knows what those Absol memories are attached to? Could be next to something important like walkin' or…"

But Jenn had had it to her breaking point by then and ran after the doomed Scot, who finally got the point and took off with a laugh. However, Drake caught the angry blonde and held her so she couldn't tear after Chris.

Trish raised an eyebrow, "Now, Jenn, no killing today, alright?"

Jenn sighed, "Okay, I promise."

Trish gave her a pointed look.

"I promise!" Jenn said and shrugged out of Drake's grasp. She walked back over to her seat. "Anyway, my first point was that I don't want anyone messing around with my mind because I really don't like the idea of anyone going through my mind and just cutting out memories. I don't think it's safe."

Mia shook her head, "Puck's really good at what he does, Jenn. I don't think he'd mess up."

Jenn sipped at her water and shrugged, "I liked being an Absol. It was cool, you know? I don't want to lose those kinds of memories."

The room was silent for a little while.

"What if Puck only took the memories away for a little while?" Drake suggested.

"Huh?" Jenn looked up.

"That could work," Trish nodded.

"You mean like just during the test?" Jaime asked.

"That's so unbelievably sneaky!" Jenn's eyes widened, "Drake, that's a great suggestion!"

The Orange Crew Leader grinned and would have said something else, had Trish not given him a warning glare to not push his luck. He thus confined his comments to, "Thanks."

"That way, when you are asked the questions, you will pass with flying colours," Trish continued. "How can you be lying about something you don't know?"

"But what if Gary and Misty insist otherwise?" Mia asked. "They will still remember, or are we getting Puck to wipe their memories permanently?"

"Leave them be," Drake shrugged. "They'll just sound like a bunch of loonies and easily discredited."

"I agree," Brock nodded. "It's common knowledge throughout the League that Gary has a problem with alcohol and you can't deny the fact that he's a convicted Pokémon abuser for kicking his Umbreon after that televised battle."

"And Misty will just sound like a bitter ex-wife," Trish added. "No matter what she says, she chose to have an affair with Gary while still married and pregnant. And she chose to walk out."

"Let's not forget too, that the divorce was finalised way before Jenn even admitted to being in love with Ash," Jaime piped up.

"Yep," Jenn nodded. "Ashy was a free agent, and who am I to knock him back if he says he loves me?"

"Whoa, Jenn," Trish grinned, "That's the biggest admittance I've heard from you yet!"

"Well," Jenn's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink, "It's not like the whole world doesn't already know."

"Yes, but to hear it from you," Trish cocked an eyebrow, "That's the biggest news of all."

"Okay already," Jenn tossed her head, "Anything more from you and I might take it back!"

"Yeah right!" Trish said then squared her shoulders, "Let's get back to business. Drake, you go ahead and get together with Daisy. Set up a time and place for the tests to be conducted. We want to be as much in charge of this thing as we possibly can."

Drake nodded, "I know of a facility that we can arrange it with. I'm personally good friends with the man who runs it."

"Great!" Trish clapped her hands. "I think then you should also arrange for Jenn and Ash to have a practice run on the machine."

Jenn blinked. "What for?"

"To make sure that you don't get flustered when it comes time for the real test," Trish told her.

"The test is gonna be ain't no thang," Jenn declared confidently. "I'll ace it even without Puck removing my memories."

Her best friend raised an eyebrow. "You really think so?"

"Yeah I do."

"Wanna bet on that?"

Jenn's eyes glittered at the challenge, "Believe it!"

"Okay," Trish looked thoughtful, "Your new black patent leather Louboutin heels."

Jenn gasped, "That's insane!"

Trish shrugged, "But you're so certain…"

Jenn narrowed her eyes, "Fine, but you have to give up the platinum at Ruffian."

Drake staggered back, "Not that! Trish, I **really**hope she fails this test!"

"Aww, c'mon, Drake," Jenn teased, "The truth shall set me free! And shopping always motivates me!"

ooo

_An hour later in North Pummelo…_

"And the lie detector test shows that that was a lie," Thomas read the results, "You slept with Ash at least five times."

Jenn's jaw gaped, "Ohmigod, I am soooo not going shopping."

"I'm so happy," Drake gave Trish a kiss on her forehead, "Looks like you've got a new pair of shoes, hon."

"Not really, sweet," Trish leaned against Drake, "Jenn's got bigger feet than I do."

Jenn made a face at Trish, but sighed happily. "Thank Lugia for that."

"However, it does go to prove that you can't do this without Puck's help," Trish said.

"I know," Jenn muttered.

Thomas gave the results of the test to Drake and sighed, "Too bad with that, huh, Drake?"

"I hear you, Thomas," Drake said, "Thanks for helping us out here."

"Any time, man," the brunette said, "After all, that's what friends are for. When is the real test being planned for?"

"I'm not sure," Drake looked over to Trish, "Hon?"

"I think it was in two weeks," Trish looked over at Ash, "Right?"

"Friday fortnight," Ash nodded, "Nine am. That's just so that Misty will have recovered enough to travel back here. She wants to be able to witness it with her sisters."

Jenn gulped. She hadn't known all of that and it made her nervous. There was nothing less that she wanted than to see Misty. Well, seeing Lu would have possibly topped that list.

"Alright then," Trish said, "Thank you so much, Thomas, and if there's anything we can do for you, just ring us up."

"You're quite welcome, Trish, Drake," Thomas gave each a hand shake, "Grand Master Ash."

Jenn snuck out behind the trio. She liked Thomas, but didn't feel as important as the other three and didn't feel the need to be recognized similarly. She figured she was probably being rude, but she was also tired and almost lost a pair of favourite shoes!

The four walked out of the large testing room and into a deserted hallway. The whole building had been shut down for the day, as it was Sunday, but it had been opened for them for the purpose of a mock lie detector test.

Drake had used Dragonite to teleport himself and Trish in, while Ash had teleported himself and Jenn in. They would go back to the villa in the same manner. Drake detached Dragonite's poké ball from his neck cord and released the pokémon in a flash of white.

The large Pokémon shook its head and snorted softly. He knew better than to be noisy, and looked around as if to ask if they were ready. Drake and Trish walked over to Dragonite and the large Pokémon held them close, as if in a great hug, and the three vanished in a flash of white.

"You ready?" Ash asked it so softly, that Jenn almost missed it.

"Yeah."

He held out his hand and grinned, "You gotta come a little closer. I promise I won't bite."

"I know that," Jenn said with a huff, but she reached out anyway. The second they held hands, he pulled her close and the world disappeared around them. The blonde figured that she'd never get used to this form of transportation.

When their surroundings came back to normal, they were in the centre of the living room of Drake's villa. The room was empty and Jenn was glad because she promptly sank onto the plush leather sofa and groaned. "How do you ever get used to that?"

"It's pretty easy," Ash said in a teasing voice, "For me it's like blinking."

Jenn looked up at him with a glare, "Well for me, it's like being tossed around on the world's nastiest rollercoaster just after eating."

Ash sat down next to her and drew her to him. "Sorry about that. How about next time I carry a pack of Tums with me so you can take it until you get more used to it?"

"Dude, how are Tums gonna help?" Jenn asked dubiously. "They're for heartburn not pukey stomachs."

"Yes, they can settle stomachs as well," Ash said with a smile. "It's a little trick my mom taught me."

"Oh," Jenn looked thoughtful, "I mean, it's a nice idea and all, but I feel too queasy to get them."

"Not a problem," the Grand Master chuckled as a pack of _Tums_ materialized right in Jenn's lap. "There you go."

Jenn blinked. "You and your Freaky Chosen One powers. I bet you never have to buy anything ever again. You can just make them appear."

"Oh I still want to pay for most things," Ash told her. "It be unfair to all those people whose jobs depend on retail, but I like to do normal things like normal people do."

"Uh huh."

"Don't say it, Jenn," Ash warned the blonde, who looked ready to say something in jest, "You're about as far from normal as I am."

"I am not," Jenn popped a Tums into her mouth.

Ash watched her with a wry look, "You were tossed back in time and you were a pokémon. I pretty much figure that qualifies you as being far from normal."

Jenn made a face, "I need something to drink."

Ash opened his mouth.

"No!" Jenn stood up, shook her head, "Ugh, man I really don't want to teleport again. No more freaky power things, okay? I'm doing this the old fashioned way."

The corner of Ash's mouth twitched in a grin. This could be fun. He also got up and called out, "I'm gonna go find Trish and Drake. I'll see you around."

"Yeah, yeah," Jenn said back, sounding bored.

Ash could hear that she'd gotten a bottle of water from the fridge and knew she was avoiding him. He sighed and shook his head. In so many ways, Jenn was vastly different and so much more confusing than Misty ever was. The blonde was open and yet, so defensive. He knew that it was something left over from the break up with Gary, and Ash wished he knew what he could do to reassure Jenn that not every guy would do the same thing in every relationship she'd have.

ooo

The Grand Master found Trish and Drake having a coffee in the glass conservatory out in back of the villa. Puck had cast a psychic shield around the villa and its gardens so that no paparazzi could get in nor could they see what was really going on. To the outside observer it looked like no one was home, but in reality the occupants were moving around quite freely.

That way their Pokémon could go also out and play in the garden and get exercise.

"Hey, guys," Ash greeted the couple. "Mind if I join you?"

"Grab a mug and pull up a chair," Drake grinned. "What's up?"

Ash sighed as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Actually I was hoping I could get Trish's advice on something."

"Oh?" Trish sipped her own mug. "Something about Jenn?"

Ash blinked. "How did you know?"

"What else would it be about?" the Australian grinned. "You two have just started dating. Of course you would want to know all you can about each other."

"Well…what I want to know is…what do I have to do to get Jenn to trust that I won't do what Gary did to her," Ash admitted. "She's so open, yet so defensive. All of a sudden she just bristles up and avoids me. It's hard to know what to do. You know her best, so I thought you might be able to tell me."

"Why not just use some telepathy?" Drake suggested. "That way you'd know instantly what she'd like and not like."

"Easier said than done," Ash said wryly, "Besides, that'd kinda be cheating. I want to do this the right way. And…I kind of think Jenn doesn't really like all of the flashy powers."

"She's probably still raw about the fire power thing," Drake mused. "It hasn't been that long since she'd been an Absol."

"And let's not forget how long that girl can hold a grudge," Trish set her mug down on the table, "She can hold her own above and beyond any ghost story."

"Um, let's not go there, okay?" Ash winced, "I really didn't like that movie."

Drake's eyes widened, "What?! Something the great Chosen One is freaked out about?!"

"Okay, okay!" Ash rolled his eyes, "Can we keep this between the three of us? Please?"

"We will," Trish said firmly and smacked Drake on his knee, "Especially if someone wants to not sleep on the couch for the rest of the year."

Drake's jaw slacked and he settled down, "Alright, I promise, I won't tell anyone or anything about this. Ever in my life."

"Now, about Jenn," Trish said, "While the girl is easily won over by shallow things like expensive shoes or flashy jewellery or Ho-oh forbid you lavish her with a vehicle or a highly trained pokémon…"

Ash gulped.

"…her heart is really won much the same way you won over your most loyal Pokémon."

It was Ash's turn for his jaw to drop, "Say what?!"

Trish shrugged, "You did ask."

"Yeah, I know, but come on, Trish."

The Australian leaned forward, "There are only a few things in life she holds dear and near, loyalty, honesty, and respect towards others. Heaven forbid if you try to harm something innocent, steal from something that can't protect itself, or fight something that hasn't got a chance in a million."

"So…"

Trish smiled encouragingly, "So be yourself, don't talk about Gary, and buy her something that sparkles."

Drake grinned, "I'm just glad she's not going to be abusing my credit cards anymore."

"You're a true pal, Drake," Ash muttered, "A true pal."

"Nothin' more, nothin' less," Drake said smugly. "My credit cards have suffered enough over the years. Now it's your cards turn."

"They already know what abuse is like, thanks to Misty," the Grand Master muttered.

"Oh and another thing," Trish spoke up. "Don't _ever _compare her to Misty. She wouldn't appreciate that at all."

"She'd probably dump you in the ocean right then and there," the Orange Crew Leader agreed. "Freaky Chosen One powers or not."

"Thing is Ash, you need to understand where Jenn is coming from," Trish continued. "She's been unlucky in love. She thought she found love with Gary and he treated her like she was nothing. That was her first real relationship. Not exactly a good benchmark for her to judge by."

"I guess…" Ash looked thoughtful, "I could take her to Pallet and have her meet my mom."

"That's a great idea," Trish brightened, "It would be a good change of scenery for her and I know she's always wanted to go there."

"And the peace and quiet we'd get," Drake said hopefully, "The islands would have the most silence since before Lu's hurricane."

Trish glared at him.

"Come on, hon," Drake said amiably, "You know it's true. You deserve some down time as much as she does."

"Yes, but Jenn isn't as noisy as you always make her out to be," the Australian defended her best friend. "I enjoy her company and it's boring when she's not around to hang around with and gossip."

"It won't be as if she's gone forever," Drake chuckled. "There are still the other girls to talk to, and you won't be bored either. We've got wedding preparations to take care of."

"You're right," Trish smiled. "But things are still better when I have my insane best bud around. Which reminds me, I should ask her if she wants to be my chief bridesmaid."

"Jenn's going to be your chief bridesmaid?" Ash asked.

"Duh!" Trish grinned. "Who else?"

"Alright then," Drake broke in with a clap of his hands, "So it's settled. Ash and Jenn will go to Pallet for the week to escape things here and meet his mom, and Trish and I – along with the rest of the Archipelago – will get some well deserved rest and relaxation from Hurricane Jenn."

Ash grinned and shook his head, "She'd probably have a fit if she knew we were talking about her like this."

"Or be flattered," Trish said, "You never know with Jenn."

Drake shrugged, "Who wants to let her know about this?"

Both guys looked at Trish.

"Oh, sure," she said wryly, "Thanks."

ooo

"Huh?"

"You're going to Pallet with Ash," Trish repeated for what felt like the fifth time, but was actually only the second.

"B..but…that's his mom…" Jenn sputtered, "That's like, a totally **huge **step!"

"Jenn, you know Delia and she knows you," Trish said reassuringly, "It's no big deal."

"I've never actually met her face to face, oh hey let's sit down for some girl talk," Jenn said, "And by the way, I'd like to get down and dirrrty with your son."

Trish blushed a little, "Well you don't really have to put it that way, because I'm sure she knows how you feel about Ash."

"I'm sure the whole world knows how I feel about Ash," Jenn rolled her eyes, "The point is that there are things you don't discuss or hint about to the mom of said person."

"I know that," her best friend chuckled. "There are some things that I won't discuss with Drake's mom even if we do get along really well together."

"That's good," Jenn smiled. "That would suck if she was a real dragon like most mother-in-laws are in the movies. Imagine having to put up with that for the rest of your life."

"Yeah, but thankfully, Sasha isn't like that," Trish curled up in the overstuffed chair at the end of the bed while Jenn was sprawled out over the covers. "Nor is Delia. As bitter and twisted as Misty is at Ash, I don't think even she could find anything bad to say about Delia."

"But…it's such a major step to meet his mom," Jenn bit at her lower lip. "Isn't it a bit too soon to be doing that? We've only had a grand total of two dates."

"Meeting Delia is only part of the reason why Ash wants you to go with him to Pallet," the Australian said. "Ash has some League meetings he has to attend, and he thought it would be a great opportunity for both of you to escape the fuss here and relax. So you might as well be introduced to his family."

"But…"

"Think of meeting Ash's mom as a good thing," Trish said patiently. "It means that Ash is extremely serious about this relationship. I've heard a saying which says in men's minds that there are two types of girls. Girls they date, and girls they take home to meet their mom and marry." She looked keenly at her friend. "While I hate to bring up such a horrible topic –did you ever meet Gary's mom during the two years you were dating?"

Jenn sighed. "Trish, you should know better by now that you can't expect me to remember stuff from five minutes ago, much less from two years ago!"

"I think you'd remember meeting Gary's mom for the first time."

"I don't think I did," Jenn frowned, "Does he even have a mom? I mean, one that's still alive…"

"So can I tell Ash you're gonna go?"

"I guess so."

"Oh come on, Jenn….it'll be good," Trish coaxed. "It'll be good for you to be on your own with Ash for a bit. And when you get back, you can help me with stuff for the wedding, as I would like you to be my chief bridesmaid."

Jenn made a face, "Sheesh, thanks for the warning. So if I mysteriously end up disappearing in Pallet, you should know it had nothing to do with that wedding planning stuff."

Trish glared at the blonde, "You, missy, should not sass those who know best for you!"

"I'm not!" Jenn said innocently, "I'm sassing you."

"Why you!" Trish gaped and threw a pillow at the blonde, "You are so rude!"

Jenn, who hadn't ducked in time, rested her head on the pillow, "I know, but at least I'm predictable."

"To a fault," Trish shook her head, "At any rate, you'd best get packing, because you're leaving in two days."

"Two days!" Jenn sat up, "That's…but…"

"And you're leaving your pokémon behind," Trish continued, "They're getting a little rest as well. Don't worry, they'll be well taken care of."

"But separation anxiety…Kigali…Chance…"

"Jenn, they'll be fine," Trish said reassuringly, "Once you're gone, my Pokémon and Shannon and Jaime's will play with them and settle them down. They won't even know you're gone."

"I don't mean they'll have separation anxiety," Jenn grumped, "I was talking about me!"

"You won't have separation anxiety," her best friend scoffed. "You'll be too occupied with Ash and too busy to even think about your Pokémon."

ooo

Jenn flopped down on the couch next to her boyfriend and laid her head on his shoulder. The blonde still had to pinch herself from time to time to make sure that she wasn't dreaming it all and that Ash Ketchum really was _**her **_boyfriend and not still married to Misty.

But no, the reality was that the Grand Master was divorced (and the papers were already filed with the courts) and he was free to date Jenn and what's more, he said he was in love with her.

"Any plans for us tomorrow?"

"Actually, I was thinking of going to Pallet."

Jenn was confused. "But aren't we going there in two days?"

"This is to visit my baby daughter, Marina."

Typical, Jenn sighed inwardly. Misty really **did **have water on the brain. "But will Misty let you see the baby? Especially after what's just happened?"

"She can't prevent me from going into the hospital," Ash shook his head. "I'm the father."

And ouch, Jenn thought, then said, "She still could ask them to not let you in."

"She could, but she's forgetting one important point."

"What's that?"

"I've been a major donor to the hospital over the years. They won't bite the hand that feeds them." He paused. "And I can teleport."

"It's your life you're risking," Jenn grinned. "And as much as I hate being apart from you at the moment, I think I'd better not go with you to Pallet just yet. That would be totally pouring a barrel of oil onto the fire."

"I know," Ash gave her a kiss on the forehead. "But I don't think that's the _only_ reason you don't want to go."

"Maybe because I don't want Misty to kill me on sight?"

"I don't think she'll kill you on sight." He shook his head, obviously amused. "I know that you don't like hospitals."

"Well….who does?" Jenn bit her lip. "Hospitals are nastay places full of germs and sick people. Even so, it would be convenient for Misty to near kill me, since there are so many doctors. I'd just rather not give her an easy pass at me."

"But babies are a happy event associated with hospitals," Ash chuckled. "Would you avoid visiting a new mother and her baby in hospital just because you don't like the place?"

"I'd only go if it was my sisters or Trish, Shannon, Mia, or Jaime," Jenn shook her head. "I don't really like babies either. Until they're about two or three, they're just messy, noisy things that you can't communicate with."

"You don't like babies? There are actually women who don't like babies?" the Grand Master blinked. "From the way you mother Kigali and Tamu, no one would ever know that you weren't a maternal person."

"Animals and Pokémon are different," the blonde shrugged. "For one thing, even though they're furry and can't talk, they're still able to express themselves in ways you can try to understand, and secondly if they get out of hand you can suck 'em up in a poké ball."

"Okay, I can almost understand your reasoning." He sighed. "Anyway, I might go and visit Mom first and see if she wants to go along to the hospital. After all, Marina is her first grandchild."

For Jenn, Delia was an easy person to be enthusiastic about. Even though she hadn't yet met the woman in person, she'd spoken with Ash's mom on several occasions. There never seemed to be an irate or irrational bone in the woman's body. "That's a great idea! That way your mom can see the baby before Misty leaves the hospital for wherever she's going to live."

"Mmhmm," Ash seemed pensive at that last titbit from the blonde.

"That's deep," Jenn said. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"I was thinking about you." Ash ruffled the hair on her head. "So what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"Go shopping with Trish," Jenn grinned. "Especially if she can get hold of Drake's platinum credit card again."

Ash sighed. "I really don't think that'll be possible. I heard he had Gengar take it someplace safe."

"Why some place safe?" Jenn looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "I thought the Villa was the safest place."

"Normally, it is, but there's danger within."

"What?!"

"You." Ash said it simply and had the nerve to tweak the tip of her nose.

She glared at him, but it was ineffective at best. "You're mean."

The dark-haired man grinned. "But you love me right?"

"Right," and anything further he had to say was silenced by Jenn's lips.

ooo

Pallet

Delia hummed a tune as she arranged some flowers in a vase for the hallway. Life was good; she had a loving husband and her beloved only son was soon coming to visit for a few days with his new girlfriend.

She loved it whenever Ash came to visit. Granted, it was never nearly as long or as frequent as she would have liked, but he had his own life and home and she respected that. Still it was nice when he did come, and she got a chance to mother her 'little pumpkin pie'. Even though he would glare daggers at her if she ever called him that in public.

"Mom, I'm not six anymore!" he would groan with a beet-red face.

"No, but you'll always be my baby," Delia would grin and ruffle his hair.

She felt a gentle tap in her mind just before she heard her son's telepathic voice.

:Mom, you home?:

:Yes, Sweetie.:

:I'm going to drop in a few minutes, do you mind?:

:Oh Ash, I **never** mind when you come over. You know that.:

:Yeah, I do, Mom. Anyone there?: Delia knew that her son would never teleport anywhere if he knew that people who weren't in the know were around. People would talk and Ash didn't want anyone outside his family and close friends to know about his Chosen One powers. It could make things not only difficult but dangerous for him and his family and friends. Who knew if there was someone evil enough to kidnap and hold someone dear to Ash as ransom, in exchange for usage of his Chosen One powers.

:Only Mimey.:

:See you in a few seconds, Mom.:

Ash teleported in and presented her with a big colourful bunch of flowers, "Hi Mom, these are for you."

Delia put them aside before hugging her son, warmly. "Thank you, Sweetie. They're lovely."

"How's Dad?"

"He's fine and at work as usual," Delia smiled as she went into the kitchen to find a vase. "He's really looking forward to your coming home with Jenn in a few days."

"I'm looking forward to it, too," Ash grinned as he looked around the familiar walls hung with paintings and family portraits. It was true, he did enjoy his visits home to his mom and dad, as it evoked happy memories of his childhood and his mother really did spoil him something rotten. When he was home, he could at least forget for a while all the cares of the world and the fact that he was Grand Master.

Not that it was always the case, such as the time he came home fresh from winning the title.

:Flashback:

"It was really nice of your mom to let us stay with you," Brock shifted the strap of his backpack to a more comfortable position on his shoulder as they walked up the pathway to Ash's house in Pallet.

"You know you guys are always welcome here anytime," Ash grinned as he looked fondly around at the familiar whiteboard house where he grew up. "Mom loves having a house full of teenagers. Gives her an excuse to whip up a feast."

And he was planning to experience a lot more of his mom's home cooking for a while. Now that he had won the title of Pokémon Grand Master, he could afford to relax and spend a bit of time at home in Pallet. He also he figured he owed it to his mom to stay home for a while, considering all the years he had spent away from home while on his Pokémon journey. Since his mom had never remarried after Ash's dad had died when he was very young, and that Ash was her only son, his mom must have been very lonely by herself. Mimey helped, but it still wasn't the same as family.

Ash pushed open the front door and called out, "Mom! I'm home!!!"

The only answer was the steady tick tock of the grandfather clock that stood in the hallway.

"Hmm wonder where she could be?" Misty mused as she and Brock followed their friend inside.

"Probably out the back," Ash chuckled. "Mom loves her gardening."

Their steps echoed through the house and into the kitchen and as Ash pushed open the screen door that led to the garden, whatever he was about to say, died on his lips.

"SURPRISE!!!!"

Strung across the two tallest trees in the backyard was a banner that bore the words "WELCOME HOME GRAND MASTER ASH" and gathered underneath was his mom and all his relatives, Professor Oak, all of his Pokémon and practically the whole village.

Ash realised his jaw must have dropped open in a perfect Magikarp imitation and shut it. He felt a sharp elbow in his side from Misty.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything??" she hissed in his ear.

"Um….wow…." Unfortunately, his mind chose to go totally blank at that moment, leaving Ash scrambling to find some appropriate words to say without making him sound like a dumbass. "I mean….what else can I say but thanks for coming?"

"And you're the Grand Master?" Misty sighed. "Eloquence is not your strong suit, obviously."

:End Flashback:

"Mimey's got some fresh coffee brewing," Delia's voice interrupted his reverie. "Would you like some?"

"Yes please."

"So what bring you here today?" the brunette sat down on the lounge next to her son.

"Actually, Mom, there's someone who wants to meet you for the very first time."

"Jenn's here too?"

"No Mom, it's not Jenn," Ash smiled and took her hand in his. "It's your little granddaughter, Marina. Misty gave birth two days ago."

Delia's face broke into a huge smile. "Really?? Oh that's wonderful, Sweetie!!" She threw her arms around him in a warm hug. "Congratulations, Ash."

Ash hugged back. "Thanks Mom. Congratulations to you too, now that you are a grandmother."

"Oh I know!" Delia giggled. "It seems so surreal, me being a grandmother!"

"You'll be a fantastic grandmother, I just know it." He looked at his mother. "I thought we'd pay Misty and the baby a visit."

ooo

Misty was reading a book in her hospital room when an excited commotion broke out in the corridors. She had no time to wonder what was going on when the door swung open to reveal Ash carrying a large bouquet of roses and a pink teddy bear, accompanied by his mother, also carrying flowers and a small parcel wrapped in baby paper.

"Hello, Misty," the dark-haired man smiled pleasantly before proffering the bouquet. "Congratulations and thank you."

"Thanks," Misty managed to stutter. If Ash had been on his own, she would have blasted him as soon as he walked in. But she did not dare with Delia around. She had no quarrel at all with Ash's mother who had been so good to her over the years and was like a second mother.

"Congratulations, Misty," Delia smiled warmly. "I brought you flowers as well as a little outfit for the baby. I just hope it fits!"

"Thank you, Delia," the new mother was touched. She had never expected something from her former mother-in-law, not after the divorce.

"We thought we'd pay a visit to see my daughter," Ash said. Misty caught the slight emphasis on the "my" and knew that Ash was sending her a clear message that Marina was as much his child as hers.

"Despite the fact that we are now divorced, and that there is clearly no love between us," he continued. "Marina was conceived out of love and I would like to keep it that way for her sake. She does not deserve to be dragged into our fights."

"I'm not dragging her into anything!" Misty retorted.

Ash raised one dark eyebrow. "So, trying to instruct the nurses not to let me into maternity ward is not doing anything? It takes two to make a baby, Mist."

"Now now, kids, no fighting!" Delia said sharply. "This is a hospital ward and you two are not the only ones in here! Do you really want this to be splashed over the morning tabloids."

"No..." both Ash and Misty answered, suitably chastised and feeling like a pair of naughty three year olds instead of adults.

"Good," Delia was satisfied. "Now where is my wonderful granddaughter?"

"The nurses have her out in the nursery," Misty informed them. "To give me a bit of a break before they bring her in for the next feed."

Ash and his mom left the room and walked around to the nursery window where Pallet's newest citizens lay bundled in pink and blue blankets in plastic cribs.

A young nurse tending to the newborns, glanced up and saw the Grand Master and his mother looking in through the glass. She smiled and walked around to the entrance to the room. "Mr Ketchum? Would you like to hold your new daughter?"

"I'd love to!"

She led them into an adjoining room where she had the two lather and scrub their arms with antiseptic wash and then down surgical gowns, booties, and caps. "To protect the babies as their immune systems are nonexistent until they start feeding."

As they entered the nursery, Ash smiled as he looked at the mostly slumbering infants. How easy life was back then with nothing to do but eat and sleep and cry. What a pity that one was too young to appreciate it back then.

They arrived at a pink blanketed crib and the nurse gently lifted the sleeping bundle out and placed it in Ash's arms.

The new father looked down and took in his new daughter's appearance. Pale pink skin, a full head of black hair and tiny arms and fingers moving around in the blankets. He gently touched her pudgy cheeks and was amazed at how soft and smooth it felt.

Marina squirmed and squeaked before she opened her eyes to reveal blue-grey depths.

:Hey there,: he thought telepathically so no one else would hear.: I'm your daddy. I'm sorry that your mommy and I are no longer together but we still love you. No matter what your mommy may say in the future, I will **always** love you. **Never** forget that.:

The same ghostly voice that had heralded her birth rang in his head. :I know, Daddy. I **know**.:

ooo

Back on Pummelo, Jenn pirouetted in a slinky teal blue evening dress in front of the boutique mirrors.

The girls were all shopping and Trish had decided that now was as good a time as any to start looking for bridesmaids dresses for her wedding. From past experience with weddings she knew it would be a battle and a half to find a dress that flattered all the girls' figures and would be one that they could use afterwards at other functions.

"Turn around again, Jenn," she instructed as she stood critiquing the gown.

"Does my J-Lo butt look big in this?" the blonde enquired.

"No one's gonna be looking at your butt on the day," Jaime snorted. "Except maybe, Ash."

"Jaime!" Jenn hissed, turning a slight shade of pink at the mention of her boyfriend. She wondered if she would ever get used to her friends mentioning her name and Ash's name together in public like they were just any couple. At the moment she was still trying to get herself used to the idea that from now on, her every movement would be in the public eye; with the press trying to second-guess every stage of their relationship.

What if, what if there was a paparazzo or a fan lurking about and taking a photo right this very moment? Then there would be a photo of her across the front page with the screaming headline that the Grand Master's lady love was trying dresses in a bridal boutique. And this of course meant wedding bells would be ringing, which would bring questions from her folks about why they weren't involved.

Then she told herself she was just being silly. Not only was she not trying on any bridal or white dresses, but Trish was standing close by. Everyone knew that she was definitely getting married and being that they were in the Orange Archipelago, her best friend would be the flavour of the decade and not Jenn.

But then again, Jenn was dating the Grand Master of the international Pokémon League and not just a portion of it. Anything Ash did was major news anywhere.

Then again, there may not be any stupirazzi in sight.

Don't think on it any more, J-girl, she told herself silently. You'll only get your stomach in knots and be totally sick and wouldn't THAT go down well with the boutique!

"How does it feel, Jenn?" Trish's voice brought her back to reality.

Jenn looked at her reflection in the mirror and then down at herself. The halter neck gown was made of the smoothest silk and fitted around the bodice before falling down in an A-line skirt. "It feels comfy, and I can totally breathe and move around in this."

"Think you could stay in it for an entire night?" her best friend grinned.

"Totally," Jenn struck a pose like a starlet and grinned at her reflection. "As long as it's not a strapless dress, I'm gonna be fine."

"What's wrong with strapless?" Mia blinked.

"Less chance of a wardrobe malfunction on the night!"

Trish pulled a face. "Let's try to not have any of those on the actual night, okay? I don't want my wedding to be remembered for the wrong reasons."

"Plus that'd be sure to make the papers," Shannon shuddered.

"It's gonna make the papers anyway," Mia grinned. "Since Trish is going to be marrying the most famous guy in the Archipelago."

Trish sighed, "Don't remind me of that. And the only photos that the press are going to get on the actual day is outside the church and any that we release to them."

"That's just like you see with celebrity weddings," Jaime giggled.

"This is gonna be a celebrity wedding," Jenn grinned. "The biggest one of the year in these parts."

"Again with the 'don't remind me'," the Australian grimaced. "If I wasn't so completely sure that we're meant to be together then I'd have run a mile by now."

"Awww, isn't that sweet," Shannon sighed, At the strange looks her friends were giving her, she then hastily added, "About them being together part, not the running a mile part of course."

"Can I get out of this now?" Jenn asked. "The longer I stay in this the more chance some stupirazzi is gonna come along and spot me."

Trish shook her head good-naturedly. "You're going to have to stop being so paranoid about the paparazzi if you're going to be dating Ash, Jenn. They're going to be an awful fact of life that's not going to go away."

"Well that's just peachy," the blonde scowled. "Can't Ash do something about it, like totally and ominously threaten them with bodily harm?"

"He can and he probably will," Trish grinned. "And as for your original question, yes you can get out of the dress. Now it's Shan's turn to try the dress on."

The brunette blinked. "Why?"

"So I can see if this style suits all shapes," Trish explained. "You're not all the same height nor the same weight, so naturally the dress is going to look different."

"But I hate wearing dresses," Shannon grumbled as the sales assistant went to go and fetch the right size.

"You're wearing a dress, and that's that."

"You're are so mean."

"I know."

A few minutes later Shannon came shyly out of the cubicle for inspection and presentation.

The sales assistant smiled and moved forward. "You look absolutely lovely, dear. How about you step onto the platform so we can have a good look in the mirror."

She turned to Trish, "This sort of style and fabric is flattering for all figures, as you can see. And the best part about this style of gown is that it doesn't need altering should they lose weight or put on weight before the day."

The Australian suppressed the urge to grin at the lady's eagerness to make a sale. All the bridal boutiques would be out to get her patronage, as wouldn't that make for great bragging rights and increased sales?

But then again, the dress did look stunning on both Jenn and Shannon and it was in her favourite colour.

"I think I'll take them," she advised the sales assistant, who beamed. "And I think this deserves a stop off at Starmiebucks for coffee!"

ooo

Pallet

"Oh I can't believe the fact that I'm actually a grandmother!" Delia sighed happily as she placed her cup down.

After the hospital visit to see Misty and Baby Marina, Ash and Delia had decided to drop by Steven's office to give him the good news and the Silph Co President had suggested they go for a cup of coffee at a nearby café.

"Well I can't believe that I'm now a grandfather," Steven smiled. "I can't wait to watch her grow up and take her first steps."

Ash grinned and rose from his chair. "I guess I'd better get going back to Pummelo. Jenn will be wondering where I am." Plus there was one more thing he needed to do before he left Pallet.

Delia's face fell. "So soon, Sweetie?"

Her husband chuckled, "You'll be seeing him again in two days, Del."

"I know, but I love having my son around."

Ash grinned and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be home again soon, Mom." He then gave his stepdad a pat on the back before walking off down the street.

A few minutes later (after stopping off at a florist on the way) he found himself outside brick fence and wrought iron gates of Pallet's Memorial Cemetery. He entered the gates to walk down a path that was so familiar to him after treading it for twenty-four long years.

Beneath the shade of two large trees lay his destination. A simple headstone with a bronze plaque and the epitaph

In Loving Memory of  
Matthew James Ketchum

1957 – 1983

Beloved son of Ian and Lisa

Beloved brother of Brendan, Peter, Julie and Alison

Loving husband of Delia and father to Ash.

Ash knelt down on the lush grass in front of the headstone and laid the flowers down. "Hey, Dad, it's me Ash. I just wanted you to know...that you became a grandfather today. That's right, I have a little daughter Marina. And I promise to tell her all about you like I know that you will watch over her from heaven."

He sat back on his heels and looked at the headstone in silence. Twenty-four long year since his father was tragically taken from them. Since Ash was only four at the time, his memories of his father were rather vague and fuzzy of a kind and fun loving dad. Anything else about his father he only ever knew from talking with his mom or his dad's relatives.

He had grown up without a father and his mom had done an excellent job, ensuring that he was never short of male role models with her brothers and his dad's brothers always on hand.

Then his mom met Steven, and Ash had come to consider the man as his second father. And the fact that Steven came into his mom's life around the time that Ash was in his late teens was a blessing. It meant that Ash had some intelligent and steadying advice on how to deal with growing to adulthood and dealing with girls. He certainly wouldn't get wise advice on dealing with girls from Brock.

And he was sure he could turn to his stepdad for advice on fatherhood.

But now it was time to get back to Pummelo and to a new beginning with Jenn.

ooo

Finally the time had come for Ash and Jenn's departure for Pallet. Jenn had packed and repacked her bags at least five times during the night and the morning, completely unsure of what to wear in the presence of Ash's mom.

The method of transportation was teleportation. They couldn't leave by Ash's private jet as that would alert the paparazzi that their prey had flown the coop. So they had to teleport.

Jenn was prepared this time with travel sickness pills. Ash would be teleporting straight into his mother's living room and it would not do for Jenn to be sick upon her first meeting with Delia. The blonde was sure that wouldn't make for a good first impression.

Trish gave her friend a quick hug. "Now you go and have fun. Ring me later tonight, I want to hear all the gossip!"

"I have a feeling that necks will be wrung before phones," Jenn muttered, then sighed at the look Trish gave her, "Okay, okay, joking totally tossed to the curb. I promise I'll call."

"Good," Trish beamed, "Because if you don't, I'll just get worried, and have to have Drake send me and him out to find you!"

"Don't do that, Jenn," Drake said warningly, "I know I'm going to enjoy this peace and quiet."

Trish, who was very close to leaning against him, elbowed him gently, "Hush, hon. She's nervous as it is."

"Yeah, Drake, don't you have any words of advice for lil ol' me?" Jenn gave a tense little laugh, "Everyone else has."

"All in good faith, Jenn," Trish said.

"Taken as such, Trish," Jenn said levelly, "I really have."

"Actually, I do," Drake said, "Try to not be anyone other than yourself."

"Wha?"

"I know how you sometimes pretend to be someone other than yourself when you get nervous or defensive," the Orange Crew Leader said, "Try to not do that, no matter what you feel like."

Jenn frowned, "Okay, Yoda."

Drake shrugged, "Take it or leave it."

Jenn picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, "Actually, I think I'll take it."

Just then, Ash appeared in the centre of the room, just missing the coffee table and Chance, who was sleeping on the floor near Jenn. The Mightyena gave the Chosen One a glare and huffed at him, but fell back asleep.

The Grand Master walked over to his girlfriend and gave her a kiss. "Ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Jenn sounded as nervous as she felt.

"Have a great time in Pallet," Shannon grinned.

"Yes, have fun, relax and enjoy the time alone with Ash," Trish advised her best friend. "Forget about all the paparazzi and just chill."

Ash slipped a strong arm around Jenn's waist and held her close. "Ready?"

"Ready," Jenn said and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't really want to teleport, but they had no other choice.

It was only seconds before she heard Ash say, "You can open your eyes again, Jenn. We're here at Mom's place."

The blonde opened first one eye, then the other, and bit at her lower lip, "Wow, Ash, this is so cool."

"I know, isn't it?" Ash looked at his childhood home with pride, "Mom's really kept up the place."

"No, I mean, I don't feel like puking at all!" Jenn beamed, "I might be able to get used to teleporting!"

Ash gaped, "Oh, Jenn, yeah that's…"

She grinned, "You silly, of course this is a great place! I love it!" She threw her arms around him in a huge hug and kissed him soundly on the mouth.

A discreet cough broke the kiss, and Jenn looked over Ash's shoulder to see a gentle looking middle aged woman standing there. The blonde's face flamed red and she hid back behind Ash, who was also a little red. "Ash, your mom's there," Jenn whispered fiercely.

"Yep, kinda figured that," Ash whispered back. "But we are in her house…"

"Welcome Home, Ashy," Delia's face broke into a wide smile as she came forward and enveloped her son in a warm embrace.

Ash hugged his mother back and enjoyed the moment. "Thanks, Mom."

Delia stepped back and turned her attention to the blonde standing off to one side. "And Jenn, it's wonderful to finally meet you! Ash has told me so much about you!"

Jenn felt her cheeks flush again. "It's wonderful to meet you too," she managed to say. "I've heard so much about you from Ash and Brock."

"Call me Delia," the older woman smiled.

Jenn was secretly relieved. While she knew that Ash's mother had remarried a few years ago, she couldn't for the life of her remember Delia's new last name or her husband's name. "Okay, Delia," Jenn smiled and looked around, "You've got a lovely place."

Delia nodded, "Thank you. I was going to move to something bigger, but I couldn't give up the old place. And when I remarried, I knew I had to keep something from my single days. This was it."

"A perfect choice," Jenn paused, furiously thinking, "Uh, when will we meet S…Sven?"

Ash winced, "Steven."

Jenn's face flamed, "Steven."

Delia giggled like a schoolgirl, "Oh, Jenn, don't worry about it. I promise I won't tease you about it."

Jenn looked relieved, "Great because, you know, me being blonde and mentioning Sven. That's the last thing I need."

"At least your name isn't Inge," Ash grinned as he gave her a kiss on the forehead. He turned to his mom. "So where is Dad?"

"Oh, he's still at work, but he's going to take a half day because he knew you were coming home," Delia smiled.

"Wow, he must have a great boss to let him do that," Jenn grinned. "Wish mine was like that!"

"Actually, he is the boss," Ash said. "He's the President of Silph Co."

Jenn almost whistled low but thought better of it. She was moving around in circles far higher than she was ever used to seeing much less being in. Being friends with the Pokémon Grand Master was one thing, but dating him was a whole other game entirely. And now she was finding out that said Grand Master's stepfather was the president of one of the biggest technological corporations in the world.

It all made her feel more than a little nervous. What if they all thought that she wasn't good enough for him? Not that she ever found Ash to be arrogant or condescending like Gary, but she'd never met Steven. The guy could be a complete evil Stepdad.

Ash never flaunted his position or wealth, and despite the teasing she gave him, neither did Drake. Jenn had to admit that while they definitely dressed well and had the best of everything, the guys were never flashy about it and they never rubbed anyone's faces in it.

"So what's for dinner tonight, Mom?" Ash asked in a hopeful tone of voice. "Your deep dish chilli pot pie?"

"No, that can be for tomorrow night," Delia shook her head. "Tonight, we're having broiled salmon and vegetables, cooked just the way I heard you like it, Jenn."

"Oh, you really shouldn't have gone to so much trouble," the blonde went a little pink.

"It wasn't any trouble at all!" The older woman waved off her concern. "It was a pleasure as you are an honoured guest in our house."

Two pudgy Growlithe puppies romped into the room and tumbled around the Grand Master's feet in a riotous welcome. Ash grinned and knelt down, scratching them gently behind their fluffy ears.

"How about I show you to your room, dear?" Delia turned to Jenn, and the blonde followed the older woman from the room.

She followed the woman up a small flight of stairs and down a short hallway. "Your room is right across from ours, I hope you don't mind."

"Huh?" Jenn had been looking around for Ash's old room, and felt her cheeks heat a little, "Oh, no, that's okay."

"Ash's room is in the centre of the hallway," Delia smiled kindly, "The bathroom is at the end by the stairs, and a linen closet is by the bathroom. We keep all our towels there for when you might want to take a shower."

"Okay, thank you," Jenn nodded politely.

Delia opened the door to Jenn's room and stepped inside, "This used to be a spare room that I had used for a sewing room, but once I remarried I turned it into a spare bedroom as well. I had a feeling I'd be using it as a spare bedroom."

Jenn smiled genuinely. The room was modest, but warm and cosy feeling. A bed rested against a wall and had a bedside table next to it, with a lamp and small clock on it. A desk rested against the far wall underneath a window overlooking a wooded backyard. The floor of the room was wood, with a light blue area rug in the centre.

"I hope it isn't too…" Delia shrugged. "Country."

"Oh, it's perfect," Jenn clapped her hands and grinned, "I love it!"

"Wonderful!" the older woman smiled and turned to leave the room. She paused in the doorway. "I'll leave you to get settled in and then if you will come downstairs, I'll have lunch ready for the three of us. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here with us, Jenn. Our home is your home."

"Thank you, Delia," Jenn smiled in return. "I'm already loving it here."

Delia left the room and the sound of her footsteps faded down the hallway. She'd looked for a closet, but saw that there was just a wardrobe instead. She smiled at the country feel to the whole of the home, and at the childhood memories the feelings evoked, and she dropped her backpack on the bed.

After staring out into the backyard for a moment at a pair of playful pidgeys, Jenn busied herself by unpacking her backpack and putting her clothes and the now empty backpack away in the wardrobe.

Her task completed, the blonde sat down on the neatly made bed and drew out her cell phone and stared at it for a few minutes. To call or not to call, that was the question. She knew that Trish had said to call, but would she want to be called this quickly?

Jenn found herself already liking Delia a lot and was totally feeling comfortable around the older woman. She could see so many similarities between Ash and his mom personality wise. Ash had totally been well raised.

But what she wasn't sure about was his stepfather and her stomach flipped at the thought of meeting Ash's mysterious steppoppa, What if he doesn't like me? What if he thinks I'm a gold-digger? I'm not even a good Pokémon trainer.

With a shrug, Jenn flipped open her phone and pressed the speed-dial for a certain friend's phone number. She waited impatiently as it rang for a few minutes before it was picked up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Trish! I was waiting for forever for you to pick up the phone!" Jenn said teasingly. "What were you doing?"

"I was in the middle of training my Dratini," Trish said. "And you were not waiting for forever. It only rang twice."

"Tcha, I just wanted to let you know that I'm sitting here in Ashy's mom's house safe and sound," Jenn told her friend.

"Great! How's things?"

"Good! Delia's really nice and sweet, and she's totally made me feel so welcome already. And Ash's stepdad is coming home early for a special welcome dinner."

"His name is Steven right?"

"Yeah," Jenn wisely decided not to say that she'd guessed on his name being Sven, "But, oh!!! Ohmigod…..did you know that he is the _President _of _Silph Co_? The big kahuna, the big cheese…"

"Really?" Trish was surprised. "Wow…you are really moving in exalted circles now, Sis."

"What if he doesn't think I'm good enough for Ash? What if he's really evil and turns Ashy-boy against me?"

"I think you need to lay off watching Snow White and Sleeping Beauty," Trish said dryly. "Not all stepparents are evil, and I'm sure Ash wouldn't let his beloved mum marry someone who was evil and wicked."

"I don't think he has that kind of power, Trish," Jenn said seriously, "He's the Chosen One for protecting Pokémon and saving the world, but not for choosing who his mom marries."

"…Uh…you may have a point," Trish sounded a little flabbergasted, "Okay. Well, so what's going on next?"

"There's some sort of dinner," Jenn sounded a little dismayed, "Delia said it's a salmon dinner made just how I like it. I didn't want anyone making something in my honour, Trish! I'm not worth it!"

"Jenn! You are too!" Trish said firmly, "And if Ash chose you, then you are worth it in his eyes."

"I guess."

"No guessing, Jenn," Trish said, "Just accept it. Just realize that there's a possibility that somewhere out there, there's a guy who wants you for who you are, and that he won't pull a Gary on you."

Jenn sighed, "I don't see why you have to be so smart."

Trish laughed, "You're silly and I'm smart. We balance each other out. It's why we're such good friends."

"The best!"

"Exactly," There was a rustling on Trish's end of the phone, "I gotta go, Jenn. My Dratini's about to be taken on by two Growlithe…or maybe it's the other way around. Call me tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay, I will," Jenn said with more cheer than when she'd called. "Bye!"

"Bye!"

The blonde flipped her phone shut and placed it on the bedside table with a smile. When she was feeling down or a little nervous, all it took was a phone call or a talk with her best friend to make things better.

Trish was right. Jenn knew she shouldn't be so hard on herself or this potential relationship. She needed to start giving things a chance to go right instead of looking for ways it might self-destruct. It was just still so hard for her to realize that it could go right. She snorted. It was a little hard to let go of that Cinderella, before the ball, feeling she always had.

Eh, and at that, maybe Ash's stepfather wouldn't be so bad.

ooo

Pummelo

The butler finished serving the coffees and hot chocolates, and Drake smiled his thanks at the man.

"So, have you heard from Jenn yet?" Mia asked Trish who had just returned from her training session.

"Yeah," the Australian said as she sat down beside Drake and reached for a chocolate chip cookie. "Jenn rang me about twenty minutes ago when I was training Clio."

"What'd she say?" Jaime wanted to know. "How's she liking it?"

"She's been made to feel really welcome by Delia and apparently Delia's prepared a special dinner in her honour. That's kinda freaked Jenn out a little."

"It's going to be one fantastic dinner then," Brock grinned. "Ash's mom is a far better cook than I could ever be!"

Trish sipped her coffee. "Jenn also is a bit freaked out by the fact that Ash's stepdad happens to be the President of _Silph Co_."

"The President of _Silph Co_?" Shannon's eyes were wide. "Oh man…can you imagine all the top of the range Pokémon gear he'd have access to?"

"Yeah, but knowing Ash, I doubt he'd take advantage of it," Brock said and set his mug down.

"I second that," Drake nodded.

"But I bet Jenn would," Jaime teased.

"Yeah," Shannon laughed, "Once she got over her fear of someone really famous being the stepfather of someone she's dating!"

Everyone laughed at that.

"Now guys," Trish shook her head, but smiled, "At least she finally got someone who isn't about to take advantage of her, and he's got her best interests at heart."

"Hear, hear," Drake said, then shrugged at the look Trish gave him. "What? At least she can finally move out."

Trish gave him a look, "Even though she might possibly move out, that's only if they actually pick things up in their relationship. Jenn's got some serious relationship issues to overcome."

"Ash really has his work cut out for him," Drake nodded.

ooo

Jenn straightened her top for the billionth time and bit her lip as she studied her reflection in the mirror. The blonde was stressing over what to wear for this special dinner with Ash's mom and stepdad.

She wanted to make the right impression on them the first time. There was only ever one first time. That was so very why they called it the first time. But what should she wear? The slightly low cut Miss Sixty shirt Jenn liked and thought looked trendy might be found to look slightly hooker on the corner by Ash's stepdad. On the other hand, if she wore the twin hiding, yet somewhat form fitting black Juicy Couture sparkle hoodie outfit (aka Jenn speak for conservative), Sven, er, Steven might think she was too schoolmarm of the year for his famous stepson.

Jenn bit back a frustrated groan. She had already changed her outfit _three_ times. She really wished Trish was here to give her some sage advice. Or at least calm her down. Jenn was on the verge of being a nervous wreck. She eyed her cell phone sitting on the bedside table. Should she call her friend again?

"Trish'll just say you're depending on her too much," Jenn sighed, "Right? Oh I'm not sure."

She pulled on the black dress pants that went with the red low cut Miss Sixty shirt. They were really long and had to be worn with a pair of red heels that she bought just for the shirt. She slipped on a red resin bangle bracelet, dabbled some mascara on her upper lashes, dusted some gold shadow on her eyelids, and stepped back.

"It'll have to do," she murmured worriedly, then lightly sprayed on some Victoria's Secret Heavenly, "Too much of you will never do! Just a little goes a heavenly long way."

She peered close to the mirror, "Ah hah!" Jenn pulled out some special two step lipcolour, in a deep red shade, and put it on. "This stuff lasts through everything. It just dries out like no one's business." Instead of using the second part, she dropped some chapstick into her pants pocket after using it. Smacking her lips together, she nodded. "I'm ready."

She left the room and headed down the hallway. The closer she got the head of the stairs, the more noise she heard from down below, most inclusively a new male voice. It had to be Sven.

Jenn groaned and whispered fiercely to herself, "I've got to think of him as Steven!"

"And then I said, I said," Steven laughed, "Of course I want fifty thousand of them, who do you think I am? The president of slip co?!"

Jenn paled, "Oh no no no! I can't do this!"

"Yes you can," Ash's voice floated up the stairs. He said it gently, so as not to spook her.

She startled a bit anyway, "Ash!"

Ash walked up the stairs and around the landing. He held out his hand, "Come on. I promise, it's not as scary as you think it is."

She took his hand, "Somehow, I think you're so very wrong."

"I know you're scared and that's natural," Ash smiled to reassure her. "But Dad, Steven, really is nothing but a great guy. He's an ordinary guy who just happens to be the President of _Silph Co_. He wouldn't want you to treat him any differently than the next guy on the street."

"But he's the President of a _huge_ corporation!" Jenn said in a low voice, "He's not what I'm used to dealing with!"

"So he's the President," Ash shrugged. "All it is a title, Jenn, just like I have the title of Grand Master. It doesn't mean that he or I are any better as a person than you are."

"I just don't want to mess this up," Jenn bit at her lower lip. "I don't want him to think that I'm a gold-digging ditz or that I'm not good enough for you."

Ash drew her to him and kissed her gently. "That will never happen. Who I date or marry is no one's business but my own. And I'm in love with you, Jenn and no one else."

She hesitated for a moment before smiling and kissing him back. "I love you too, Ash."

"So, are you ready to go and enjoy this dinner?"

Jenn sighed and mockingly rolled her eyes, "Sure, but you'd better not leave me there."

He held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

The couple walked downstairs hand in hand and Ash led her to the living room whereupon Delia and Steven rose to greet them.

Steven Taylor looked exactly how Jenn thought a corporate president would look like. Clean-cut, clean-shaven, and immaculately dressed in a tailored business suit which Jenn guessed was Italian made.

The blonde gulped a little. Appearances aside, she hoped that Ash's stepfather wouldn't be as totally corporate with his emotions and actions as his clothes and hair were, because if he was, dinner was going to be totally uncomfortable. Most business people were already emotionless sharks, but CEO's and president level people reached those particular stress-filled levels of that seemed to guarantee to make them utterly ruthless and devoid of compassion.

Jenn was so nervous that she wished she had taken some Tums before she came downstairs. Did Trish feel the same way when she first met Drake's parents? The Orange Crew Leader hailed from one of the most prominent and wealthy families in the Archipelago, and as Drake had said, they'd been one of the first to settle on Pummelo. Like Jenn, Trish wasn't used to moving in such highflying social circles.

Steven gave an easy smile and walked over to them with an outstretched hand. "Jenn, it's great to finally meet you. I've heard Ash talk so much about you that I knew that I just had to meet you. Only love or Pokémon can turn Ash into a one track mind."

'Pokémon…turn Ash into…Steven…His name starts with an S. Oh, God, do **not** say Satochu!!!'

:Jenn, you'll be fine, just settle down.: It was Ash, and he sounded calmly amused.

For a second, Jenn just stood there. Then Ash nudged her, released her hand, and Jenn reached out and took Steven's hand in hers and shook, "Nice to meet you, too, Steven."

Ash's stepfather shook her hand warmly. "Now I hope that you will make yourself entirely at home during your stay here, Jenn. Our home is your home."

"Thank you," the blonde said humbly. "And thank you for letting me stay here with you."

"No worries," Steven smiled. "It's a pleasure. Any girlfriend, heck any friend of Ash's is welcome to stay here with us while in Pallet. There's plenty of room here."

Jenn returned the smile, though the beginning of the man's last sentence sounded eerily like something a certain Down Under friend of hers was quite fond of saying.

As if he read her mind, Ash chuckled. "Dad was actually born in Australia but moved to Kanto with his family when he was a teenager."

Well that pretty much explains the slight accent, but it would've been nice to know before I got tossed to the wolves, _but Jenn nodded as she filed that piece of information away. If she remembered, and she figured she would, she'd share it with Trish when the blonde called her tomorrow. She was sure that her best friend would be totally geeked to know that there was another Crazy Aussie around, especially one that had totally scaled the dizzying heights of success._

"I often go back there for holidays to visit friends and relatives," Steven said. "I've got a nice little place there by the beach. Feel free to use it next time you're down there."

"Little, huh," Jenn slanted a sideways glance at Ash, "If it's as small as Drake's villa, I bet it's nice."

Steven looked momentarily confused, but nodded, "Ah, yes, I've been to Drake's villa. It's very nice, but not small at all."

Jenn nodded, "Yeah, it isn't."

Delia clapped her hands together, "Who wants to start with appetizers?"

"Me!!" Ash cheered. "I'm starved and Mom's cooking is absolutely the best!"

"Gee Ash, one would think you weren't being fed properly in the Islands," Steven ribbed the younger man.

Delia was instantly concerned. "Are you taking good care of yourself, young man? You eating properly, getting enough sleep? Are you remembering to change your…"

"Mom, I'm fine!" Ash cut in hastily before she could finish the humiliating underwear line. He smiled in an attempt to reassure her. "Brock's been staying over and cooking enough delicious meals to feed a small army, and the rest of the time, we're over at Drake's place where his chefs serve terrific meals any time of day. It's a wonder I haven't stacked on the pounds!"

Jenn looked enviously at her boyfriend's trim and toned figure. Ash could eat like a Snorlax but he never ever put on any weight. It was really so unfair. It always seemed to Jenn that all she had to do was look at a chocolate to put on weight. Same went for Trish and all the other girls.

She only hoped that she wouldn't stack on the weight after this dinner, which was sure to be delicious.

ooo

Dinner turned out nowhere near as bad or uncomfortable as Jenn had feared. After a while she found herself relaxed enough around Steven and Delia to actively join in conversations ranging from Pokémon to horses to the latest technological gadgets.

Ash's stepfather was a cool and relaxed guy after all. He had a great sense of humour and told stories against himself with as much glee as a story against Ash. And it was very clear to Jenn that Ash and Steven got along very much like she thought a father and son would.

Since Ash's real father had died when he was little, Jenn supposed that Ash had welcomed the chance to have another father figure in his life, and one who was a lot closer to the age that his real father would have been if had he lived was a really cool thing.

The Grand Master had also told her, not long after they arrived, that Steven had also experienced a great tragedy in his late twenties; he'd lost his young wife and son in a car accident.

"…plans for tomorrow?"

Jenn looked over the rim of her water glass and blinked, "Huh?"

Steven also blinked, "I, ah, asked if you and Ash had any plans for tomorrow."

Jenn blanched slightly, feeling that sensation of being busted by a teacher for daydreaming in class. Did they have any plans? She couldn't remember.

"We thought we might pay a visit to Professor Oak and say hello to some of my Pokémon like my herd of Tauros, and maybe Muk," Ash informed his stepfather.

"That will be nice, dear," Delia smiled. "And do you have any Pokémon, Jenn?"

"Yes, I do," Jenn smiled. "Though totally nowhere near as many as Ash has. I've got two Growlithe, a Houndour, a Pichu, a Dratini, a Rapidash, an Absol, and a Mightyena."

"That's a nice varied group," Steven grinned. "So, like Ash you don't have any particular Type preference?"

"Well…I really love Fire Pokémon because they're so powerful, but I guess I really just like all Pokémon," the blonde admitted.

"You sound just like Ash, with the exception that my son has a soft spot for Electric Pokémon," Delia giggled.

"After all that me and Pikachu have been through, can you really blame me?" Ash chuckled. "I owe that little yellow fur ball everything."

"Plus Pikachu is totally adorable too," Jenn grinned. "Who could resist her? Besides if she doesn't get her own way she'd probably just shock you to get it."

"You got that right," the Grand Master sighed.

ooo

Back on Pummelo, a tired Mightyena yawned and stretched as he walked from the shade of a low slung palm tree back into the open rear door of the villa. It had been yet another day of boredom, relieved only by Kigali's constant worrying about her human mom still not returning.

The large dark Pokémon fought to keep from rolling his eyes at the thought. He knew darned well what was going to happen and wasn't worried at all. Ash and Jenn would go to Pummelo, meet the Chosen One's parents, have a fun little time in Pallet, and come back. Nothing out of the ordinary would happen other than Jenn finally admitting that she was madly in love with the Grand Master.

Well, there was one little incident where Ash did surprise her with something special that really won her over, but Chance never really did find out what it was.

"_Hey, you!"_

The Mightyena paused with a slight sigh. It was one of Trish's Growlithe, though he could never figure out which was which. "_My name is Chance._"

"_He finally talks beyond grunts and growls."_

"_It's a lot less irritating than having someone shouting 'Hey you' at me_."

"_Then you should have thought of that and told us your name when we tried talking to you before_," Ophelia said easily. "_It's not as if we haven't tried to be friendly to you, but you just keep on rebuffing us."_

"_I ain't that good at socialising."_

"_Yeah, well we can see that…"_

"_If you don't have anything to say t'me other than insults, then go away,"_ Chance lifted his upper lip in a snarl.

"_What's going on?"_ Kigali had bounded up, but slowed down to a trot when she saw the two adult pokémon staring each other down.

Ophelia turned toward the young pokémon and nodded at her, _"Nothing, little one, I'm just talking with, er, Chance here."_

Kigali's eyes widened, "_You found out his name!"_

Chance sighed patiently. Maybe things would've been easier if he had left when Jenn told him to, but he knew she was gonna need him later on. It was the only reason why Ash had agreed to let him go back.

"_It wasn't a big secret,"_ he growled out defensively, _"But since no one ever bothered to ask, I wasn't gonna offer it."_

Ophelia looked taken aback by his attitude, _"I really wish you would be less snappy. I would like to know where you came from and what you intend to do here. Jenn hasn't caught you, has she?"_

"_I ain't bein' snappy, lady, it's called defensive,"_ Chance said, _"I'm from the outskirts of Viridian city,"_ Which was true, it was just that he wouldn't be born for quite a few years yet. "_And I'm here to guard Jenn an' make sure she don't get into any trouble. I know I can't do that since she's over at Pallet, but she's got the Chosen One. She'll be okay with him."_

"_Did my momma catch ya?"_

Chance and Ophelia looked at Kigali, but Chance shook his head. He had to lie, because Jenn hadn't caught him yet. He was hers in the future, but not now. "_She ain't caught me, pup. I'm a free Pokémon."_

Ophelia eyed him both warily and with curiosity, "_You're guarding a human you don't even know, one who hasn't caught you, for no reason!"_

Kigali looked from the Growlithe to the Mightyena, and her dark eyes were wide with nervous excitement. What would her fellow dark pokémon's answer be? She really liked the Mightyena and hoped he wouldn't turn out to be bad. She had a good feeling about him.

Chance felt a ripple of dark energy wash through him. It was power rising in defence, but he worried that the Growlithe would see it as offensive. He shook his fur as if he'd taken a bath and he felt it settle down, _"I do it because she saved me. After the hurricane, I was trapped and if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be alive. I'd be dead because I got stupid and I ain't got a soul around who'd care about me on these islands."_

Ophelia took a step back. _"But…"_

"_But nothin' fire dog,"_ the Mightyena shook his head, "_I'd just be another hurricane victim if it wasn't for blondie. I figure the least I can do is guard her until she gets sick of me. And then, she can just get rid o' me just like my last trainer did. I jus' hope she won't leave me tied out in the sun like he did."_

Kigali whimpered and hid behind Ophelia. The Growlithe nuzzled the smaller pokémon and stared up at Chance. _"You did not need to say something that graphic in front of a fellow, and younger, dark pokémon!"_

"_I'm sorry, pu…Kigali,"_ Chance apologized to the Absol, "_I should've taken your age into consideration. But that's my story an' that's how things are. If I ain't answered all your questions, then you better ask 'em now."_

"_No, you answered them," _Ophelia said, then turned her head to nuzzle Kigali once again_. "Come on, little one, let's go and get you a snack."_

"_Yay! I want some ice cream!"_

"_Now, that's not good for you!"_

"_But Momma lets me have it all the time. I want chocolate ice cream."_

Ophelia watched Kigali run down the hall towards the kitchen. She was aghast. _"Chocolate can __**kill**__ you!"_

"_I'm getting chocolate ice cream! I always get chocolate ice cream!_" Kigali's voice was fainter.

"_You'd better go after her,"_ Chance snorted in amusement. "_She'd try to learn how to open the freezer on her own just to get to it. Isn't the freezer part on the bottom anyway?"_

"_By the Sacred Fires_," Ophelia muttered and ran off after the puppy.

Chance bared his teeth in a grin and sauntered off towards the darkness of the media room. He was definitely glad for its dark and cool location, even though his future mistress wasn't.

ooo

_Pallet_

After dinner, Ash and Jenn took a stroll around the gardens arm in arm.

"Well that went well," Jenn sighed her relief. "I was so nervous beforehand that I was sure I was gonna mess up big time with your parents."

"But you didn't, and I think that they are very impressed with you," Ash grinned as he drew her closer. "Dad told me after dinner that he really liked you."

"Really?" Jenn blinked. "You're not just saying that to make me feel good, are you?"

"I'm telling you the truth," the Grand Master said. "And now that that's all over, you can relax and enjoy yourself here. There's no paparazzi, it's just you and me."

"About the visit to Professor Oak's tomorrow," Jenn asked a little nervously. "We're…we're not going to run into Gary are we?"

"No, the Professor hasn't seen him for a long while, so you don't need to worry."

She leaned against Ash with a sigh, "You have no idea how much of a relief that is! I mean, the last thing I want to do here is run into him. I don't even know what I'd do."

"I do," Ash smiled down at her.

Jenn looked up, "What?"

"You'd go all Xena on him and kick him right out of Pallet," Ash grinned, "And whoever was around would have to call Officer Jenny just to make sure you weren't some sort of Avenging Angel out to destroy Pallet."

"Ash!" Jenn slapped playfully at his arm, "You make me sound like some sort of mutant freak!"

"You don't mind though."

"No," she rolled her eyes, "You know me far too well."

ooo

Pummelo

"I wonder how Jenn is doing," Trish mused as she leant back against Drake. The couple were out on the private balcony just outside Drake's bedroom suite. "She told me earlier that Delia was cooking a special dinner just for her and that his stepdad was coming home early from work for the occasion."

"I'm sure she did just fine," Drake said lazily as he wrapped his arms around her. "Jenn's a big girl after all."

The Australian turned to look at him. "Yes she is a big girl, but this is _Jenn _we are talking about after all. And she was really nervous when I spoke to her and a nervous Jenn is not always a wise Jenn."

"What do you mean?"

"When Jenn gets nervous, she acts all bitchy," Trish explained. "She would be nervous too, because this is such a big, _huge_, occasion for her!"

"It's just a dinner with his parents…" Drake blinked. "Not like she's marrying Ash yet."

"Ah but you don't understand," Trish shook her head. "Jenn's never reached that stage before. This is _huge_!"

"Don't worry about her, Trish," Drake said with certainty, "Why not get together with Mia and the others?"

"I…We were planning something," Trish admitted. "I hate to say we're having so much fun without Jenn around. Mia's been a little down with Puck having been called away."

Drake frowned, "He had work to do? I didn't know he had a job."

"Mia said that Puck called it a little Fae required work," Trish shrugged, "So we were all getting together to get Mia's mind off of Puck being away. He said it could take a few days and that he wasn't quite sure really how long, but no longer than a week."

"Well there you go," Drake said with a little stretch of his arms, "Besides, I've got a lot of stuff to do myself."

"Are you giving me the boot?" Trish asked with some incredulity – some mock and some not.

"Of course not!" Drake said quickly, "But there are Pokémon to train, gyms to oversee, and storm damage to take care of. Some things haven't been fully restored yet, babe, and I've got to make sure they are as quickly as possible. I won't have any of the residents of the Archipelago in any sort of lingering distress."

Trish smiled, "I know you wouldn't. That's what I love about you the most. You're so compassionate."

He grinned, "Just don't let Jenn know. I've got a big bad reputation to uphold."

ooo

_Pallet_

The delicious aroma of frying bacon and eggs wafted up from the kitchen and through the house. The smell reached the nostrils of one slumbering blonde in a guest bedroom.

Jenn wrinkled her nose and slowly opened her eyes. It took her a moment or two to remember where she was. She was staying with Ash at his parent's house in Pallet!

She stretched luxuriously in bed before slowly crawling out from under the covers. After stretching away the remains of the sleep from her system, she quickly made her bed. She knew she was a guest, but she didn't want to overburden Delia. Padding over to the closet, Jenn pondered what to wear for the day.

Ash had suggested they visit Professor Oak at his lab in the morning before going to one of the local cafés for lunch. Ash had said their claim to fame was that it produced Kanto's best homemade ice cream, and she had told him that they'd better not be lying. She really loved dark chocolate ice cream!

Finally deciding on a long white tank top and a decent pair of shorts, Jenn was about to leave the room when she decided to layer on a purple tank top over the white one. Then she saw her favourite pair of flip flops and slipped them on before leaving the room.

Still feeling a bit nervous, she quietly descended the stairs and listened to the animated conversation between Ash and Steven. She shook her head, amazed that either one, especially Ash, would be up at – she looked down at her watch (which was her cell phone) and wrinkled her nose – the butt crack of dawn. It was only ten after eight! How dare such delicious breakfast scents wake her up!

_If I wasn't well within sight of Ash and Sven…er…Steven, I'd go right back upstairs,_ Jenn grumbled to herself. But since she was, she walked into the kitchen and slipped into one of the chairs.

"_**Good**_ morning, sunshine," Ash said brightly.

The corner of Jenn's mouth twitched. She knew that he knew darned well that she wanted to say something back at him, but wouldn't because of the other two adults. "Morning, Ashy-boy," she said, though lacking any of the lively chirpiness that he poured on so thickly. "Mind passing some of the bowl of sugar you've been dipping into?"

Steven almost choked on the coffee he'd been drinking, "Wow, Ash, quite the firecracker you've got."

Ash grinned, "She sure is, Dad. You wouldn't believe how she handles the paparazzi."

"I bet he would," Jenn smiled back in such a brilliantly polite way that it gave Steven the shivers.

"I wouldn't want to see it, for some reason," he said, "But I bet they get the message."

"Oh, Steven, I'm just the nicest in the world to them!" Jenn said candidly, "Really I am."

"I believe you," the _Silph Co_ President said, though his expression was rather doubtful.

"Who's ready for some breakfast?" Delia said, as she carried in a platter full of crispy bacon. Mimey was right behind her with a platter of fried eggs in one hand and a platter of golden toast in the other.

"Me!!!" All three at the table cheered.

"Wonderful!" The brunette smiled. "Ash, would you mind seeing that everyone has their beverage of choice? There's some pulp free orange juice in the fridge for Jenn."

"Sure Mom," the Grand Master rose from his chair and went over to the fridge. He poured a glass for Jenn and brought it over to his girlfriend. She smiled her thanks.

Ash then poured fresh cups of coffee for his stepfather, mother and himself.

"You don't drink tea or coffee, Jenn?" Steven asked.

"I don't like the taste," Jenn explained. "Trish can't understand it. But then again, that girl has coffee running through her veins. She's addicted! We can't go through a single day without her going into a _Starmiebucks_ or _Jigglypuff Jeans_ at _**least**_ twice."

"What's her record?" Ash asked.

Jenn thought for a bit. "Well Trish did say one time that she had six cups of coffee in one day. But then again she was working away from home. That would make anyone drink more!"

Delia blinked. "Six cups? Did she even _sleep_ that night?"

"Oh yeah, she said that she slept like a baby," Jenn grinned. "Me, the hardest stuff I will ever drink is hot chocolate."

ooo

After breakfast was finished, Ash took Jenn to go and visit Professor Oak. The dark-haired Trainer insisted on walking there, which Jenn didn't mind at all. She loved walking!

"But what about the stupi…paparazzi?" the blonde asked. "What if they're around?"

"I can't sense any around," Ash shrugged. "And if there are, so what? I'm in my home town for a break, I should be able to walk around where I like, unmolested, like anyone else."

"And I'm kinda nervous about meeting Professor Oak," Jenn confessed as they started walking.

"Why? He's always been just like a grandfather to me."

"But he's _Gary's_ grandfather," Jenn pointed out. "He's got blood ties to my very extremely ex! What if he hates me just because Gary does? And especially now that I'm dating you!"

"I think you'll find that Professor Oak isn't as close to Gary as you might think, or as Gary wanted you to think," Ash gave a wry smile. "Didn't Gary ever take you to meet his grandfather?"

Jenn snorted, "No. I never even got to come here. When I think about it, when we dated, we never left the Archipelago."

Ash let out a low whistle, "Whoa, that's really weird, even for Gary."

"You say it like he didn't want anyone here to know he was dating me," she slanted a look at him, "Is that what you're saying?"

Ash just grinned, "You're trying to get me to let you go back to mom's place, aren't you?"

"Maybe only a little," Jenn admitted wryly, "It's just scary to meet the grandfather of your ex."

"True," Ash squeezed her hand. "But just because he's related to Gary by blood doesn't mean he's automatically going to hate you without ever having met you."

"You never know."

"The Professor doesn't strike me as that type," Ash shook his head. "He's a researcher, a scientist. He'd want to meet you and see for himself before reaching a judgement."

"Geeze, Ash you make me sound like some kind of scientific experiment," Jenn said wryly. "Why not just stick a few electrical monitors on me while you're at it."

"Relax Jenn," Ash grinned and gave her a quick kiss. "It'll just be like meeting my stepdad. Ain't no thang, like you enjoy saying. Just be your sweet, charming self."

Jenn made a face, "Lots of people, namely Drake, say that's normally what scare people off."

Ash shook his head and grinned, "Well I know Professor Oak, and as long as you love Pokémon and aren't cruel to them, you'll be on his good side. If there's one thing that he can't stand, it's Pokémon abuse."

"Gee, I guess Gary should've remembered that only about a billion times," Jenn snorted.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," Ash motioned to a steep set of stairs, "We're here."

Jenn looked at the long flight of stairs, which seemed to climb a mountain, and looked over at Ash. "You gotta be kidding me."

Ash shook his head.

"This is an escalator, right?"

"Oh, sure," Ash nodded and walked over to the stairs, "It's just one of those non-moving types."

Jenn blinked for a second before it dawned on her, then she rolled her eyes, "You just think you're so funny."

Ash chuckled.

ooo

_On the High Seas in the Orange Archipelago_

"Oh man, this is a great day to be out on the ocean," Mia grinned as she stood at the prow of the boat.

"It is, isn't it?" Trish agreed as she lounged on a deck chair. The skies were clear and blue, the temperature balmy and the ocean an inviting turquoise hue.

Mia, Trish, Shannon and Jaime were on Drake's luxury cruiser, headed towards Kumquat Island for the day.

Phase One of the 'Cheer Up Mia Day' was a boat trip from Pummelo to Kumquat on Drake's private yacht with one of his staff to drive the boat. As in none of the girls quite knew how, and wasn't it better to have someone do the driving for you anyway?!

Phase Two, Trish had arranged with Luana, the Kumquat Island Gym Leader for a private buffet lunch and afterwards a massage and facial in the hotel beauty salon.

Trish knew that Jenn would be insanely jealous when she heard about this day trip when she came back, and that she would have to promise her best friend a day trip equally as good.

Perhaps a visit to Tangelo Island would be in order, there was a theme/fun park. Or perhaps a trip to the bustling metropolis on Mandarin Island where the order of the day would be shopping, shopping and more shopping.

There was nothing more that Jenn loved than shopping. Only difference this time is that Jenn would be using Ash's credit cards instead of Drake's.

Trish grinned at the thought. She knew that Drake had let out a huge sigh of relief at the very thought. She just hoped that Jenn's natural tendencies to keep a comfort zone around her wouldn't push Ash away.

Ash was one of the best things to ever happen to Jenn, if not _the_ best. Guys like Ash were about as rare as Ho-oh. Trish only hoped that Jenn realised that.

ooo

_Pallet_

"Finally made it!" Jenn breathed as she and Ash paused at the front steps of Professor Oak's laboratory.

"You sound like you just conquered Everest," Ash grinned. "It wasn't that steep."

"Easy for you to say, Mr. I'm So Super Fit," Jenn mock-scowled. "But there are some of us who like to get to places with as little exertion as possible."

"But I thought you liked walking…"

"Walking, yes. Climbing a gabillion stairs, hells no," Jenn corrected him. "This reminds me of the time that Trish and I climbed Diamond Head in Hawaii and there was a 'little' steep set of stairs at the end of a long trek. Yeah, uh huh. I think whoever said it was a little set must've been from Pummelo."

Ash grinned and shook his head, "Shall we ring the door bell?"

"No!" Jenn quickly held up her hand. "If you value your life, then you will not ring that door bell until I recover my breath and compunction and fix my hair. I am not gonna be introduced to the World's Greatest Pokémon Researcher looking like a mess!"

Not about to correct her compunction slash composure mix-up, the Grand Master waited patiently until his girlfriend had patted down her hair and adjusted her eyeliner. After she put away her slim black compact, he sighed patiently. "_Now _will you let me press the door bell?"

"Sure thing, Ashy Boy."

A few seconds after the door bell rang, it was opened by one of Professor Oak's many assistants, a young brunette by the name of Rachel.

"Hi Rachel," Ash said cheerily. "Is the good Professor in today? I thought I'd drop by to introduce my new girlfriend, Jenn and to see some of my Pokémon."

Jenn found herself colouring slightly under the girl's knowing smile. It was the first time that she had ever heard Ash introduce herself to strangers as his girlfriend. It was going to take a lot of getting used to.

"Hi Ash, it's good to see you back in Pallet," Rachel grinned. "And nice of you to bring Jenn along as well. The Professor is out the back, tending to the Growlithe."

The couple walked in, Rachel closing the door behind them. She led them down the polished wooden hallways and out the back.

Jenn held her breath as the huge expanse of the laboratories grounds extended to the horizon. Everywhere she looked, there were Pokémon of all regions, types and varieties.

A herd of Rapidash and Ponyta galloped across the distant meadows, while a flock of Swablu flew overhead.

A small family of Buneary hopped across their path, on their way back to their warrens.

"_Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk,"_ came a low rumble from behind them. Jenn just had time to step out of the way before Ash was engulfed by a big purple blob. She almost shrieked in horror at the sight of Ash disappearing under all of that stinky purple blobbiness until she remembered that Ash owned the overly friendly Muk. And there was nothing Muk liked better than giving those humans it loved a big Mukky hug.

She stepped back when Muk released a slightly red faced Ash, "Oh, heck no, Ash. I don't even think so."

"What?" Ash looked a little confused.

"_Muk muuuuk!"_ The Pokémon said cheerfully.

"I'm gonna step in this direction," Jenn raised an eyebrow, "And that guy's gonna step in the other direction. I just fixed up my hair and I'm not about to be doing it again. Capice?"

"Oh, he's not _that_ bad, Jenn!"

"I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, Ash," Jenn said as gently as she could, "But I didn't really come here to get slimed."

"Neither did I," the Grand Master said wryly as he picked himself off the ground and dusted himself off. "But then again Muk's such a friendly soul that it's hard to get mad at him."

"_Muuuuuuuuk Muk!"_ Muk beamed.

"Even though he probably stains every inch of your clothes?" Jenn raised an eyebrow.

"Surprisingly he doesn't," Ash grinned as he patted the blob on the head. "My clothes always come back from the laundry as good as new even if Muk greets me in his usual affectionate way."

"Is that the same for all Muks?"

"No just this one. He's a little less toxic than the others. Professor Oak says Muk is on a vegetarian and fruit diet."

"A healthy Muk??"

"_Muk!!! Muuuuuuuuuuk!!'_ The Pokémon nodded.

"Yeah, but, hello he's still toxic," Jenn winced, "Sorry, Muk, but…toxic."

The Pokémon looked down and a little sad.

"Can I just admire your toxicity and purple loveliness from here?" Jenn tried to be diplomatic. "Purple's my favourite colour, it's just the whole toxic slime thing I can't get around."

Ash grinned when Muk preened at the praise. "Alright then, you two. Muk, it's been really great to see you, but we're looking for Professor Oak. Have you seen him?"

Muk nodded, and pointed a slimy paw towards a row of sheds on the right. _"Muuuukkkkk."_

"Thanks, Muk! I'll see you later okay?"

Ash took Jenn's hand and they walked to the sheds in question.

"So what are these for?" Jenn asked.

"These are for the canine Pokémon, especially the Fire Types like Growlithe and Arcanine, and the Dark Types like Poochyena, Mightyena, Houndour and Houndoom. Keeps the Growlithe dry when it rains, and gives the Dark Pokémon shelter from the sun."

Jenn brightened. "Hey, maybe I could ask the Professor about Chance. I've never really figured out much about that strange Mightyena I sorta have but never caught."

Ash looked amused, "You could."

They found the elderly researcher in the Growlithe compound, pouring something into the myriad of food bowls. Whatever it was, the Fire puppies loved it, bounding up to the bowls and tucking right in.

"Hey, doesn't the Professor have lowly assistants or even Tracey to do that type of job?" Jenn whispered to her boyfriend.

"He does, but the Professor has always been a hands on sort of guy," Ash whispered back.

Sensitive canine ears pricked up at the Chosen One's voice, and those that were not eating came running over to greet him. The unusual movement from the Pokémon caught the Professor's attention and he watched the fire dogs.

"Ash!" The older man didn't seem surprised to see the Grand Master being approached by numerous Pokémon. Those that were eating looked tempted to chose between the food and the human; several took the food option, and several chose the human.

Professor Oak walked over calmly, stepping around those that chose to eat and walking with those that ran towards Ash. "It's good to see you, my boy!" When he got close enough, the two shook hands and clasped in a quick man hug over the waist high chain link fence.

Stepping back, Professor Oak smiled, "It's really good to see you, Ash."

"You, too, Professor," Ash nudged Jenn with his elbow, "I brought Jenn over with me so she could see your lab."

"Ah, I've heard a lot about you," Professor Oak reached out and clasped the girl in a quick hug and released her, "All good, never fear, my girl. I've heard it all from Delia and Ash, so you needn't fear about rumours or lies."

"I…oh," Jenn blushed and bit at her lip, then grinned, "Well, that's a relief."

"You were probably worried that Gary had gotten to me first and told me a mess of lies," Professor Oak nodded knowingly, "But don't worry about that. As a researcher, I automatically look at things from both sides and investigate all data." He frowned, "And I need to make sure my data isn't corrupt. I'm sorry to say that my grandson hasn't been the most reliable lately."

"Lately?" Jenn snorted, "Try for the last few years."

"Oh, my yes," Professor Oak nodded, "I'd have to agree with you whole heartedly. Pains me to have to agree with you, though. Gary hasn't always been like this and I cannot for the life of me understand why he changed."

Ash saw an evil glimmer go up in Jenn's eyes and he frantically thought towards her, _:Jenn, I'm tellin' ya right now, __**don't **__say anything you think might be witty. Please! Professor Oak has had enough to deal with when it comes to Gary as it is.:_

_:Okay, okay,:_ Jenn visualized a mental white flag, :_I promise that I won't say anything.:_

"I'm sure it's just a phase," Jenn shrugged, "Everyone goes through them. Maybe he's mid-life crisising early or…something."

Professor Oak blinked and then shook his head, "You're a very understanding person, Jenn, especially considering that he'd dated you and dumped you so very publicly."

"Huh?" Jenn's eyes widened, "You knew about that?"

"Everyone knew about that," Professor Oak shrugged, "Gary bragged about it here for weeks until he dumped that girlfriend and got a new one a few weeks later. Then he repeated that cycle a few months later, et cetera."

"Uh huh," Jenn looked over at Ash and her eye twitched, "Well, that's something I guess you couldn't say anything about…unless you were Gary."

Ash caught her meaning full well, but simply shrugged. Then he caught a mental visualization of the white flag being snapped in half and tossed aside. He glared at Jenn, to which she shrugged and grinned, and he knew she would keep her word and not say anything.

But he knew she was tempted. Oh, so tempted.

ooo

_Kumquat_

"I can't believe I'm actually admitting this," Mia said as they were led to a private dining room overlooking the ocean. "But I really did enjoy that bit of shopping."

Trish looked triumphant as she sat down next to Shannon. "I knew you would! It's a proven fact among womankind that nothing cures the blues like a spot of retail therapy. It does the soul good."

"Not so sure if it does one's purse any good," Shannon shook her head. "That's why I hate shopping."

"So it doesn't, but so what?" Trish shrugged. "You've got to lash out and treat yourself from time to time. Otherwise there's nothing to look forward to. Besides, last I heard – you can't take it with you when you go."

"And that makes me feel better how?" Shannon looked dubious.

"Aww, Shan!" Trish laughed, "Don't fret so much! Just treat yourself at least a little. No one said you had to break the bank."

"I guess I could get that manga I was eyeing at the bookstore," Shannon murmured.

"That's a good idea," Trish nodded.

"Well I'm thinking more about food," Mia said as they were seated. "What kind of food does this place serve, anyway?"

"Fancy food, I'm guessing by the looks of this place," Jaime said as she looked around at the elegant décor and table settings.

"Fancy but delicious," Trish added. "I've been here twice before with Drake."

"Oooh, someone's been spoilt," Mia teased but the Australian merely grinned.

Shannon scanned the menu, "Oooh, this sounds nice, grilled salmon."

"Jenn would order that if she was here," Jaime looked thoughtful. "However she would totally complain about the fancy food names."

"That's something she's just going to have to get used to," Trish grinned evilly. "Dating the Grand Master doesn't mean dining on the cheap, like _MacDonphans_ or _Burger Kingler."_

Mia shook her head, "Knowing that girl, she's going to drag him to _Pichu Bell_ any chance she gets."

Trish nodded, "She can try, but I doubt she's going to get very far with that kind of strategy!"

The girls laughed and were interrupted by a demure cough. They turned and saw a demure looking woman standing there. She smiled, "If you ladies are ready, I'm here to take your order."

ooo

_Pallet_

After a tour of the laboratory grounds, the Professor had Tracey prepare some hot beverages and cake.

"So tell me, Jenn," Professor Oak said as he sat back on the sofa with a cup of coffee. "What do you think of Pallet? It's probably very different from where you hail from, I would suppose."

"Not really," Jenn said as she reached for her hot chocolate. "My hometown is kind of like this, but it's a little bigger. The real difference between the two would be the air quality. It's really clean and clear here, almost like being in the country. Where I'm from isn't as bad as a big city, but it's not country fresh."

"Ah yes, Pallet's town planners have always been very careful to preserve the village like atmosphere here," the Professor sipped his coffee.

"Do you have any Pokémon, Jenn?" Tracey asked.

Jenn resisted the urge to kick out a 'duh.' She figured Ash wouldn't be happy about it. Even so, it irked her that Tracey would have to ask her, as if she wasn't a Trainer. "Yeah, I've got two Growlithe, a Houndour, an Absol, a Pichu, a Rapidash, a Dratini and a Mightyena in a pear tree."

The two men exchanged looks, while Ash groaned and rubbed at his temples.

Jenn grinned at the reaction. "The Mightyena's really weird though."

"Like Trainer, like Pokémon," Tracey muttered.

"What's that?" Jenn asked, though she'd heard him clear enough.

"Nothing!" Tracey said, "Uh, what's with the Mightyena?"

"Don't worry about the Mightyena," Ash said quickly, "Jenn rescued him after the hurricane. He kind of followed her back to Drake's villa."

"He's neat, but such a pest sometimes," Jenn shook her head, "I really don't know why he glues himself to my side."

Samuel looked confused, "Are you saying you haven't caught this Pokémon? And yet he follows you around anyway?"

"That's kind of the story on him," Jenn nodded, "He's harmless though. I think."

"Ash, I'm surprised you let an unknown Pokémon follow her around like that," Professor Oak said with a raised eyebrow. "Have you at least scanned this Mightyena? Do you know its power levels? Know any of its attacks or any previous owners?"

Jenn's eyes widened, "You know, I never really thought about doing that. But didn't Nurse Joy say that he was abandoned or something? I can't remember."

"I don't think there was any record of any previous owner," Ash thought hard. "Nurse Joy scanned the Pokémon three times and nothing came up. She concluded he must be a wild Pokémon. Yet he doesn't act like a wild Pokémon."

"What about his power levels?" Tracey asked.

"He's pretty high," Ash shrugged. "But he's not any level even remotely like Pikachu, Charizard, Meganium or Drake's Pokémon. If he tries anything, you can be sure that Pikachu or Dragonite would take him down fast."

"But still…you need to be careful," the Professor warned. "It is extremely unusual that a wild Pokémon would follow a human around without having been captured. It's not in their nature."

"He goes everywhere I go. Uh, well, _almost_ everywhere," Jenn said. "I totally draw the line at him following me into the bathroom. It's like he's keeping watch on me."

"Oh, come on," Tracey put his drink down and made a face, "Hearing about your bathroom habits isn't what I need to hear when I'm drinking."

Jenn made a face right back at him, "That's not the point I was making, genius! I meant to say that he totally follows me everywhere I go. Pallet totally notwithstanding."

Tracey looked surprised, "I'm surprised. Hearing you saying a word like notwithstanding…"

"You're misjudging me, Tracey," Jenn grinned, "That's silly of you."

"Tracey, please," Professor Oak said, somewhat irritated, "There are more important things to discuss here."

"Sorry, Professor," Tracey flushed, "I don't know how I got so carried away. I'm sorry, Jenn."

"It's okay, Tracey," Jenn said, "I tend to have that effect on people. Don't I, Ash?"

"Oh yeah," Ash nodded, "She sure does."

"Have any of your Pokémon or Drake's Pokémon tried to talk to this Mightyena, Ash?" Samuel resumed.

"I'm not sure," Ash confessed. "I'd have to ask Pikachu about it, and I left her back in Pummelo."

The Pokémon Watcher blinked for the second time in as many minutes. "You left Pikachu back in Pummelo? Ash, you never go anywhere without Pikachu!"

"I have this time," Ash shrugged. "Pikachu was having so much fun with the other Pokémon that I didn't want to take her away."

"That's quite peculiar," Samuel looked confused, "Did you bring any Pokémon with you?"

Ash looked a little uncomfortable, "No, this is just a little vacation. I really didn't see the need to bring anyone with me."

Tracey shook his head, but grinned, "Ash, that's just like you. Every time you took off for a new league adventure, you'd go off without any of your pokémon." He looked thoughtful, "Well you'd at least take Pikachu."

"It's like I said," Ash sat back, "She was having fun. I didn't want to take her from that."

"Besides, you've got a lot to chose from here," Professor Oak said with a smile, "Should you need to, you've got a very large herd of Tauros…"

"Ur, ah…That's okay, Professor…" Ash sat up, "Oh man, I really need to get them moved to a larger reserve."

Jenn looked confused when Tracey and Professor Oak laughed heartily. "What is it? What's the joke?" The blonde looked around. "What?"

"Don't worry about it," Ash shook his head. "Just a private in-house joke."

"Oh," Jenn settled back against him. "Like the in-house jokes that Trish and I have."

"Like those."

"Perhaps Ash may like to show you some of his other Pokémon that are here," the Professor suggested.

"That's a great idea!" the Grand Master grinned. "They can meet you and you can meet them."

"And maybe if you don't want one of a wickedly rare and or Legendary pokémon, you could give it to me, couldn't you?" Jenn looked at him with her blue-grey eyes.

"Uh…" Ash winced inwardly at the thought of Jenn getting her hands on anything anywhere _near_ legendary. "I don't have any of the Legendary Pokémon."

"No way!"

"Oh yes, Jenn," Samuel nodded, "It would be disastrous if Ash were to capture any of the Legendary Pokémon. And to take one of them out of their habitats would border on catastrophic, not for him, but for the entire planet."

Jenn's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"Not a chance," Ash said, "That's what the whole disaster was when I went to the Orange Islands and first discovered I was the Chosen One."

"Seeing Lugia was awe inspiring," Tracey breathed out, "It still gives me chills."

"Okay, so when it comes to Legendary Pokémon, you never cross the beams," Jenn nodded, "I got it."

"What beams?" Professor Oak blinked in confusion.

"Movie reference," Jenn sat back and crossed her arms over her chest, "You don't get it, I'm not gonna tell you what it is."

"Jenn's a real movie buff," Ash grinned. "But yes, with Legendary Pokémon, you leave them well alone unless you want to bring about the end of the world."

"But Ash does have some unusual Pokémon in his collection," Tracey quipped. "Like a shiny Mightyena and a Noctowl."

"So all of Ash's Pokémon live here in your ranch place, Professor Oak?"

"Actually, it's more of a reserve," the Professor corrected her gently.

"Oh, okay," Jenn said. "Well, a reserve then. And I guess those pokémon that aren't with him all the time."

"That's right," the elderly researcher nodded. "Ash has at least 4 large holding barns full of just his Pokéballs. The Pokémon are allowed to roam free, unless Ash needs me to send them to him. Only then do they go in their Poké Balls."

"I don't blame them for not wanting to go into those things," Jenn gave a slight shiver. "Talk about totally suffering from claustrophobia!"

"You sound like you speak from experience!" Tracey shook his head with amusement.

"And you sound like you _want_ to speak from experience," Jenn looked annoyed.

_:Jenn, c'mon,:_ Ash said in a lazy, telepathic voice, :_It's not like you're ever gonna be in one again. Try to not sound so defensive about the subject. People are gonna get suspicious.:_

_:What, like Tracey's about to put two and two together?:_

_:He might. He's pretty darned smart.:_ He gave her a devious grin that he hid behind his coffee cup. :_Don't let looks fool you_.:

Jenn sighed with irritation, "Anyway, they just look like they'd be able to make the pokémon claustrophobic, if any of them should suffer from claustrophobia."

"It's nice to see that someone could be empathetic with pokémon," Samuel Oak smiled at the blonde, "It's very refreshing, Jenn."

"Thank you, Professor," Jenn beamed.

ooo

An hour later, Jenn plopped on the neatly made bed in the guest room with her cell phone in hand. She really had a great time at the Professor's. Despite Ash's totally unfounded fears, Jenn felt like she got along really well with the Professor and she could understand why Ash looked up to the researcher as a mentor and a role model.

Professor Samuel Oak really knew all there was to know and then some when it came to Pokémon. In the blonde's eyes, it was almost freaky.

In fact, the Professor had asked her to bring the strange Mightyena with her the next time she came so he could have a look at it.

Now that they were back at Ash's parents' house, it was time for a little gossip session with her best friend. The blonde checked her watch. It was now 3pm in Pallet and the Archipelago was five hours ahead. Not like she would be disturbing Trish in the middle of anything.

She flipped open the phone and pressed the speed dial number for her friend. After a few minutes the line was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey T-vizzie! Guess who?" Jenn greeted cheerfully.

"One certifiably insane blonde Goddess," was the droll reply.

"Who else?" the blonde grinned as she sprawled on her back. "Am I disturbing ya?"

"Not really," Trish said. "So what's up? How did the dinner with Ash's parents go? What's this stepdaddy person like?"

"It was great! Sven's a really cool guy."

"….don't you mean Steven?"

"Uh…yeah, Steven," Jenn felt her face flame even though she knew her friend couldn't see her. "Not a huge difference between those two names, really."

"Only about two letters."

"Trish…"

"Two letters and whole cultures…"

Jenn sighed, "Okay, okay, so I bungled his name, but not in front of him."

"Really?"

"Only when I first met him," Jenn said, "But he didn't mind."

"I bet you made it endearing," Trish said teasingly.

"Of course," Jenn grinned, "I'm nothing but endearing!"

"You're having fun, aren't you?"

"Whaaa?"

"Because if you're not, I'll be on the first teleport over," Trish said threateningly, "Drake knows Pokémon who know teleport. I'll be there for you, Jenn, and knock some sense into Ash. Grand Master and Chosen One, or not!"

Jenn gulped at the visual. No doubt, Ash wouldn't stand a chance! "Uh…no, that's okay. I'm fine, really!"

"Really?"

"Absol's honour!"

"You'd better not be!"

Jenn winced, "I just meant that I'm telling the truth. Pokémon can't lie."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Jenn shivered at the curious lilt to her best friend's voice. "It brings on the absolute mother of all migraines if they break a promise or lie about something."

"I never knew that."

"Well now you do," Jenn felt wary at the suddenly smug sensation she felt from Trish. "What are you plotting now, oh Evil One?"

"Me? Jenn, you've been hanging around with…Oh, well you can't hang around with yourself," Trish chuckled, "Stop being so suspicious. Go on now, and have fun. Relax! It's your time to have a vacation. If you don't have fun, I'm going to be quite angry with you."

"And I wouldn't like it if you were angry," Jenn made little spooky motions with her hands, forgetting that Trish couldn't see her.

Trish apparently understood, "Oh har, har, that's not funny. I do not turn green when I get angry."

Jenn smiled, "Yeah, I know. How are my Pokémon doing? I miss 'em."

"Where to start?" Trish chuckled. "Mac, Beth, Willa, Satochu and Tamu are doing just fine and are having great fun with my Growlithe, Pichu and Dratini. Chance is just the same as ever, however Little Kigali is a little off her food. I think she misses her human mommy."

The blonde played with the edge of her pillow. "Awww, tell her I miss her too. I hope she's eating something though."

"Oh she eats her food, but only after much persuasion by Ophie and Beth. Those two female Growlithe have really taken to mothering Kigali. They take turns in grooming her, and making sure she eats. Kigali's always got one or the other on hand to supervise her in the gardens. Makes me wonder whether I should find a suitable male Growlithe for Ophie to breed with. That way she can mother her own puppies."

"Uh, okay," Jenn made a face, "That's a little more than I needed to know, but okay. Well, as long as she's eating, that's great."

"Well…" Trish's voice faded for a moment then strengthened. "She's actually right here."

Jenn grinned, "Put her on!"

There was a rustling sound on the other end, and then a confused sounding, _"Sol?"_

"Kigali, you'd better not be giving Trish a hard time!" Jenn tried her best to sound like she was scolding, but she knew there was a teasing quality that she could never lose. "You silly puppy."

"_Absol ab!"_ There was an instant excitement to the young Absol's voice that Jenn could almost translate to, "Mommy!" or something like that. _"Sol ab absol!"_

"Calm down, okay? I have to go pretty soon and I just wanted to let you know I was okay," Jenn said it a little reluctantly. If there was one pokémon she wished she could talk to, it was the little puppy. After finding the Absol under such a horrible circumstance, it would make things easier for the both of them if she could understand the little one.

There was a brief moment of silence, then a determined sounding, "_Sol."_

"That's a good thing, right?"

"_Absol!"_ This time the puppy sounded amused.

There was a rustling from the phone and then Trish came back on the phone, "I'm not sure what you said, but she looks really mischievous, Jenn!"

"That wasn't what I was aiming for," Jenn rolled her eyes, "But it's better than angst. I think maybe she'll behave better for you now though. Call me tomorrow after you feed them breakfast, okay?"

"You want me to call you at five in the morning?"

"Kick out that amusement in your voice," Jenn glared at her cell phone, "You can call me, like, when it's lunch time or something more of a humane hour. You're so witty."

"But you _did_ say for me to call you after I've fed them breakfast," Trish was all innocence. "And as you know, I'm a fairly early riser."

"You knew what I meant," the blonde rolled her eyes. "Howzabout not getting up so early for a change? Stay in bed awhile. Get Drake to bring you breakfast in bed."

"I don't do breakfast in bed," Trish laughed. "It's rather awkward and I hate getting crumbs in the bed. The only times I do breakfast in bed is if I'm sick."

"You _are_ sick," Jenn teased.

"Takes one to know one," was the immediate retort.

"Oh, Trish, stop!" Jenn feigned a giggle, "You'll have me blushin', you know!"

"You're just one step short of a straight jacket sometimes," Trish sighed.

"For you or me?"

"I really couldn't say," Trish chuckled, "But I have to go. Drake's taking me out and if I don't get ready, I'm going to be a little upset if I end up wearing something too casual because I didn't have enough time to get ready."

Jenn nodded, "Okay, fine, I get the hint. I'll call you later. I think Ash said something about going out tomorrow and doing something. I'm not sure if we were going out tonight or just doing something tomorrow."

"Well whatever it is, I hope you two have fun," Trish said warmly, "You two deserve it."

"Thanks, Trish," Jenn grinned, "You guys have fun, too."

"Oh we will. Talk to you tomorrow!"

"Ciaoness!"

ooo

_Pummelo_

Kigali curled up with a satisfied sigh next to Beth and closed her eyes. The young Absol puppy had taken to sleeping in amongst the small pack of Growlithe for warmth and company. Sometimes Kigali had nightmares and she had always found either of the two female Growlithe willing to soothe her and stay with her until she fell back to sleep.

Kigali felt much more happier and relaxed now that she'd heard her human momma's voice and knew that she hadn't just disappeared and left her. Auntie Trish had held a strange device against her ear through which her momma's voice spoke to her. While it was not the same thing as actually seeing her, Kigali was content. She knew it was her momma talking to her, and that it wasn't a trick that Auntie Trish was playing on her. Not that Auntie Trish would do such a thing to her. She was too nice.

Beth had told the young puppy that a Pokémon could always tell who was their real Trainer. Bad humans and other Pokémon might try to trick them, but a loyal Pokémon always knew, no matter what.

The Chosen One's Pikachu also told her the same thing. The electric mouse had told Kigali of the time they were in the woods, and a wild Hoot Hoot had tried to trick Pikachu into thinking there was a whole pack of Chosen Ones. But Pikachu wasn't fooled. She saw through the trick and knew who was her real Pikapi.

One day Kigali hoped to be as strong as Pikachu. Beth always said in an awe-inspired tone of Pikachu's power levels that there was not a single known Pokémon who could beat Pikachu.

Chance had got a strange, faraway look in his eyes when Beth said it once when he was around. None of the other pokémon had seen it, but Kigali had. When the Absol had tried to talk to the Mightyena about it, he had become very closed off about the subject and talked about something else instead.

Her dark cousin baffled her, and while he wasn't really her cousin in a family way but rather a dark powers sort of way, and even more in a manner that only pokémon truly understood and humans never would, Kigali accepted Chance as family. The others couldn't accept him as she had, but allowed him a little if only for the Absol puppy, and then only because she was one of Jenn's pokémon, and only _then_ because Jenn was a friend of Trish's.

Kigali was glad that her human momma was a friend of such powerful and popular humans. Otherwise, Chance wouldn't have a…well, a chance in the world of humans at all. He really was quite lucky. At least, that was how she figured it.

Anyway she was glad that there was one less sleep to go before her human momma came back. Safe and sound.

_To be continued_

_Author's Note_: _I'm still alive and still writing, honest! However work related stress really puts a dampner on things._

_Please read Pikajenn's stories. She's a fantastic writer! Or read one of mine, Broken Wings. My best work._

84


	40. Chapter 39: Pocketful of Sunshine

_Midsummer Nights_

By Trish

Disclaimer: Pokémon has never belonged to me. I just borrow them for entertainment purposes. The Chapter title comes from 'Pocketful of Sunshine' by Natasha Bedingfield.

_Author's Note_: Yes, I know it's been over a year since I last updated this, but things have been difficult in real life. And it has just got more difficult. My dad has been diagnosed with cancer and so I will be upfront in saying that there may be more longer gaps between posting, depending on how his treatment goes. I apologise, but he will be coming first before anything else.

And to all those spelling police out there, check where your author comes from first before typing your mouth off, hiding behind an anonymous review. I am an Australian and therefore do not use the American way of spelling, but the British. So I am not wrong when it comes to 'harbour' and 'neurone'.

**Dedicated to Rin, for reminding me!**

ooo

_Chapter Thirty-Nine__: Pocketful of Sunshine_

Puck was at a bit of a loose end as to what to do with himself. Mia had gone for a cut, colour and blow dry at a hair salon before meeting Jaime for lunch and shopping for art supplies.

Callie was not around to bother either, having gone out for a picnic lunch with Chris. The chestnut-haired Fae sighed deeply. He had always found it really hard not to be worried about potential male suitors for his sister. Callie, Puck knew, was the type of girl that every hormonal male dreamed about. _Lusted_ about, but didn't really love.

He was secretly afraid that this might be the situation with Chris. Sure, he seemed like a nice enough guy, but if the stories the girls told about him were even _half_-true….Then again those stories were mostly about Chris being _unlucky_ in love.

Puck found himself out on the wide sandstone veranda at the back of Drake's villa, and there he spied Trish sitting on the wide stone railing and looking out over the manicured lawns.

"Hey, Trish!" the Fae greeted cheerfully. "Heard from your whacky friend yet?"

"If by whacky you mean, Jenn, then yes I have," the Australian shook her head good-naturedly. "I spoke to her last night."

"And how is the Chosen One coping? Barely?"

"They're doing just fine," Trish retorted. "And Jenn said she's getting on really well with his parents."

"That's good then!"

"Yeah it is, but…."

"But what?" Puck blinked.

"I guess it's nothing, but I can't help but have a feeling that something's gonna happen while Jenn's there," Trish admitted.

"You worry too much," Puck grinned. "Jenn is with the Chosen One. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Don't say that!" Trish grimaced, "With anyone else around, I wouldn't worry, but with Jenn, saying those words could have an unfortunate result."

"But she's with the Chosen One," Puck shook his head, "That should negate anything you worry about."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Trish jiggled her shoulders as if chilled. "That girl's had a disastrous streak even _before_ she was an Absol."

"Really?"

"Really," the Australian confirmed. "Jenn would be the first to say that strange things happen to her all the time. So you really don't want to say things like 'what could possibly go wrong'. When Jenn is involved, _anything_ can and usually _does_, happen."

"So Jenn is a natural walking disaster?" Puck quipped.

"Some might say that," Trish said, not wanting to be so unkind to her best friend. "So it would be great if you or Callie could sort of keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't get into trouble."

"Like what? A baby sitter?" Puck suddenly looked mischievous, "Pumba, let me redefine baby sitter!"

Trish glared at the Fae, "If you think you're being cute with quoting from the _Lion King_, you're not. Or at least try looking at me and talking about a _different_ character."

"Dearest Kiara!" Puck bowed sweepingly, then stood and smiled charmingly, "I would only speak to you with the highest regards."

"Hmm, that's better," Trish looked back over the lawns, "And you certainly had taken my mind off of Jenn. But would you keep an eye on her?" She looked back at Puck. "Or Callie?"

"Actually, my sister and I can keep an ear out for her," Puck said, "It wouldn't be a stretch of any magickal muscle to listen out for her call. If she would be in trouble, all she would have to do would be to call for us. If you really are so suddenly worried about her, that should be adequate to settle your worries."

"It's just a feeling I have," Trish shrugged. "It's a bit hard to explain, but Jenn and I are so close as friends that we sometimes share things. Like migraines for instance. And sometimes we seem to know when the other needs us or is in trouble. Drake sometimes thinks I'm a little paranoid when it comes to Jenn, but with her past track record I think it is deserved!"

"Right, right, the whole disaster thing," Puck nodded almost dismissively, "I'll talk to Callie about that in a second. Ah, so you go ahead and get back to watching the meadow and I'll go talk to my sister. Then we'll keep an ear or two out for Jenn, who probably won't even need us."

"Puck, tell me you're going to take this seriously!"

"Trish, of course I am!"

"You are going to go to see Callie after this, right?" Trish fixed him with a steely glare, "You swear you're not just going to go back to wherever you were at and forget about this."

Puck raised a hand, "I swear to go directly to Callie and talk to her about your fears about Jenn and to see about spying on said blonde."

"It's not exactly spying," Trish mumbled.

"Not exactly," Puck shrugged, "but it's close enough. We have to keep an ear out."

Trish sighed, "I know, and it's for her own good. Ash can't keep an eye out for her when he's at his League meetings. It would look odd if he just vanished in the midst of them. Right?"

Puck nodded, "It would seem so, I'd imagine."

Trish took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.

"Then again," Puck shrugged, "I've never been to a single League meeting. I'm a Fae. What would I know about League meetings and what would and wouldn't look normal?"

"You are so not a help."

"Not yet," Puck tilted his head to the side, "but I'm sure I will be." At Trish's confused look, he smiled, "You've got your gut feelings, I've got mine."

"I'm going to hold you to your gut feelings on this," the Australian warned. "And if Jenn gets into trouble and you don't help her, then I'm going to have your little Fae butt mounted on the wall."

The chestnut-haired Fae gulped a little. He wouldn't put it past Trish to make good on her threat, especially where Jenn was involved. He never quite understood how those two girls were so close. Perhaps they had been twins in a past life. Puck made a note to perhaps check that out one day.

"I promise by all I hold dear that nothing will happen to Jenn," he said solemnly.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

ooo

_Pallet_

Jenn pushed away her empty plate and sighed happily. Once again, Delia had whipped up the most delicious breakfast. Ash was totally correct when he said that his mom was the best cook in the world. Therefore it was no surprise to learn that Delia did the catering for small League functions from time to time.

The blonde discreetly looked down at her lap. With the generous meals she was getting from Delia every day, maybe she should see about going for a brisk walk or jog around the neighbourhood. If she wasn't careful, she'd end up getting a tummy that would take _ages_ to work off.

She jiggled her shoulders and looked over at Ash, "So, what are you doing today?"

"Unfortunately, today is the first round of League meetings that I have to attend," the Grand Master grimaced slightly. "The League Board has to go through the end of year financial reports for each League, starting with Kanto."

Jenn felt a slight stab of disappointment. "So you'll be gone for the whole day and night?"

"Not quite," Ash reassured her. "Pewter is first up this morning, then Cerulean in the afternoon. We'll go out for dinner tonight and we can walk along the waterfront afterwards."

The blonde grinned. "Sounds good to me!"

"You know," Delia sat down with a cup of coffee. "If you want, I could show Jenn around Pallet this morning. Maybe we could have a girl's day out while you're shut in doing the League thing."

Ash frowned, "I..suppose so."

Jenn perked up, not that she'd been looking down, "Oh that's a great idea!"

"You should be careful though," Ash said, "Maybe you should take Espeon or someone."

"No, no, Ash, we'll be alright," Delia waved him off.

"Hah, I so know _that_ look," Jenn shook her head smugly, "That's the look of someone doomed to be bored for a very long time with no hope of redemption."

Ash blinked, "That's really not fair."

"No," the blonde grinned. "But then again, a certain someone has always insisted on being the Pokémon Grand Master ever since he was a kid, and now you are. That part's wicked cool, Ash! The part that's not is the business side, and that is the part you have to deal with today."

Ash rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I know."

"Don't you sass _me_, boy!" Jenn snorted, then put on one of his old blue League hats, which had been sitting on her lap. "It's a boring, totally makes you wanna scoop your eyes out with a dull spoon on the scale of boring kind of thing, but those meetings are important for you. They're just part of the stuff you gotta do as the Grand Know It All."

"Yeah I know," Ash sighed and chucked the rim of her hat playfully. "But that doesn't mean that I have to _like_ it."

"No one said you had to like it. You just gotta do it! And anyway, we'll be fine, Ash," Jenn reassured her boyfriend with a pat on his hand. "We're just going out to see some of Pallet. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Oh yeah," Ash shook his head, "Famous last words from you!"

Jenn's eyes widened, "Huh? Come on! It's not like I'm stuck in some horror movie opening!"

"And with that hat you think you're in disguise?"

"Ash!" Jenn's eyes narrowed in a mock sinister look, "I'm nothing but disguised! I'm so hidden, you'll need to send out a tracking pokémon to find me!"

Ash reached out and poked her in the arm, "Bip. Found ya."

She shook her head and removed the cap. "You've got no sense of humour. I'm gonna work on that."

Delia smiled at the two, "Ash, you'd better go get ready or you'll be late."

"Mooom!" But he stood up with a sigh.

"And remember to change your you know what's…"

"_**MOM!"**_

Jenn snickered but then remembered that _her_ mom could say things just as embarrassing. It must be a universal mom thing. Just as she was enjoying the sight of a red-faced Ash, her cell phone rang in her shorts pocket with the signature tune for her best friend.

Flipping open the sleek device, Jenn answered with a cheery, "Whassup?"

"Someone sounds chirpy for so early in the morning," Trish greeted. "Is it a result of a Pepsi high or did someone get mastered by the Grand Master last night?"

"TRISH!" Jenn flushed beetroot red even though she knew her friend couldn't see it.

"What?" Trish asked, "It's not a bad question, is it?"

"No, you're not wrong, it's just…"

"JENN!"

Jenn chuckled, "Oh, I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. No, you're right, I was just kidding."

"So nothing's happened yet between you two?"

Jenn looked over at the curious looks from Ash and Delia and sighed. The blonde walked out quietly through the back door into the backyard area. "Sorry for the little delay there. I was, for some reason, getting the strangest looks from Ash and Delia."

"Gee, I can't imagine why," the amusement that came from Trish seemed to know no bounds.

Jenn stared out over the lush green lawn and rolled her eyes, "You're truly evil. You've been hanging around me far too much."

"So Drake says," Trish said, "Now about you and Ash…"

"Yeah, you know, talking about certain things around someone who's possibly psychic isn't a good thing."

"I'll just take that chance," Trish said dryly, "Honestly, Jenn, what's taking so long? You're taking bloody long enough!"

"Trish!" Jenn was aghast, "These things take time!"

"Well what do you want? An engraved invitation?" Trish laughed. "You're too much, Jenn."

"I don't know what's more disturbing," Jenn shook her head. "That you would think that I would jump a guy that fast, or the fact that you're actively encouraging me to do so."

Her friend chuckled. "I can't help it if you've been actively cultivating an image of a man hungry gal all these years. You tell people something often enough, they start to believe it."

"So if I started to say that Drake is an old fogey and you really need to dump him and get yourself a new man, you'd believe it?"

"Not a chance," Trish said dryly.

"But you just said…."

"I'm not going to believe _everything_ you tell me," Trish snorted. "And once again, how many times do I have to tell you that he's only a year older than me."

"Exactly, he's _older_," Jenn smirked. "And I don't have to believe everything you tell me."

"You never listen to me anyway."

"I do so!" the blonde protested. "Mostly."

"Anyway I was ringing you to give the update as promised on Lil Kigali."

"Oh, please, update away," Jenn leaned back against the side of the house, "How's the little bugger doing?"

"She's eating well and all," Trish said, "Chance is a little strange."

"When isn't he?" Jenn sighed, "I really need to get a talk session with him and Meowth."

"Yeah you really need to do that!"

"Is he getting along with the other Pokémon?"

"He's still keeping mostly to himself, but he does hang around with Kigali sometimes," Trish said.

"Same as usual then."

"You still haven't officially caught him have you?"

"Uh, no," Jenn crossed an arm over her stomach and studied a nail, "He's not mine. I just found him. It's not my damage that he happens to want to hang out with me."

Trish laughed, "Yeah, sure, whatever you say there, Ash."

Jenn stepped away from the house, "What!"

"Oh, come on, Jenn," Trish laughed, "You can't deny that you've got a little talent with finding those special case Pokémon, same as Ash does."

"Yeah, I know, but," Jenn sighed, "What am I supposed to do? Should I catch him?"

"When you get back, we'll set up something with Meowth," Trish said, "Okay?"

"Okay," Jenn smiled, "Together we can get to the bottom of this mystery pokémon."

"Of course we will!" The Australian chuckled. "We're a team."

"Now who's sounding a lot like Ash?" Jenn grinned.

"So what's the plans for today? Anything romantic?"

"Not until later tonight," the blonde sighed. "Ashy is stuck in League meetings all morning, so Delia's going to take me out and see some of the sights of Pallet."

"That'll be nice," Trish said, before her voice became sly. "Do you think that she's checking out your suitability as a prospective daughter-in-law?"

"TRISH!'

"Yes, that is my name."

"Well, I…I don't know," Jenn said, full of uncertainty, "I hadn't thought of it like that."

Trish chuckled, "Jenn, it should've flitted through your mind at least once!"

"Uh," Jenn looked back into the house and saw that Ash had come back down and was dressed in a black business suit, "Yeah, um, Trish, I gotta go. I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Okay, but I want a full report of this day out with Delia," Trish was still laughing, "Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jenn said in a mixture of mock annoyance and amusement, "Of course."

The two hung up and Jenn slipped back into the house. She hoped that Ash wouldn't say anything if he had heard something. To her, there was nothing more embarrassing than being put on the spot about something you didn't want anyone else knowing about.

She found Ash chatting with his mother in the kitchen, a black leather folder embossed with the insignia of the Pokémon League on the cover, lying on the bench top.

The blonde ran an appreciative eye over the lithe figure of her boyfriend. Did Ash wear a business suit well or what? The tailored suit hugged his body like she wanted to, and he looked like a million dollars. His normally dark, totally unruly hair was combed and slicked back. He looked more than hot, he looked like he could take on the world and not break a sweat. And that was hot.

"See something you like?" Ash sounded amused.

Jenn looked up, "Oh, yeah, but since I don't have a camera I can't take a picture, so I figured I'd just stare a little longer."

Delia and Ash both gave a little gasp, but the older woman was the first to recover and she chuckled. "You really have a quick one on your hands, Ash."

Ash shook his head, but grinned, "So I keep hearing."

"Yeah, but," Jenn shrugged a shoulder and smiled, "You know you love me."

ooo

_Pummelo_

Trish snapped her cell phone shut with a satisfied smile. She slipped the slender device into her jeans pocket before picking up a small Absol puppy by her feet.

"Your mommy sounds very happy, little one," she told Kigali as she cuddled her. "She's going out today with the Chosen One's mommy. That's a good sign that things are serious!"

Kigali cocked her head to one side and wagged her tail.

"Yes it is. If things go well, you could have the Chosen One as your Daddy!"

The little Absol puppy barked happily. There was nothing in the world that she wanted more than to have the Chosen One as her human daddy. That would be the best!

"Since your mommy's okay, how's about being a good little Absol for Auntie Trish and eating all your food from now on?"

Kigali wagged her tail.

Just then, Drake walked in with Shannon and Jaime. "You look like the cat who got the best cream," the Orange Crew Leader remarked as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "What's up?"

"I just spoke to Jenn," Trish said as she gave Kigali one last cuddle before putting her down on the floor.

"And?" Jaime quipped as she sat down opposite the Australian. "Don't leave us in suspense! You know I can't stand suspense!"

"She's going out for the day with Ash's mom," Trish grinned. "Isn't that great?"

"That's the sort of thing you do before you get married, isn't it?" Jaime squealed out, "I mean, you meet the parents and then you go out with them on a kind of lunch date?"

Drake sighed and looked relieved, "Oh thank Lugia!"

"What's that for?" Trish asked, "Drake?"

"Well she can stop trying to dig in on my credit cards," Drake shrugged, "And start in on Ash. The poor guy's in for a handful with her. I think he may try to go back with Misty."

Trish's jaw gaped for a moment and she smacked Drake on the arm, "You moron! That's an incredibly insensitive thing to say!"

"What? I?" He rubbed his arm, which was bare due to the fact that he was wearing his Vest. "And Jenn likes buying her shoes and purses, neither of which run cheap. You know her, Trish, she likes her brand names."

"I'm well aware of that," Trish made a face at the thought and shrugged, "Okay, so you're right. I take that back, all but the Misty thing you said."

"Aww, that's so sweet and…" Jaime turned away when the two shared a sweet and lingering kiss, "Bleah, but I _so_ gotta get me a mister romantic."

ooo

_Pallet_

"Ready for today's round of meetings, Ash?"

The Grand Master swivelled in his black leather executive chair, from where he was looking out of the window, to face his personal assistant James. The lavender haired man was sitting on the other side of the large mahogany desk, and was going over Ash's itinerary for the day.

The two were in Ash's office in the new, swank Pokémon League offices that were built in Pallet a few years ago at his suggestion. Not that it had been hard to persuade the Board of his idea. After Ash had become Pokémon Grand Master, the resulting publicity for his hometown had resulted in many large Pokémon related companies setting up offices in the growing metropolis. Silph Co had set up headquarters there as had many others.

The resulting influx of corporations had allowed Ash to spend more time in Pallet, which he liked, rather than living in comparative isolation up on the Indigo Plateau. Living in Pallet allowed him to see what was really going on in the world of Pokémon rather than just hearing it second-hand from reports.

"The sooner we get started, the sooner it will be over," Ash sighed. "I can't begin to tell you how much I hate this part of the job."

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know," James shook his head and nibbled at the end of his pen, "You have lunch penned in here at two," He made a face, "I don't know why you don't just get a PDA. It's easier than using pen and paper."

Ash refrained from rolling his eyes, "Because I think they have a tendency to freeze too often. The last five I had did that and I got tired of losing important information under mysterious circumstances."

James gave him a wide eyed look, "Okay, that was a weird little speech from you."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, it was all peppered with big words I didn't know you knew."

Ash _did_ roll his eyes this time, "Can we get on with looking over today's stuff?"

James beamed, "There's the Ash I know!"

The Grand Master sighed. "So what's today's torture session look like?"

"First up is Pewter City Gym's Finance Report," his personal assistant advised as he tapped the page with his pen.

"Is Brock's dad Flint still the Gym Leader or is it one of his numerous siblings?" Ash asked. "Brock has so many I can never remember all of their names."

"It's one of his brothers, Steel," James informed him.

"Ah…"

"Ooooh! And you'll just loooove this afternoon's session," James said with false brightness.

"Why?" Ash was instantly wary. When James spoke with that tone of voice, he just _knew_ he was absolutely going to _**hate**_ whatever it was.

"Why it's your favourite Gym in Kanto!" James grinned impishly. "Cerulean."

"Oh great…." Ash groaned and sunk down into his seat. "Is there any way I can say I'm sick and let somebody else take my place?"

"Not a chance," James shook his head. "Misty's sisters will use your non-appearance to crucify you."

"They'll crucify me anyway! So who is it?"

"Daisy."

"Well, she _used_ to be the nicest out of the three of them," Ash mused, rubbing his chin. "I doubt she'll be nice to me anymore."

"You'd better watch yourself in that meeting," James warned his boss. "Anything you say or do, can and will be used against you."

"You make it sound like I've committed some crime and I'm about to be arrested!" Ash joked weakly.

"In Daisy's eyes you have," James said. "You chose another woman over their baby sister."

"Hey, Misty chose to leave _me_ for another man," the Grand Master protested. "But you don't see my mom accusing Misty of anything."

"Yes, but of course they wouldn't see it that way. Misty is family, and you know how the old saying goes about how blood is thicker than water."

"They never used to care _that_ much about her before."

James grinned smugly, "That was _before_ she married the Grand Master."

Ash sighed, "I'm almost getting tired of that title."

"Almost," James raised an eyebrow, "Does not a Chosen One make."

Ash groaned, "Don't bring that up, too. It's bad enough that I've got _one_ title."

"At any rate," James said in a sympathetic tone, "Once you get these meetings done today, you can go out with your sweetie tonight. And the faster you get these done with, the faster tonight can come around."

Ash looked thoughtful, "Alright, alright," he sighed deeply, "Tell Julie to go ahead and get the rest of the financial reports ready to be set out for the different gym meetings. And have her make sure I get the main copies first. I want to make sure I'm definitely more prepared than Daisy is."

James pouted, "But I gave you the reports for Pewter and Cerulean yesterday!"

Ash winced, "You did? Eh, uh, wow. Um, okay," he gave a weak laugh, "See, James…"

"Ash, what did you _**do**_ with those reports?"

"Actually, I didn't get them," Ash shrugged weakly, "Sorry?"

James went from looking as if he had fire in his eyes to looking dismayed, "But, Ash! I had them sent to your mom's house specifically! That Mr. Mime of hers must have swept them right out the door!"

"Oh, I'm sure he didn't do that," Ash said quickly, "I'm sure my mom just put them someplace and forgot to give them to me. She probably had no idea what they were about."

"And I had them all neatly prepared and marked out with little coloured flags for key issues," the former Team Rocket member sighed.

"If it'll make you feel better, I can give my mom a ring and find out," Ash offered, hoping to soothe the man's ruffled feathers.

"It would," James sniffled.

The Grand Master pulled out his cell phone from his blazer pocket and flipped it open. He hit the speed dial number for his mom and waited for her to answer. He only hoped that she had it turned on.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mom, it's me."

"Hi, Sweetie!" Delia's cheerful voice came over the line. "Have you started your meetings yet?"

"Not yet, so where are you and Jenn at the moment?"

"We're at the local museum. Jenn really loves her history and museums."

"So I've heard from Trish," Ash smiled. "Listen, Mom, I need to ask you something."

"What is it, Sweetie?"

"James said that he sent two envelopes marked for my attention to your house yesterday. I was just wondering if you received them."

"Of course I did, honey!" Delia said, "Didn't you see them?"

Ash shook his head, then remembered that he wasn't on a vid-phone, "No, mom, I hadn't."

"Well I put them," Delia's voice dropped a fraction, "Right on top of your clean underwear!"

Ash's eyes widened, "Mom!"

"But I did, and at least they were clean," Delia chuckled, "At least they weren't the dirty pair."

"Okay, I'm gonna hang up now," Ash groaned. "You have fun with Jenn."

"You don't want to talk? She's right here."

"And she heard _everything_?"

"Oh yes, she's laughing up a storm."

Ash's face flamed as he could visualize the blonde doing just that, "I just bet she is. Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime, Sweetie!"

The Grand Master flipped his phone shut only to see his personal assistant looking at him expectantly.

"Well, what did your mom say?" James asked. "Did she get them? I couldn't hear a thing of what she said."

_Thank Lugia for that_, Ash gave a silent sigh of relief.

"Ash? What did she say?" James gave him a look, "Your face is all red. She must've said something."

"Uh, yeah, she said that she left them in my room."

"Where in your room?"

Ash shook his head and stood up, "So not important, James. I'll just scan a copy that Julie's gonna bring for me."

James stood up with Ash, "I bet she left them on your dresser again…"

"I'm really not at liberty to say."

"…just like the last time you stayed at your mom's place."

Ash sighed and brushed at invisible lint on his jacket sleeve.

"You really should probably have a room here or something," James got an evil glint in his emerald eyes, "Then she wouldn't be able to leave important documents on your clean underwear."

Ash's shoulders sagged under extreme exasperation, "James!"

The lilac haired man just laughed, "Out, Grand Master, and face your peers! You've got a long day ahead of you."

"And you just needed that little bit of humour to start me off," Ash raised an eyebrow, "Right?"

"Oh for sure," James said innocently, "After all, you never know what the day will bring you."

ooo

Jenn really enjoyed the time spent at the local museum. Not only was it free, but it was well-maintained, entertaining, and informative. It wasn't something that many of her friends knew, but there was nothing much more (other than shopping) that the blonde loved as much as getting lost in a good museum, and so far the Pallet Museum was hitting the spot.

Naturally, they had a section devoted to Pallet's favourite son (Jenn rolled her eyes at the brass plaque over the entry way, but grinned all the same – after all, she _was_ dating him!), and his epic journey from rookie Pokémon trainer to Grand Master. Jenn wondered how Ash felt about that part of the museum. Did he feel like it was a just necessary tribute or was he totally embarrassed about it? Maybe he kinda wished it wasn't part of the museum at all.

The blonde quirked a grin at the thought of a line from her favourite Indiana Jones movie, especially at the thought of applying it to Ash. She stared Indy like at a portrait of Ash, with Pikachu clinging to his shoulder, which was hanging near the entrance to the exhibit, "He belongs in a museum!"

"Who does, dear?" Delia's amused voice came over her shoulder.

Jenn gasped and whirled around, and she felt her cheeks flame, "Um, ah, well, the pose Ash is in kind of looks like Sir Aaron, with Lucario. I figured the dude was totally old."

"Oh, yes," Delia peered around Jenn and pointed out a golden staff that was in a display case, "That's actually the staff that helped out Ash and Lucario. I'm not really certain who owned it and all. You'll have to ask Ash later."

The blonde stared up at the portrait, and noticed that the pose her boyfriend was in _was _a little different from your average posing for a painting pose. She frowned and cocked her head to the side. The clothes weren't modern looking either. "Okay, I think I will."

Delia led her away towards the centre of the exhibit.

ooo

"Thanks for coming in today, Steel," Ash shook hands with the Pewter City Gym Leader. "You're doing a fantastic job with the Gym. Just keep on doing what you're doing."

"Thanks, Ash!" Brock's younger brother smiled. "Say hi to Brock for me when you go back to Pummelo."

"Oh I will. I think he's having a fine time over there, what with all the sun, sand and beach babes."

"He's not….scaring them all off with marriage proposals is he?" Steel grimaced.

"What do you think?" Ash remarked dryly.

"Uh, yeah right, stupid question," Steel laughed weakly. "So, Cerulean is up next?"

"Unfortunately, yes," the Grand Master grimaced.

"You'd better watch out, Daisy really has it in for you," the Pewter City Gym Leader warned. "She's been trying to spread some pretty nasty rumours about you amongst the other gyms."

"What sort of rumours?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Oh the usual bitter marriage break up ones," Steel shrugged. "How you were cheating on Misty with Jenn earlier. And also about your ability as Pokémon Grand Master."

"Oh?" Both eyebrows were raised.

"Daisy's said that you've been cheating your entire training life, and that you're only in the job because you've secretly paid rivals to lose. She's been pretty much shouted down by Leaders such as Sabrina, Prima, Lance, Claire, Danny and Drake. Everyone knows that neither she nor her sisters used to care that much about Misty."

Ash sighed, "I've got to cut this down before it gets too far out of hand."

"And how much farther out of hand _do_ you think it's going to get?" Steel asked, "I mean, Daisy's pretty much nuts as far as I can tell."

"That's not really very fair."

"I know, but she's not playing fair, either," Steel said, "And I'm just looking out for you."

"I appreciate it," Ash said, and clapped the other man on the back in a quick man hug, "Thanks, Steel."

"No problem, Ash," Steel said and stepped back, "You're always looking out for us. It's the least I could do."

"I really appreciate it," the Grand Master smiled. "It's true as they say that it's times like these that you find out who your _real_ friends are."

"You've always been there for Brock and us, now it's our turn."

"I just can't believe that Daisy could be so vindictive and stoop so low," Ash shook his head.

"She's just jealous," Steel grinned. "She's just jealous that in picking a blonde to fall in love with, that you didn't pick her. She's also mad that Misty stuffed things up with you when she had it all made with this marriage."

"Ah, well, as long as it's not all the blondes that feel the same," Ash grinned weakly, "I'll be safe."

Steel grinned back, "I think it's safe to say that Daisy's the only insane one."

Julie knocked on the door then and popped her head in, "Ash, they're ready for you."

"Good luck, Ash," Steel said with a nod, "When it comes to Daisy, you're gonna need it."

"Thanks, Steel," Ash grimaced, "I think."

"Just think," Steel winked evilly, "When you get back home, you'll be able to snuggle up to a warm, loving blonde who wants to see you. Daisy's got…no one."

Ash shook his head, "You really are the exact opposite of your brother."

Steel shrugged, "Someone's got to be the level headed one."

"Well, you're not wrong when it comes to Jenn," Ash said as he stood and pulled on his blazer, "She's a lot warmer and more gracious than more people think she is."

"Then go on and get these ridiculous meetings out of your way," Steel said suggestively, "And get back to your lady love."

Ash grinned, "Thanks, Steel. It's been really…interesting to talk with you."

"Any time, Ash," the Pewter Gym Leader grinned back.

ooo

"What would you like to have, Jenn?"

Delia had taken Jenn to lunch at one of Pallet's best kept secrets – the best little seafood restaurant this side of Kanto.

The older woman knew from her son that his girlfriend loved seafood and so she had chosen a small, family run business that Ash, Steven and herself often went to.

Jenn studied the menu, trying to make up her mind. There were so many dishes to choose from! "I think..." she said finally. "I think I'll have the grilled salmon steak."

"Good choice." Delia nodded her approval.

The waitress came and took their orders before returning with their cutlery and two glasses of ice cold water. Jenn took a grateful sip from hers, the pair had been on the go since early that morning seeing the sights.

"So, are you enjoying yourself here?" Delia smiled as she sipped her water.

Jenn grinned, "Oh I really love it! Steven and yourself have been so kind, and it's really peaceful here. I love how Pallet's still managed to maintain its village atmosphere even if it's grown to a big city."

"That's what Ash loves about coming home," his mother said. "It still reminds him of his childhood days, when Pallet was still very small. Everyone knew everybody and community spirit was strong."

"So everyone looked out for each other?"

"They did."

"I wish more people would be like that," the blonde sighed as she discreetly looked at her watch underneath the table. Not that she was bored and hated her present company, it was just that Jenn couldn't relax until she got back to the sanctuary of her room.

This was the mother of her boyfriend after all, who could make and break her future happiness. If Jenn did or said something stupid, Delia may think that she wasn't good enough for her only son. That would totally suck as Jenn was finally starting to think she had found real happiness. But it would take only one blunder on her part to bring that all crashing down around her.

Delia broke into her train of thought. "I'm so glad that you were able to come with Ash to Pallet. Ash has told me so much about you that I couldn't wait to meet you. His description made you sound like a really sweet girl."

Jenn felt herself blushing under the fulsome praise. "Well Ash didn't have to say much to convince me to come. His tales of his childhood in Pallet made it sound so inviting."

"He's happiest when he's here," Delia continued, smiling inwardly at the girl's obvious nerves. Jenn reminded her of the time when she first started dating Ash's father. The brunette had been so nervous!

Jenn had no reason to worry. Both Steven and Delia liked the girl a lot already and they could see that she made Ash really happy. That was what was really important to Delia. As long as her beloved son was happy, so was she. The fact that Ash was finally smiling again after the divorce from Misty was a tick in Jenn's favour.

Also in Jenn's favour was that she was probably the only one weird enough to match Ash's weirdness. There was no way that Delia could deny that her son was a little different, not with her knowledge of his status as the Chosen One and the powers that came with it.

After Misty left, Delia had been a little worried that Ash may not be able to find a girl who would be able to overlook his oddity. Sure, he'd have no problem finding a girl (courtesy of his Grand Master status), but would they stay at the first sign of his powers?

More than likely, the girl would freak out and flee at the first occurrence, and then things would have the potential to get very bad for Ash. Especially if the girl called the police and accused Ash of being insane or violent against her.

From what she had heard from Brock, Jenn was even stranger than Ash. So, the blonde was less likely to bat an eyelid at any show of supernatural power. Which meant that Ash's secret would stay safe with the small amount of people in the know.

Delia didn't think that Jenn was an evil type of weirdness, since Trish was best friends with the girl. The Australian didn't strike her as the type of person who preferred the company of murderous psychos.

Ash's mother also trusted her son's pokémon on their judgement of the people who hung around him. If Pikachu, Meganium, Charizard and Bulbasaur didn't like them, then there was no way in the seven levels of hell that the person would get near their beloved Master.

Pikachu really liked Jenn. Pikapichu, the little electric mouse said, was a perfect mate for Pikapi. If Pikachu didn't like Jenn then she'd have shocked the living daylights out of her. Most of all, Pikachu had never seen Pikapi so happy before. Not even before the whole mess with Pikachupi.

Delia trusted Pikachu's judgement most of all. The tiny electric rodent had been her son's closest and constant companion since he was ten and was his confidante. Pikachu knew more of Ash's secrets than anyone else.

Delia smiled and sipped her water. She was prepared to give Ash's relationship with Jenn her full approval.

ooo

Across town, Ash was definitely _no_t enjoying himself. The meeting to discuss the Cerulean City Gym was the most painful experience he had ever gone through, with Daisy glaring daggers at him from the opposite end of the boardroom table.

If looks could kill, Ash would have been dead a hundred times over. Luckily for the Grand Master, the meeting included the full executive board of the Pokémon League. This meant that Daisy had to be on her best professional behaviour and not bring any personal grievances into the meeting.

The Grand Master called for a half an hour break to allow the board members to stretch their legs and to relax from staring at all the numbers.

He slipped out of the boardroom through the nearest exit before Daisy could catch him and walked quickly down the hallway towards his office.

Ash entered the reception area and smiled at the receptionist. "If Daisy Waterflower tries to come in here, do _not_ let her enter under any circumstances."

"Understood, sir."

He walked into the office, and collapsed in the executive chair with an exhaled sigh of relief. Fishing out his cell phone, he pushed the speed dial and held it up to his ear.

A few rings later, he heard a familiar voice, "Hey Ashy, what's up?"

"Hey, Jenn. How's the day out with my mom going?"

"Great!" His girlfriend sounded enthusiastic. "Delia's just so sweet and nice and she's been totally spoiling me!"

"I can imagine," Ash smiled into his cell phone. He was glad that the two got on well together, as it made things easier for him. He would be stuck in the middle if they didn't get along, and each would be trying to get him on their side. Ash had no doubt that it would be far worse than when he played peacekeeper between Mew and Mewtwo. He had died and been brought back to life that time, but in a fight between Jenn and his mom, he would die several times over and no amount of Pokémon tears would bring him back to life. "So what have you seen so far?"

"We went to the museum which was awesome," Jenn enthused. "And I saw the special section that they made to Pallet's favourite son."

The Grand Master sighed and tried to suppress the squirm of embarrassment he felt whenever the museum section was mentioned. He tried to protest against it when the city council had first presented the idea to him, as there was nothing special about him. Nothing that separated him from any of the previous Grand Masters, at least, not in Ash's own opinion.

But the city council wouldn't hear it, especially as it was due to Ash's fame that Pallet grew from a sleepy country village into a major city. They could think of no better way to honour Ash than a section in the Museum.

Faced with such enthusiasm, Ash couldn't say no. So he bore all the adulation with grace and only concerned himself with ensuring that nothing _too_ embarrassing ever went in there.

Misty had loved the idea, as nothing said that a person was important than a section of a museum dedicated to them. The redhead had crowed about the fact to her three sisters.

Ash just didn't know how Jenn would react to the museum. Would she feel embarrassed? Would she think it was all his idea and think he had a Gary sized ego? Or would it just serve as a reminder of his status and scare her away? "So, what did you think?"

"I was thinking some of the exhibits would make for good blackmail material," Jenn said, teasingly.

"You would say something like that," he groaned good-naturedly.

"Yeah, but I made you smile, didn't I?"

"You did."

"So how are your meetings going?"

"This one's absolutely _horrible_," Ash groaned, once again reminded of the fact that he still had a meeting to finish. "It's Cerulean."

"It's not Misty is it?"

"Oh no, no. It's Daisy."

"She eating you alive?"

"Not quite. More like killing me slowly with the Glare of Death."

"Poor Ashy," Jenn made sympathetic noises over the phone. "It won't be too much longer before it's over."

"You want to go out for dinner tonight?" Ash smiled over the phone. "Followed by a walk along Pallet's harbour front?"

"I'd love to!"

"Good," the Grand Master said before sighing. "I guess I better get back to the meeting."

"Love you Ashy!"

"Love you too, Jenn."

ooo

After lunch, Delia and Jenn walked around the local shops for a bit and Jenn bought a new outfit she could wear out on a dinner date with Ash. Passing by the local _Starmiebucks,_ Delia stopped.

"How about we stop off for a coffee and a hot chocolate and cake?"

"That would be great," Jenn smiled at the older woman.

After they found a table on the veranda, Delia offered to go and get their beverages from the counter. "You just stay here and look after our seats."

Jenn nodded and sat back in her chair and watched as Pallet life passed by. She really enjoyed being here in Ash's old hometown and loved how it had still retained its small village atmosphere despite growing into a small city.

The locals were all very nice and friendly and Jenn didn't detect any pro-Misty sentiment from amongst the populace. In fact, Delia and Steven had told her that they had all taken Ash's side in the divorce, which had pissed Gary off no end.

The blonde's eyes widened as she stifled a giggle at a group of people that passed close by. Some of them were dressed like Misty at various stages and ages. There was one large woman there who had somehow squeezed herself into the crop top and shorts and suspenders outfit Misty had worn when she was younger.

_Some people should not be allowed to wear certain clothes_, Jenn thought.

"Well, well, who do we have here?" A horribly familiar nasally voice pierced her thoughts. "A gold-digging blonde trying to worm her way into the Grand Master's family."

Jenn's head shot up to see Gary Oak standing in front of her. "Gary!" She gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to talk Gramps into reversing his disinheritance of me," the spiky haired former Gym Leader sneered. "Stupid old man refuses to."

"I don't blame him," Jenn snorted. "Professor Oak believes in treating Pokémon with respect and as friends. You abused your Umbreon because it couldn't win a stupid little battle! Of course he wouldn't want to reinherit you."

"If it wasn't for you and that stupid loser Ashy Boy, my life wouldn't have been ruined," Gary glared venomously at the blonde. "I wouldn't have lost my position as Gym Leader or my inheritance or my Pokémon. You are going to pay."

"Go away, Gary," Jenn groaned as she sank into her chair. "I'm trying to stay low key here."

"Oh we can't have that," Gary sneered. "Look there's a bunch of Misty fans on a tour of Pallet. I'm going over there to let them know that the blonde home wrecker who caused Ash and Misty to divorce is over here." He sauntered off with a wicked cackle.

Jenn found herself breathing hard. She was utterly defenceless against any mob attacks, she didn't think to bring any of her Pokémon along with her. Heck, she never thought she would need them on a girls' outing with Delia.

Twisting around in her chair, the blonde could see the older woman patiently waiting in long queue to collect their beverages. She could also see Gary over with the Misty fans and gesturing in her direction.

_Puck, Callie, Somebody!_ Jenn thought wildly. _Help!_

No sooner had she thought the words than Puck came walking up to her from the street. "Puck!" Jenn breathed. "Am I glad to see you! I didn't think you'd come and help me."

"I'm not here as a favour to you, to save _you_," Puck says. "I'm here as a favour to Ash."

"There's no time to argue now," Jenn said a trifle irritably. "Gary threatened to tell that group of Misty fans that I'm here, and now he's over there talking to them!"

"No problem," the chestnut-haired Fae grinned. "I'll cast a simple glamour spell to make them see someone else." He waved his hand and Jenn felt a slight tingling all over.

Frowning, she looked down to see she was wearing different clothes. "Okay, so who am I supposed to be?"

"Mia," Puck grinned. "Misty fans won't know her nor will Gary. You'll be perfectly safe."

Jenn glared at the Fae. "Yes, but what is Delia gonna think, genius?"

"Don't worry," Puck grinned. "I'll just stay until she comes back and I'll tell her. Relax, Delia knows all about me."

"She does?" The temporarily non-blonde blinked. "Since when?"

"Ash's mom's house in Pallet was the first place in the mortal world I ever visited four years ago," Puck reminisced. "Boy did I ever have fun with all of them back then."

"What did you do, you Naughty Fae?" Jenn smirked.

"Oh nothing much," Puck grinned. "Just made Ash quote Shakespeare all the time and have all the girls running after him. I made Misty too nice and Brock fall in love with Delia. Oh and turned Professor Oak into a four year old."

"Nothing much, huh?" Jenn laughed. "I'd hate to see what you think is 'a lot.' So who fixed up the results of all your fun that time?"

"Callie, who else?" Puck glanced over at where Gary was talking to the Misty fans. "Now when Gary comes back, you've got to act like you're Mia got it? Otherwise I suggest you start writing your last will and testament."

"Got it," Jenn gulped. She really didn't want to die, not when she'd only just started dating the man of her dreams.

"Sorry about taking so long!" Delia's voice broke in and the two looked up to see the brunette making her way back with a tray containing the beverages and cakes. She stopped short when she saw Puck standing there with Mia. "Oh hi, Puck, nice to see you and Mia again. But where's Jenn?"

Puck grinned and pointed to 'Mia'. "This _is_ Jenn, Delia. She asked me to put a glamour on her to help hide her. Gary Oak is at this very moment inciting those Misty fans over there to attack Jenn."

"Oh my!" Delia looked horrified. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"Because he hates me and Ash for getting him kicked out of the League," Jenn informed the older woman.

"Professor Oak told me all about the abuse incident," Delia pursed her lips. "It's all his own fault. Ash was just doing his duty as the Head of the League."

"Here they come!" Puck sang out as Gary came running over with the Misty fans not far behind.

"There she is!" The spiky haired former gym leader jabbed at finger at the table. "There's the blonde responsible for wrecking Pokeworld's most famous couple!"

"Where?" One girl asked. "I don't see no blonde sitting there. Just some brunette chick."

Gary blinked and took another look. There was Delia and Puck and some girl he didn't know. He sauntered over to Ash's mother. "Hey Mrs K."

Delia looked up from her coffee and smiled. "Oh hi, Gary."

"Wasn't Jenn sitting here with you before?"

The older woman shook her head, "No, you must be mistaken, Gary. Puck and Mia have come to visit me and we thought we'd have coffee and cake together."

"That's right," Mia grinned up and clasped Puck's free hand. "Puck wanted to show me around Pallet and drop in to say hi to Delia."

"But I thought..." Gary stammered. He was positive that the stupid blonde had been there a few minutes ago and had argued with him.

"You must be seeing things, Gary," Puck smiled at the man. "I think I would know my Mia-kins and she looks _**nothing **_like or sounds _**nothing**_ like Jenn."

Gary stared long and hard at Puck and his girlfriend. The guy knew magick and could transform things couldn't he? Might Mia really be a transformed Jenn? So he decided to test them a little. "Prove it."

"What?"

"If Mia is really who you say she is," Gary smirked. "Then she wouldn't mind giving you a nice big wet one on the lips."

Jenn felt slightly panicked. What to do now? She didn't want to kiss Puck and she bet that he didn't want to kiss her either. The only one Jenn wanted to kiss at all was Ash.

_:Relax, blondie and just play along,:_ Puck's voice came into her head. _:_ _I don't like this either, so just get it done with.:_

:_I can't kiss you!: _

_:Why not?:_

_:Because you're Puck. Duh.:_

The Fae sighed and fought the urge to roll his eyes. :_Would it be better if I looked like __**Ash**__? But for your eyes only. The rest will still see me as normal:_

Suddenly 'Ash' was standing there before her and the blonde relaxed just a little. But then panicked again. With Puck now looking like her boyfriend, there was every chance she might get carried away with the kiss.

While the Ash before her looked slightly pained at her internal dialogue, Jenn suddenly found herself hearing Ash's voice and almost catching a whiff of his cologne.

_:Jenn, just listen to Puck, okay? You're only kissing Puck to fool Gary, and that's fine by me.:_

_:Yeah, and how do I know you're Ash and not Puck trying to fool me?:_

Puck rolled his eyes, but it was barely visible. _:It's not hard to do that, and actually it would be too easy to be of any worth as a prank.:_

_:Besides,: _Ash's voice was warm, and Jenn felt like he was standing behind her and whispering in her ear. _:You can make it up to me tonight.:_

Jenn grinned, making sure to direct it up at Puck so that she wouldn't feel stupid grinning at the mug of hot chocolate. _:Well I'll try not to be too bad here, so I can be as bad as I can be later on...:_

"Oh get a room," Puck muttered.

"What?" Gary stared at Puck suspiciously.

"I said that I'd rather get a room," Puck said breezily. "Making out in public is so déclassé."

Gary rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you two done staring at each other? Get with the making out, or I think I'm going to decide that you're just making Jenn look like Mia to get her out of trouble with Misty's supporters over there."

There was still a small herd of people, seemingly held back by uncertainty over if the girl in question that they were looking at was the breakup behind Ash and Misty's marriage or not.

Jenn stood up and Puck gathered her in his arms and ducked his head down. Though the face leaning towards her looked like Ash, the blonde knew instinctively that it wasn't him. A second before Puck kissed her, Jenn could suddenly feel Ash in her mind, and even quicker than that came the feeling that she was with Ash and not Puck.

"I'm right here with you," Ash said, and it truly was him somehow. The sensation of his hands on her bare arms was right, and she could smell his cologne, and she was amazed.

"How is this...possible?" It was as if they weren't even at _Starmiebucks_, but someplace else. It didn't feel scary, but felt a little weird nonetheless.

"I created a mental link between us," Ash's eyes twinkled merrily. "It's not something where I'll always be there with you mentally when I'm not there physically, but more like it'll be easier for me to help you if you should need it."

"Well I think this qualifies," Jenn sighed. "Gary is such a douche."

"Enough of Gary," Ash held her like Puck had done. "I'll help Puck deal with him later. For now..."

The two kissed then, deeply and passionately. Long enough that only a derisive snort from Gary and a slight, "oh my" from Delia's direction broke the two apart. When Jenn stepped back, she saw that Ash was no longer in his business suit, but in more casual attire and...

Jenn stepped back a little more, almost fell over her chair, and blushed when Puck caught her and kept her on her feet.

"Now, now, let's not be too klutzy," Puck murmured. "Although I do have that affect on you, my dear Mia-kins."

"Yes, well, I'm gonna release some Puerto Rican rage on Gary if he doesn't get away from us in about ten seconds." Jenn glared at her ex, who blanched.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." Gary waved dismissively, then sauntered towards the Misty herd. "But ladies, I do know where the little slut is staying at. Right at Ash's mom's house."

There were collective gasps of disbelief.

Jenn herself almost went after Gary, but Puck held her back.

"No, no, Mia, this is something that Jenn and Ash have to handle." Puck watched as Gary led the herd of Misty supporters out of sight, then let go of the blonde and sighed. "Damn, that was way too close. I didn't expect him to request that."

The reality of what just happened seemed to suddenly hit Jenn. "Oh, dear Lugia..." She sat down with a thump on the chair. "I can't believe I just..."

Puck looked over to see Jenn put her arms on the table and then rest her forehead on her arms. "It wasn't that bad."

"Nice to see you're still oblivious," Jenn's retort was slightly muffled.

Puck sighed quietly. _Now is when blondie freaks out, not earlier? _But he felt bad for her and put up a shield around them in an idea taken from Lu. Anyone looking at the table and its occupants would see non-descript people who were not Jenn or Delia. They wouldn't see Puck at all.

"Thank you, Puck," Delia smiled over at the Fae. "Ah, Ash has been keeping me up to date, including what you just did."

Puck nodded. "I should get going. As soon as you two are done and leave, the shielding will follow you until you get home. You'll look like anyone but yourselves."

A muffled sigh came from Jenn's direction, and Puck ignored the somewhat runny nose quality it had. Leave it to Jenn to be reduced to tears from a simple kiss from Puck.

_:I'm sure you have that affect on all the girls,: _Ash's amused voice was suddenly chiming in Puck's thoughts.

_:Nope, just the weird ones, and that's just Jenn.: _Puck hesitated. _:She's going to be okay, right? I mean, I'd hate to think I broke her.:_

_:She'll be fine. She's better now than what could've happened if you hadn't been there.: _A pause. _:I appreciate it, Puck.:_

_:Normally I'd say any time, but I'm not kissing your girl ever again, Ash.: _Puck shuddered. _:Mia would kill me.:_

Ash chuckled. _:I'd have to kill you too.:_

_:...er, you're kidding, right?: _Puck sighed when there was no response. _:Good thing I'm immortal.:_

Ash chuckled again, letting Puck know that the Chosen One hadn't been ignoring the Fae. _:Yeah, I was just kidding. See you later, Puck.:_

_:Later, Ash.: _Puck nodded to Delia, saw that Jenn had her head still encased in the safety of her arms, and shrugged. Then he vanished.

ooo

_Pokémon League Offices, Pallet_

"Thank GOD that's all over," the Grand Master groaned as he walked into his office and shrugged out of his suit jacket.

"I see you survived Deathstalker Daisy," James grinned as he looked up from his desk.

"Don't _ever_ let me do that again, okay?" Ash told his personal assistant. "Next time Cerulean comes up for review, say I'm sick or otherwise occupied."

"And who would take your place?" James raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Lance," Ash said without hesitation. "As Leader of the Elite Four, he often stands in for me when I can't make a public engagement."

"But you know what he thinks about Cerulean," James shook his head. Lance never hid his disdain for who he called the 'three bubble airheads'. Plus he had been disgusted at the circumstances of Misty's cheating, saying the woman had no morals.

"Better him than me," the Grand Master grinned as he threw his keys, phone, wallet and laptop in his briefcase.

"You want me to page a driver for you?" James called out to his boss.

"Yes, please." Ash came out of his office with his briefcase and jacket and locked the door, "I'm off home."

"Any plans for tonight?"

"I'm going to take Jenn out to a nice little restaurant and then we're going to walk along the waterfront."

"Sounds very nice."

"I thought so," Ash smiled. "First though, I want to stop off at the florists to buy her a dozen roses."

"Very romantic," James grinned. "Off with you, Sir Ash. Your fair maiden awaits."

ooo

Jenn was curled up with a good book in one of the comfy armchairs in the living room when she heard a key turn in the door, followed by Ash's voice.

"I'm home!"

Abandoning her book, the blonde leapt up and rushed to the hallway. Despite being cooped up all day in meetings, Ash still managed to look just as hott as he did in the morning.

"Ashy!"

"Jenn," the Grand Master smiled and held out the bouquet of roses. "For you."

"Aww," Jenn took the flowers carefully and inhaled the sweet scent of their perfume. "I love roses."

"I know," Ash smiled. "I booked us a table for two tonight at a local seafood restaurant."

"I love seafood!"

"I know. Plus after that we can walk along the harbour front in the moonlight."

"I love walking by the water!"

"I know."

Jenn rolled her eyes. "Is there anything you _**don't**_ know, Mr Smart Arse?"

A twinkle appeared in Ash's dark eyes. "Well, I don't know how much you love me. Maybe you could show me."

"As if you had to even ask," Jenn smirked before putting the roses down and flinging her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him soundly on the mouth.

"Mmm," Ash smiled as they broke apart for breath. "I'd say you love me very much."

"Maybe on this vacation, I'll show you how much I love you in another way," Jenn winked.

"I like the sound of that!" The Grand Master grinned. "The table is booked for seven-thirty so that gives you plenty of time to get ready and become even more gorgeous."

"Smart Ashy for phrasing the last part correctly," the blonde smirked. "Because I am a Goddess after all."

"You're _my_ Goddess."

ooo

The restaurant Ash took her to, was a quiet, family run restaurant situated on the pier down by the harbour. The proprietor, who knew Ash very well, seated the couple at a private table at the back behind a large ornate folding screen.

Jenn was glad that the screen shielded them from any other restaurant patrons, as this meant she could ogle her boyfriend all she wanted.

Ash was wearing the casual short sleeved shirt that she had bought him that morning and she had to admit it looked better on him than she ever imagined. In her imagination he looked hot, but in reality he looked super sexy hawt.

The cologne he wore was one of her favourites too, and the combination of Ash, shirt and cologne was driving her romantic impulses wild.

Jenn toyed with the idea of throwing all caution to the wind and having it on with Ash right then and there in the restaurant. No one would see them and if the couple were careful, no one would hear them either.

Then again, the blonde did want her first time to be special. Especially with Ash. It would have to be super special. And a quick bonk in a quiet corner of a restaurant didn't cut it as super special.

It would just have to wait for another time.

"How was your outing with my Mom?" Ash's voice interrupted her internal monologue.

"It was fun!" Jenn grinned. "I loved the museum, especially the section dedicated to you."

"I still don't know why they built that," the Grand Master sighed. "It's so embarrassing."

"Aww, you shouldn't be embarrassed," Jenn patted his hand across the table. "They're just showing how proud they are about you."

"I suppose."

"That part of the day was cool. The part where Gary set the Misty fans on me was totally not cool."

"Good thing that Puck responded so quickly," Ash smiled.

"Yeah, " Jenn agreed. "But I feel bad that he told the Misty fans that I was staying at your parents' house. I don't want to cause any trouble for them."

"Gary and any Misty fans won't be able to get near the house," Ash reassured the blonde. "Puck and Callie have placed a shield around the house so that only people who I approve can get near it. If Gary or any Misty fans have a grievance, they take it up with _**me**_ and not my parents."

"Exactly."

"Did Gary say anything to you apart from the threat to set the Misty fans on you?"

"He totally blames us for losing him his Gym leadership, his pokémon and his inheritance from his Grandfather," Jenn recalled. "He's so full of hate."

"That's Gary for you," Ash sighed wearily. "He's never wanted to take responsibility for his actions, especially when it causes him to lose something."

"I told him it was all his own fault, which he didn't like of course," the blonde wrinkled her nose. "He said he was going to make us pay and that he'd get me back."

"If that happens, there'll be hell to pay."

"Yeah from you and Trish," Jenn grinned. "That's if Trish leaves you anything to rip into. She's really got it in for Gary ever since he dumped me."

"She's a great best friend," Ash smiled,

"The best!" Jenn laughed. "But enough about my day, what about yours?"

"The less said about mine, the better," the Grand Master grumbled. "Imagine a two hour meeting with Daisy glaring daggers at you."

"No thanks," Jenn shook her head. "That's _your _turf, Mr Grand Know It All."

"Aww, but you're always saying that you wonder what it's like to be Grand Master," Ash said with an evil glint in his eyes. "Here's a chance for you to experience it."

"Again, no thank you," the blonde shook her head. "That's the boring part. I'd rather do the fun things like battles."

"You need more badges for that," Ash reminded his girlfriend.

"I know..." Jenn sighed. "It was a thought."

"Next time Cerulean comes up for review, I think I'll be busy elsewhere so that Lance has to step in for me," Ash sat back in his chair.

"Chicken," the blonde teased.

"Maybe, but at least I save on the aspirin."

"How many more of these meetings you have to go through?"

"Tomorrow is Vermillion and Celadon, then the next day, Fuchsia and Saffron. Finally with Cinnabar and Viridian."

"Good, because as much as I love hanging with your mom, I'd rather be with you, Ash," Jenn squeezed his hand again.

"I'd rather be with you too, than being stuck in meetings all day," the Grand Master sighed.

"Why do you attend all the meetings anyway? I bet that lots of head honchos from the huge multinational companies only ever attend one annual general meeting a year if that. They send their flunkies to attend in their place."

"Yeah and those are the corporations that end up bankrupt," Ash snorted. "A good CEO should try to be across all areas of his or her company so they know what's going on."

"But you can't be everywhere at once with the League," Jenn pointed out.

"No, that's why I've made sure I have a good team of subordinates under me. People I can depend on to run the League properly in my absence and give me proper and concise reports of the issues."

"Like Drake?"

"Yeah, like Drake," the Grand Master grinned. "I rarely have to worry about the Orange League. Drake runs a tight and smooth operation."

"I bet," the blonde murmured. "I bet he's a real slave driver."

"Actually no, he isn't. Drake's one of the most popular Gym Leaders to work for out of all the Leagues. Pummelo Gym has the lowest staff turnover rate of all the Gyms. Drake's known as a hardworking, fair and honest boss. If you're a good worker and dedicated to your job, he'll look after you."

"Let me guess who has the highest staff turnover. Rudy?" Jenn smirked.

"You got it."

"Why doesn't Drake just get rid of him from the Trovita Gym?" The blonde sighed. "That guy has serious issues and sounds like a lousy boss."

"There are rules and laws we have to follow, Jenn," Ash rebuked gently. "We'd need a good reason to get rid of Rudy or else get sued for unfair dismissal and have it appear on the front pages of the tabloids."

"How about for stalking Trish? There's a good reason!" Jenn beamed. "The guy just won't take a hint that she doesn't like him two years later, even if she rented out a two page spread in a major newspaper or hired a billboard."

"Nope," Ash agreed but was interrupted by the arrival of the waiter.

"Are you ready to order?"

"Definitely!"

ooo

_Back on Pummelo_

"_I wonder how Pikapi and Pikapichu are doing?"_ Pikachu said as the Pokémon gathered around for their Brock catered dinner.

"_I wonder if Ash's still __**sane**__ after all this time with the blonde on his own,"_ Charizard snickered as he popped a morsel of meat into his mouth.

"_Charizard, that's mean!"_ Pikachu berated the Fire Pokémon gently_. "I know you have a grudge against Jenn for using her dark powers to fling you against a wall when she was an Absol but what's past is past. You're going to have to get used to Jenn being around from now on."_

"_I know, I know,"_ Charizard muttered. "_Ho-Oh and Mew have said that the blonde is the Chosen of the Chosen One and the Mother of the Future Chosen One as set by the Fates. But that doesn't mean I have to __**like**__ her."_

"_No, but you could give Jenn a chance," _Meganium said reasonably."_She'd have to be someone special and super nice for Ash to fall for her."_

"_All he needs are his __**hormones**__ to be raging to fall for someone, Meg," _Charizard snorted. "_I mean, hello, he married Misty despite the fact that she treated him mean and bashed him over the head with her mallet. It could only be due to hormones."_

"_While you're right about Misty_," Apollo, Ash's Espeon said. _"Jenn will be different. I get a good feeling from her. She really does love Ash for who he is not his status in life. Misty only thought she was in love because everyone said she and Ash were meant to be together."_

"_I sure hope you're right about Jenn,"_ Pikachu said softly. "_Pikapi deserves to be truly happy after all he's been through in the past month or so."_

"_I agree with the rat," _Charizard rumbled. "_Ash has been through a lot and he'd done so much for the world that he deserves to be happy. I only hope that he's not setting himself up for more heartache by hooking up with the blonde. She's so flighty when it comes to guys, yet she doesn't have any wings!"_

"_While Jenn does act like a female version of Brock,"_ Bulbasaur said. "_In reality her heart belonged to one man only all along, and that was Ash. While she thought she was being ultra secretive about it, it was obvious to everyone."_

"_Do you think they'll try to mate on this vacation?"_ Squirtle smirked. "_After all Ash didn't take any of us with him, and Jenn didn't take any of hers, so it's obvious they want to be alone."_

"_I think so,"_ Pikachu nodded. _"They need to take their relationship to the next level, and you can plainly see that Ash and Jenn want to mate with each other rather badly."_

"_Who's Momma mating with?" _A very young voice came from behind them. They turned to see Jenn's young Absol puppy standing there with a puzzled look on her face.

"_Your momma's spending time with the Chosen One_," Meganium told the youngster.

"_Whatcha mean by they're gonna mate?" _Kigali cocked her head to the side.

"_Nothing to worry your little furry head over yet,"_ Pikachu said firmly. "_It's something you can find out when you're older."_

"_But I already __**am**__ older!"_ The puppy protested. _"I'm a whole __**day**__ older than I was yesterday."_

"_You're still a puppy, too young for adult things_," Typhlosion rumbled gently. "_Beth can explain when you're old enough."_

"_Awww,_" Kigali drooped.

"_However if all goes well between your Momma and Chosen One, he might become your new human daddy,"_ Pikachu said hastily, not wanting to upset the young puppy.

"_Really?"_ The young Absol perked up. "_Really for real?"_

"_Really," _the electric mouse confirmed. "_Your Momma really loves the Chosen One and he really loves her."_

_"Yay!"_ Kigali bounced up and down like a toy spring. "_The Chosen One is gonna be my daddy! The Chosen One is gonna be my daddy!_

"_Someone's happy,"_ Meganium grinned.

"_I'm gonna go tell Chance, Beth and Ophelia!"_ Kigali cheered before rushing off.

"_Kids_," Squirtle shook his head.

ooo

Back in Pallet, Ash and Jenn had finished their delicious meal and had left the restaurant out the back entrance so they wouldn't be waylaid by fans. Especially any of the touring Misty fan club if they were still in town.

Jenn was fine with that. Another encounter with rabid fans of her boyfriend's very ex would totally ruin the romantic and relaxing evening.

Now the couple were walking along, arm in arm along the sleepy waterfront, waves lapping gently at the boats moored alongside the docks.

"I never thought this would be possible," Jenn murmured as she leant her head against Ash's broad shoulder.

"What wouldn't be possible?"

"Taking a moonlit walk along the waterfront with you," the blonde grinned up at him. "In my dreams maybe, but never in real life."

The Grand Master drew her closer, "So...how does this reality match up with your fantasy?"

"It's much better," Jenn smirked. "You look way hotter in real life than you do in my dreams. And I get to do this for real..."

With that she stopped and kissed Ash soundly on the mouth. Ash merely wrapped his arms around Jenn's waist and pulled her closer into the kiss.

Little did the couple know they were being watched.

Invisible to the human eye, a little pink cat like Pokémon was sitting on top of one of the lampposts. Mew giggled to herself as she watched the Chosen One and his Chosen One kiss. Things were proceeding as they should. The fate of the Future Chosen One depended on this relationship succeeding.

All Mew had to do was to watch over the blonde to make sure that no one got between the girl and Ash.

ooo

Gary Oak was fuming as he stomped through his apartment, cursing Jenn as he swigged constantly from a wine bottle. Damn that American blonde for ruining his perfect life. If it wasn't for Jenn battling as an Absol and beating his Umbreon, Gary would never have lost his temper and kicked the creature. Then he wouldn't have been caught or convicted of Pokémon abuse, removed from the Viridian City Gym, had his trainer's licence revoked and the lifetime ban placed on him.

Pokémon was his whole life! His entire base to his claim to fame! After all he had been claiming all his life that because he was the grandson of the World's Greatest Authority On Pokémon, naturally he'd be the World's Greatest Pokémon Master.

Then that Ketchum Loser went and stole Gary's rightful title of Pokémon Grand Master at sixteen. No matter that Gary had been defeated in the early stages of the round robin, it was still his God given title from birth!

Gary wasn't qualified to do anything else. Unlike Ash, he had not bothered to carry on with his studies, believing his good looks and God given talent would be enough to carry him through. Plus his guaranteed inheritance from his gramp's massive fortune would help Gary to maintain his extravagant lifestyle without ever having to work really hard for it.

But then Gramps did the unthinkable. The old geezer had the hide to write Gary right out of his will, declaring he was disinherited because of the Pokémon abuse charges. His gramps had said something stupid like "No grandson of mine would ever abuse Pokémon."

So without his gramps to support him and without a job, Gary was in a funk.

And it was all Ash and Jenn's fault! Damn them for being happy! Damn them for ruining his life. He needed to get his revenge, something that would hurt both of them.

Gary snapped his fingers as he thought of one of the worst things he could possibly do to a budding relationship.

ooo

The next day Jenn came down to breakfast to find Ash eating breakfast all alone in the kitchen. As always, the Grand Master was looking damn fine in another tailored business suit, this time in charcoal grey.

"Morning, Ashy," the blonde grinned as she greeted him a kiss. "Where is everyone? Did you accidentally teleport your parents somewhere?"

"No," Ash grinned. "Dad's already left for work and Mom left to get some plants and gardening supplies from the Xanadu nursery."

"Steven must really love his work," Jenn snorted as she poured herself a glass of orange juice and sat down next to her boyfriend. Mimey appeared with a plate full of freshly fried bacon and eggs and set it down in front of her. "To leave that early."

"Dad does love what he does," Ash nodded. "He's the best there is at Silph Co."

"And you're the best there is too," the blonde beamed.

"I suppose so."

"Suppose so? You know so! No one's even come close to taking your title off you for years!"

"True," Ash said. "I just don't want to ever become too cocky and complacent. Once I start thinking like that, I won't give it my all and then someone _will _beat me."

"Like Gay...I mean Gary," Jenn nodded. "He thought he could beat us in that Pokémon battle."

"But he couldn't."

"So when is your mom going to get back from the nursery?"

"Don't know," Ash shrugged. "It depends on what she wants to get, or if she starts talking with Florinda and Potter who are old family friends of ours. Sometimes they have classes or lectures at the nursery as well and she likes to attend those."

Jenn slid her arms around her boyfriend's waist. "Do you have to go and sit in those boring meetings all day today? Why don't you stay here with me instead? I promise you won't be bored."

"Trust me, I'd love to be able to," Ash kissed her tenderly. "But I can't. This is the not so fun part of being the Grand Master. But as soon as the meetings are all over and done within three days, I'm all yours."

"Mhmm, I like the sound of that!" Jenn smiled. She couldn't wait for the three days to be over, then she had her man all to herself. But she would still insist that Ash wear one of his business suits, if only so she could have the fun of taking it _off_ him.

"So what are you going to do on your lonesome today?"

"I might go for a walk around the city, or maybe go for a walk in the woods out the back," Jenn mused. She did love the peace and quiet of being in the forest.

"Maybe you should take a Pokémon with you," Ash frowned. "I'll get Gengar to follow you."

"Don't worry about me, Ashy," Jenn grinned. "Unlike a certain dark-haired man, who shall remain totally nameless, _I_ don't have a reputation for getting lost."

"That was when I was younger," the Grand Master retorted. "I haven't got lost for years. Besides, Brock also got us lost."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Seriously, Jenn. Take Gengar with you," Ash said soberly. "I'm worried that Gary may try something after what you told me."

"I can take care of myself with Gary," Jenn reassured her boyfriend.

"I know...it's just that I couldn't stand it if something happened to you. Not after we've just started dating," Ash admitted.

"Aww that's so sweet," the blonde was touched. "But there's no need to worry about me. I'm the original bad penny, so I'll be sticking around whether you like it or not. Just ask Drake."

"He really doesn't mind you hanging around," the Grand Master chuckled. "He just likes to tease you occasionally."

"And I tease him right back," Jenn grinned. "Trish did warn him when they first started dating that I came as part of the package."

"Mhmm," Ash agreed as he stood up from the table. "I'd better get going. Give me a call when you get back, okay?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Gengar?" Ash called out.

"_Geeeeng?"_ The squat purple Ghost Pokémon materialised out of thin air.

"Gengar, I'd like you to keep an eye on Jenn for me while I'm in meetings today, please."

"_Gengar gen geng gar?"_ The Pokémon grinned mischievously.

"No that does _**not**_ mean that you get to stick one of Haunter's eyeballs on her," the Grand Master shook his head

"Ewww, gross," Jenn made a face at Gengar. "Did anyone ever tell you that your idea of fun is twisted and sick?"

The Pokémon grinned.

"I didn't mean it as a compliment."

"_Geenng."_

"You can follow me on one condition, which is No Funny Stuff. Capice?"

Gengar sighed and nodded. He might as well agree to the blonde's request, because he'd have to follow her whether she liked it or not. The Chosen One said so, and no Pokémon could disobey the Chosen One. Even if Gengar lived for doing funny stuff, a stand up comedy act was his dream.

"Okay then," Jenn grinned.

"Don't let her talk you into doing anything illegal, like spiriting goods out of designer boutiques like _Louis Vuitton_," Ash warned the ghost.

"Ashy!" Jenn was shocked. "Why would I get Gengar to do anything like that?"

"Because you like getting things for free?"

"I do, but now I've got you to possibly buy me a present from there in the future," the blonde beamed.

"Only if you're very good," Ash smirked.

"I'm always good," Jenn smirked right back. "A total angel."

"You're lucky the others aren't here," the Grand Master laughed. "They'd have something to say about that."

"Geh, what do they know," the blonde snorted. "The Goddess doesn't get the respect she should from her friends."

"Of course not," Ash grinned as he left the room. "I'll be back in a few secs."

Jenn continued eating her breakfast until footsteps alerted her to her boyfriend's return. The Grand Master had his business suit jacket on and the black leather League folder under his arm which he dropped onto the table next to Jenn.

"I'd better get going," Ash sighed. "The sooner I get there, the sooner I can get back home."

Jenn stood up and gave him a kiss. "That incentive enough for you to finish work early?"

The Grand Master smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist before he pulled her close for a passionate kiss that left Jenn feeling a little dazed when they finally broke apart.

"And is _that_ incentive enough for you to behave yourself?" Ash smiled at his girlfriend.

"Mhmmm," Jenn smiled back dreamily. "I think I might just be able to behave myself until a certain man gets back from work."

"Then what?"

"Then I get to be as naughty with him as I want," Jenn said with a saucy wink.

"I like the sound of that," the Grand Master grinned. "Now I'd better remove myself from your tempting presence or else I'll never make it to the meetings."

One final kiss and then Ash was on his way.

Jenn cleared away her breakfast plate and glass and put it in the dishwasher. Smoothing down her top she grinned at the Ghost Pokémon hovering upside down.

"Just give me a few more minutes then we're ready to go, Gengy!"

The Pokémon's grin dropped. Gengy? What type of nickname was that?

ooo

Gengar was floating through the woods behind Jenn at a reasonable distance. Close enough for the Pokémon to keep an eye on her but not so close that he was invading her personal space.

A few minutes later, Gengar became aware of another presence near him. He turned to see a small pink cat like Pokémon floating a few feet away and his eyes widened.

Mew giggled and raised one tiny paw to her mouth to indicate Gengar remain silent.

_: Mew! What are you doing here?:_ Gengar asked via telepathy.

:_Keeping an eye on the Chosen of the Chosen One of course,:_ Mew giggled. :_Ho-Oh and I want to make sure that everything goes as it should.:_

_:What do you mean?:  
_

_:Jenn is very special and important to the Chosen One, and she is very important to us Pokémon too.:_

_:How so?:_

_:She will bear the next Chosen One.: _the Legendary grinned.

_:WHATT?:_ Gengar's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. :_**THAT **__blonde?: _

_:Yes, __**that**__ blonde.: _Mew grinned even more. :_Isn't the workings of Fate grand?:_

The Ghost Pokémon scratched his head with one paw. _:I dunno about grand, but Fate sure is kooky. Are you and Ho-Oh __**sure**__ about this?:_

:_Absolutively, positively sure_,: Mew did a twirl in mid air. :_Both Ho-Oh and myself were told personally by Destiny.:_

_:I sure hope they know what they're doing..:_

_:Of course they do,:_ the little Legendary was confident. :_We were all a little unsure at first when we first learnt that Ash was the Chosen One. But he's done alright. In fact he's done more than alright. He's the best Chosen One I've ever known. Ho-Oh agrees too.:  
_

_And Mew would know what she was talking about_, Gengar thought to himself. Both she and Ho-Oh had been around for a very long time.

"Hey Gengy!" They heard Jenn call out. "Are you still following me? Cuz Ashy might get mad at you if you're not."

Gengar sighed. :_See what I have to put up with?:_

:_It's for the good of the Pokémon World_,: Mew soothed. :_Don't tell her I'm here okay?:_

:_Okay.: _Gengar sighed as he floated back into view of the human blonde he was ordered to guard.

"There you are!" Jenn grinned. "I was hoping you wouldn't stay too far behind since I don't know my way around here. I'm sure you could guide me back easily, unlike a certain dark-haired man we all know."

"_He __**was**__ pretty hopeless with directions." _Gengar remembered how Ash was as a young boy.

"Don't tell Ashy this, but I have been known to be bad with directions too," the blonde confided. "I once got lost in the woods near my own home."

Gengar's jaw dropped in amazement. He pitied the future Chosen One and any kids that Ash and Jenn may have. With such direction challenged parents, the next Chosen One was doomed to spend the rest of his or her life wandering the roads, not knowing how to get from here to there.

"Don't look so shocked," Jenn scowled at the Pokémon. "It was just the one time."

"_Suure."_

ooo

"And that's the current situation as it stands with Vermillion City Gym," Lieutenant Surge finished.

"Thank you, Surge," Ash smiled as he sat at the head of the conference table. "I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again. I wish a lot of the other Gyms could write and present their reports like you do."

As a former military man, the Lieutenant's reports were short and concise, containing all the facts and statistics that Ash needed to know and none of the stuff he didn't.

"Thanks Ash," the burly man grinned. "You're a great boss to work for."

The Grand Master leaned back in his chair and smiled. Amazing what difference a different Gym Leader made. Ash was more relaxed and happy in this meeting than he was yesterday.

He only hoped that Jenn was having as good a day as he was.

ooo

Jenn was happily walking along a small trail in the woods, when a brilliant twinkle somewhere off to the left caught her eye.

Curious, the blonde decided to go and investigate, even if it was off the trail. It could be something interesting, like dropped jewellery, coins or even an evolution stone! They were very expensive to buy and Jenn had always hoped to find one. Jenn looked behind her but there was no sign of Gengar. He had been a fair way behind her before, not wanting to intrude on her and making her feel like she was under surveillance.

Reasoning that she could be there and back before Gengar caught up with her, the blonde dashed off into the bushes to her left where she had seen the glimmer. Five minutes later and not too many scratches and leaves later, Jenn reached the spot.

Bending down to pick up the object, which was a glittering Fire Stone, Jenn never heard or saw her assailant come up and grab her from behind, clamping a sweet and sickly smelling cloth over her mouth.

Jenn struggled with all her might but her attacker was just too strong. The fumes from the soaked cloth soon overwhelmed her and she blacked out.

ooo

"_Hey, where did Jenn go?_" Gengar muttered as he floated up the path_. "I saw her a few minutes ago. I swear that girl is nothing but trouble."_

_:Jenn IS in trouble,: _Mew interrupted, suddenly appearing in front of him. "_Gary Oak has kidnapped her."_

"_WHAT?"_ Gengar's grin dropped. "_How did THAT happen?"_

_:He lured her off the path with something shiny.: _Mew sighed.

"_She's worse than a Meowth."_

_:Go get the Chosen One,: _Mew ordered. :_I'll keep an eye on Jenn to make sure that Gary doesn't try anything.:_

"_Why don't you just teleport her to safety?" _Gengar blinked.

_:Because, that would be too easy_: Mew giggled. :_Plus the Chosen One rescuing his lady love might just be the push those two need to strengthen their relationship.:_

"_Hope you know what you're doing,"_ Gengar muttered before shrinking back at Mew's glare. "_Okay I'll go get Ash to save the day."_

_To be continued..._

ooo

_Author's Note_: _As stated at the beginning of the chapter, right now my family is going through a difficult time with my dad being diagnosed with liver cancer. He about to receive the first round of treatment and hopefully all goes well. So writing may be even more sporadic than before. And any idiotic or insensitive flamers will get their heads bitten off._

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